Data centers are under renewed scrutiny at the Georgia Capitol, with lawmakers from both parties proposing limits on tax incentives as opposition grows in local communities statewide.
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Channel 2 Action News reviewed archived coverage showing years of public meetings, zoning debates, and neighborhood pushback tied to data center development. A map shows dozens of planned data centers across Georgia as of December, many concentrated in metro Atlanta and surrounding counties.
In south DeKalb County, neighbors are now pushing back against a proposed data center planned for a wooded area, while lawmakers at the Capitol question whether the state should continue offering generous tax incentives to the industry.
“I think it’s very important that the state stop doing handouts to the data centers,” said Democratic State Sen. Nan Orrock, who is sponsoring legislation to eliminate those incentives.
Republican State Sen. Blake Tillery also supports rolling back the tax breaks, signaling rare bipartisan alignment on the issue.
“We’ve seen now that the Democrats have offered a proposal. The Republicans have put up two bills that do the same thing, so obviously, there’s bipartisan support for helping families this session,” Tillery told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot.
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The number of proposed bills reflects rising concern over the rapid expansion of data centers across the state.
The growing number of Republican and Democratic bills also shows the growing concerns—even some opposition—to the number of data centers going up across Georgia, including the one proposed for here in these deep woods in South DeKalb County.
Both Orrock and Tillery say their proposals are fueled by a new study that found initial projections for job creation and tax revenue tied to data centers were nearly 70% too high.
Tillery argues eliminating the incentives would free up funding to help reduce or eliminate Georgia’s state income tax.
“I think we’ve been very clear from the beginning that we think you should put people over corporations and that in doing that, we’ll be able to eliminate the state income tax,” he said.
Meanwhile, Democratic State Rep. Ruwa Romman has introduced a separate bill that would place a one-year pause on new data center construction across Georgia.
Orrock says many residents are frustrated to learn that companies received tax incentives before communities even had a say.
“And when people hear that they got a tax incentive to come, they’re like, what? We don’t even know that we want them in our backyard. But you gave them a tax incentive to come? What’s wrong with this picture?” Orrock said.
As lawmakers debate the future of data center incentives at the Capitol, neighbors in south DeKalb County say they will continue fighting rezoning efforts tied to the proposed development near their homes.
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