Georgia
Georgia is a major data-center hub where the issue has become a defining 2026 policy fight: statewide moratorium/tax-repeal/ratepayer bills all failed in the session, a wave of counties enacted moratoriums, PSC races are turning on data-center power bills, and gubernatorial candidates in both parties are sparring over moratoriums (Inside Climate News bills fail; The Current PSC races).
ILens Signals
Civic/Governance Barriers activates on meaningful 2026 race (C3) — governance instruments on the electoral, legislative, and regulatory surface (protocol §10; Overview Civic breakout). Capital Flows is a dominant stressor: SELC warns Georgia Power's 'no cost shift' definition still pushes system, infrastructure and hedging costs onto other customers; the 2018 tax exemption's ~$2.5-3B annual revenue loss and the ~10 GW buildout cost (much passed to customers) are central to the policy fight (Inside Climate News; Inside Climate News rates). Energy/Power (10 GW buildout) and Water/Geology (Google's $1M South Georgia wetlands gift amid backlash) are stressed (Capitol Beat). Talent/Workforce retained from baseline given the hub's construction/operations footprint, though 2026 coverage centers on rates/land. Sen. Ossoff launched an investigation into how data centers will raise rates amid his reelection race (USA Today).
IIKey 2026 Races
Public Service Commission (two seats in November) framed as 'a test on whether pocketbook issues and concerns about unchecked data center growth can overcome traditional party lines'; Republicans hold a 3-2 majority and Democrats hope to flip it. Dist. 3: Republican Fitz Johnson (industry-backed) won his primary 50.2%. Dist. 5 (open after Tricia Pridemore's congressional run): a June GOP runoff between Josh Tolbert (an engineer who opposed the PSC's energy-buildout approval) and Georgia Power-linked Bobby Mehan (The Current). Governor: Democratic candidates including Ruwa Romman (HB 1012 sponsor), Josh McLaurin, Nabilah Parkes, and Geoff Duncan back a moratorium/pause; Gov. Kemp called a Democrat's halt bid 'insane,' and GOP runoff candidate Rick Jackson accused Lt. Gov. Burt Jones of profiting from data centers (Guardian; Capitol Beat; Bloomberg).
IIIMoratorium · Ban Status
No statewide moratorium: HB 1012 (statewide construction halt to March 1, 2027) and HB 1059 (Data Center Impact Assessment and Development Moratorium Act, July 1 2026-Dec 31 2028) both failed to pass in the 2026 session (Inside Climate News; GA General Assembly HB 1059 text). A large wave of local moratoriums is in place, including DeKalb County (extended through Sept. 30, 2026), Coweta County (180-day, June 16, 2026), Camden County (six-month, May 2026), Garden City (six-month), Carroll County (100-day, June 2026), and prior actions in Bulloch, Clayton, Douglas, Pike, Lamar and Troup counties (SaportaReport DeKalb; Gradick Communications/Carroll County resolution).
IVRatepayer · Cost-Shift Legislation
All 2026 ratepayer/tax measures failed: Sen. Chuck Hufstetler's bill to require large electricity users to pay full infrastructure costs failed after an abrupt Senate adjournment (a weaker House version also fell short); SB 408 (sunset the tax exemption in 2027) and SB 410 (end the tax break for new data centers) both died. The 2018 tax exemption thus remains through 2032, with projected state/local revenue losses of ~$2.5B (FY2026) rising to ~$3B (FY2027) (Inside Climate News). The PSC has separately ordered Georgia Power to structure data-center rates so large users pay their share and froze base rates through 2028 (Atlanta Tech News; Columbia County Together).
VBallot Measures
None identified. No Georgia November 2026 statewide data-center ballot measure surfaced; the fight is legislative, regulatory (PSC) and local-zoning rather than a ballot initiative (Inside Climate News).
VITop Contested Sites
Numerous rural and suburban contested sites drove the county moratoriums (DeKalb, Coweta, Camden, Carroll, Bulloch). Coweta County's 180-day ban exempts five vested-rights projects (Cliff). A large proposed data center sits on land owned by the father of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a gubernatorial candidate (Axios). Georgia Power's ~10 GW planned buildout ('roughly 10 Plant Vogtles') faces a Dec. 19, 2026 PSC vote (TechStock²).
VIITalent · Workforce
Georgia remains a major construction/operations employment hub for data centers, but 2026 policy coverage centers on ratepayer costs and rural land pressure rather than distinct labor organizing or AI displacement; retained as secondary domain from baseline.
VIIIData Center Cluster Size
Major hub: metro Atlanta (DeKalb, Fulton) plus a rapidly expanding rural footprint (Coweta, Camden, Carroll, Bulloch, Twiggs and more), with Georgia Power planning ~10 GW of new capacity largely to serve data centers before 2032 (Inside Climate News; SaportaReport).
IXKey Quote
"It is alarming that Georgia Power's definition of 'no cost shift' for data centers means that everyone else pays for costs the data centers plainly cause." — Jennifer Whitfield, senior attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center (Inside Climate News)