Georgia lawmakers work to tackle growing energy concerns

The end of the 2024 Georgia Legislative Session coincided with Georgia Public Service Commission hearings to address an extra request from Georgia Power for more electricity, as well as a candidate qualifying period in which some were surprised to learn the PSC would once again be left off the ballot. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WABE and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.

The Georgia General Assembly wants to suspend tax breaks for high-tech data centers and won’t extend extra benefits to cryptocurrency mining operations. These operations rely on large banks of computer servers that use huge amounts of energy – a concern that was on lawmakers’ minds as they passed the data center bill and failed to advance the crypto measure

State lawmakers also set out an election schedule for the state’s Public Service Commissioners. Voting for the elected officials who regulate utilities has been on hold for years as a voting rights challenge has moved through the courts.