Data center, PFAS bills were a bust, but Georgia environmentalists cheer boost for conservation

The 2026 legislative session in Georgia concluded with limited success for environmental groups advocating for increased regulation and a reevaluation of tax credits for data centers. Despite a "strong appetite among some lawmakers" to address the "explosive growth" of data centers and concerns about water and electricity consumption, most data center-related bills ultimately failed. This included proposals to phase out tax credits and codify existing Public Service Commission regulations. Environmentalists, like April Lipscomb from the Southern Environmental Law Center and Mark Woodall, a lobbyist for the Sierra Club of Georgia, expressed significant disappointment. They highlighted that lawmakers had "over a dozen proposals" regarding data centers but failed to act, choosing "big business" over the concerns of Georgians regarding water usage and the massive 14,000 megawatt expansion planned by Georgia Power for data centers, which could lead to residential rate increases. The Georgia Public Interest Research Group echoed this sentiment, lamenting the lack of protections for Georgia Power customers. Conversely, the Data Center Coalition, a trade group, viewed the failure of these legislative efforts as positive, stating that limiting tax breaks "would have discouraged future investment and signaled that Georgia is closed for business." While data center bills stalled, lawmakers did pass Senate Bill 478, which extends and increases funding for the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program, a win for conservation. Another bill, Senate Bill 447, aimed at expediting permitting for developers, passed with amendments that addressed critics' concerns about large projects, including data centers, "slipping through the approval process" without proper local authority review.