Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025
Good morning and happy Thanksgiving Eve! We begin today with story about increasing public notice for data centers. Next up, a transportation story just in time for this busy travel season. Finally, we look at the long reach of the federal shutdown and what it means for the most vulnerable Georgians as the weather chills.
The Current GA is taking a break over the Thanksgiving weekend, but we’ll be back with new newsletters starting Monday. See you then!
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Spotlight on data centers
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs last week adopted new rules for data centers, making them subject to state review as “developments of regional impact,” or DRIs, as The Current GA‘s Mary Landers reports. The new rules apply to data centers of at least 500,000 square feet in most of the state, with a lower 300,000 square foot threshold in the urban and suburban parts of the Atlanta region. The DRI process alerts a community about proposed developments, allowing those potentially affected by it to weigh in before construction begins. As part of the process, developers will be required to estimate how much water and electricity they will need for a new data center.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
EV charger network expands
Georgia has awarded federal funds to private companies to build and operate electric vehicle charging stations along 26 stretches of highway, including two along Interstate 16 and 95, The Current GA‘s Maggie Lee reports. The public money comes from a 2021 bipartisan congressional authorization to spend $5 billion nationwide to speed a transition to electric vehicles. The stations are intended to make long drives possible in gas-free vehicles. Electric vehicles make up about 1.06% of all vehicles registered in Chatham County, and the share is lower in other coastal counties.
NEWS: COMMUNITY
Aid delayed as winter approaches
Georgians who rely on the federal Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to pay their winter energy bills may experience delays in receiving funds due to the recent government shutdown, which depleted local agencies’ resources, as Emily Jones of WABE/Grist reports. Both Georgia Power and local EMCs encourage customers to reach out for assistance if they find they’re having trouble paying bills.
Fears of delayed assistance come as rising energy costs consume a bigger chunk of family budgets in the United States. Those costs take an extra big bite out of the incomes of African American families, research reported in The Conversation finds. The reasons? African Americans are more likely than other groups to live in older, less energy-efficient homes. They’re also more likely to rent, a situation that disincentivizes both landlords and tenants from making energy efficiency upgrades.
Also noted
• On Friday, the ferry Katie Underwood struck the Marsh Landing Dock on Sapelo Island. None of the 41 passengers on board at the time were injured, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources reports. Ferry operations have been temporarily move to a secondary dock at Marsh Landing with the Annemarie serving passengers. Last year’s gangway collapse at the Marsh Landing Dock resulted in seven deaths.
• The Coastal Georgia Regional Water Planning Council will meet from 9-11:45 a.m. Dec. 3 at the Georgia Tech Savannah Campus (Room PARB 114/115) located at 210 Technology Circle, Savannah. To attend virtually, call 229-430-2900 or e-mail info@h2opolicycenter.org for more information.
• Among the reasons for Coastal Georgians to be thankful this Thanksgiving is a blissfully quiet 2025 hurricane season, which officially ends Sunday. The Savannah Morning News‘ Jill Magtoto offers explanations of the forces that worked to steer hurricanes away from the East Coast all summer and fall.
Georgia board approves new review process for large data centers
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs has adopted new rules that will subject data centers to state review, and developers will be required to estimate how much water and electricity they’ll need for a new facility.
Federal shutdown delays Georgia energy bill assistance program
Georgians who rely on the federal Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to pay their winter energy bills may experience delays in receiving funds due to the recent government shutdown, which depleted local agencies’ resources.
Federal cash flows again for Coastal Georgia EV chargers
Georgia has awarded federal funds to two companies to build electric vehicle charging stations along Interstates 16 and 95, as part of a national effort after state navigated Trump administration roadblock.
The Current GA is part of The Trust Project.
Read our policies.
Support independent, solutions-based investigative journalism without bias, fear or favor on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia.
WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM
You must be logged in to post a comment.