Senator Warnock urges EPA to address data center water demands in Georgia
Senator Raphael Warnock is urging the EPA to assist smaller communities facing challenges from data centers, particularly regarding clean water access. This comes after OpenAI announced plans for a $20 billion data center in Effingham County, Georgia, which Senator Warnock highlighted could make unreasonable water demands on under-resourced areas.
U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia is pressing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop guidance and best practices for protecting clean water access in smaller communities affected by data center development. In a recent letter, Senator Warnock emphasized that some data centers impose "unreasonable water demands" on areas with limited resources.
His call to action follows the announcement by OpenAI of its plans for a $20 billion data center project in Effingham County, Georgia. This specific project is cited as an example of the kind of development that could strain local water supplies, prompting the need for federal intervention and preventative measures.