Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025
Good morning! Today we look once more at data centers and the continuing concerns about who’s going to pay to provide the energy they need. We also check in on the now one-year-old mining draft permits issued to an Alabama company with controversial plans to strip mine near the Okefenokee. Finally, we highlight a report that showcases the state’s efforts to protect its native animals, and its plants, too.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Lawmakers address data center rate impacts
State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome) has filed Senate Bill 34 to protect residential and commercial ratepayers from higher utility bills due to the development of commercial data centers, as Georgia Recorder’s Stanley Dunlap reports. Georgia Power executives have said that 80% of its projected increased energy demands over the next decade is tied to energy hungry data centers opening in the state. Legislators as well as environmental and consumer advocates are concerned the Public Service Commission’s recently passed regulation about data centers allows but doesn’t require Georgia Power to protect residential customers.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Draft mine permits hit 1-year mark
Sunday marked one year since the Georgia Environmental Protection Division issued draft permits for proposed mining near the Okefenokee. There’s still no final decision on whether regulators will give Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals the go-ahead to begin strip mining for titanium dioxide. It’s unclear if regulators even have a deadline in mind. “There is no update at this time,” EPD spokeswoman Sara Lipps told The Current on Friday.
Meanwhile, the outgoing head of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which manages the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, wrote to Gov. Brian Kemp in January reiterating the risks of mining and urging Georgia to “protect this unique swamp ecosystem,” as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Read Director Martha Williams’ letter here.
Efforts to protect the Okefenokee have popped up repeatedly in the state legislature over the last several years, but none have come to fruition. One of those bills failed at the last minute last year, but could be revived, the Georgia Conservancy writes in its newsletter. In December the U.S. nominated the Okefenokee to become a United Nations World Heritage Site, enhancing the status of the already beloved blackwater swamp.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Wildlife conservation in action
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources on Monday released its annual report highlighting wildlife conservation in the largest state east of the Mississippi. The report, packed with photos and data, details efforts to monitor and protect native species, from saltmarsh sparrows to North Atlantic right whales, as The Current’s Mary Landers reports.
Also noted:
- The South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative (SASMI) workshop for McIntosh County has been rescheduled for 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. Feb. 13 at McIntosh SEED, 1135 North Way # C, Darien, GA 31305. the workshop will feature speakers, mapping resources, videos, and interactive stations designed to foster a community conversation regarding threats to our coastal marshlands and opportunities for restoration and conservation of marshland now and in the future. Click here to register.
- Chatham County and Savannah are reviewing key codes and ordinances in an effort to address climate challenges, including flooding, sea level rise, and urban heat island effects already being seen locally. The public is invited to two virtual meetings to discuss how to improve local regulations to better respond to a growing community and a changing climate. Register at these links: 9 a.m. Feb 26 session or 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26 session
- Cumberland Island National Seashore will close Plum Orchard Dock for living shoreline work starting Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Plum Orchard Mansion will remain open with visitation available via the main road and by Lands & Legacies Tours. The U.S. Park Service did not indicate an end date for the shoreline restoration, but the work was previously expected to take about three months to complete.
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State senator pushes bill to protect Georgia Power customers from rate hikes fueled by data centers
Georgia Power and clean energy groups are divided over legislation that would prevent state-regulated utilities from raising electricity rates to cover the costs of energy-guzzling data centers, with the Senate committee debating the potential impact on residential and commercial ratepayers.
Report highlights Georgia wildlife conservation efforts
Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s annual report, highlighting efforts to monitor and conserve wildlife, including a host of coastal plants and animals.
USAID shutdown jeopardizes Georgia nonprofit’s peanut-based humanitarian program
USAID’s dismantling could negatively impact local economies in south Georgia, where a nonprofit like MANA relies heavily on USAID funding to produce peanut products for severely malnourished children.
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