Georgia lawmakers leave data center tax breaks intact, punt on energy costs

At the start of the legislative session in January, data centers were a prominent issue for Georgia lawmakers. Several bills were introduced, including proposals for moratoriums on new developments, measures addressing the energy infrastructure costs of data centers, and efforts to roll back state tax breaks designed to attract them. However, despite pushes from consumer advocates and environmentalists to protect regular Georgians from the impact of data center growth, lawmakers ultimately left the lucrative tax breaks for these facilities untouched. The General Assembly also did not act on proposals concerning the energy costs associated with data centers, effectively punting on a key concern raised during the session.