Trump says tech companies should pay Georgians thousands to host data centers
President Donald Trump said Georgia communities should have approval power over data center projects and receive substantial payments from developers to offset their impacts. He cited rising electric bills, strained power grids and local opposition as reasons communities should negotiate significant financial benefits.
President Donald Trump told Atlanta News First in Perry that local communities should be able to approve or reject data center projects and demand substantial payments from developers. He suggested that residents could receive $10,000 to $20,000 each, arguing that technology companies have sufficient resources to compensate communities for the projects’ impacts.
Data centers have become a contentious issue across Georgia because of their energy use, pressure on regional power grids and concerns about higher electric bills. Trump said financial payments could ease opposition, citing an example he attributed to Meta in Louisiana, but the article did not identify a specific Georgia data center project or developer involved in such an agreement.