A Small Georgia Town Is Fighting a $17 Billion Data Center Called "Project Sail"
News Clip9:08The Trade Off Report·Coweta County, GA·9/23/2026
Coweta County, Georgia, approved a $17 billion data center project, codenamed "Project Sail," on 829 acres of rezoned forest. The approval occurred despite significant resident opposition, concerns over developer access to officials during the rule-writing phase, and a lack of enforceable noise and wetland protections. A lawsuit has been filed to challenge the county's vote, citing inadequate review of the project's wetland impacts.
zoningoppositionenvironmentalgovernmentlegal
Gov: Coweta County Board of Commissioners
A Georgia county approved a $17 billion data center on 829 acres of rezoned forest — after developers got private meetings with officials while the rules were still being written, and residents who wanted enforceable noise and wetland protections did not.
This episode follows Project Sail from a quiet December land option, through an 8,000-signature petition, a lobbying-access scandal, and a lawsuit now trying to undo the vote over wetlands the county never fully reviewed.
Sources:
1. DeSmog, "Data Center Lobbyists Clear the Way for Mega-Projects in Rural Georgia"
2. The Citizen (Coweta County), lawsuit coverage, May 2026
3. 11Alive, Newnan Today, AtlantaFi.com local coverage
4. Coweta County Board of Commissioners public hearing records