Georgia’s Kemp Calls Bid to Block Data Centers ‘Insane’

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(Bloomberg) — Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a defender of data centers in one of the states where they’re growing fastest, said Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms was “irresponsible” for proposing a pause in building new facilities.

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“That’s just an insane position to take,” the term-limited Republican official told Bloomberg Television Wednesday, throwing into contrast the differences between his party and the Democrat who is running to succeed him. “You’ve got Keisha Lance Bottoms wanting to put moratoriums on growth.”

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Bottoms has called for a “temporary” halt on new data center construction while the state evaluates the cost and and potential impact on local communities, her campaign said.

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“Keisha will stand up to protect Georgia consumers and communities from high energy bills,” TaNisha Cameron, her campaign communications director, said in an emailed statement. “Georgia’s status quo of unchecked data center construction without a plan is not acceptable.”

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Data centers and rising power bills have become a political flashpoint ahead of the November elections as opposition to the power-hungry facilities grows around the country. They’ve been blamed for driving up local utility bills and depleting water resources while only providing a limited number of jobs, drawing protests from voters and moves by some lawmakers to ban them. 

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In New York, lawmakers are set to approve a one-year ban on data center development and other guardrails. New legislation introduced on Monday would allow Democrats to pause permits for new data centers for a year. If New York Governor Kathy Hochul approves the measure by December, the state would be the first state to enact such a pause on the facilities.

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Last November, two Democrats were elected to the Georgia Public Service Commission — the party’s first statewide wins in a non-federal-election year since 2006 — after channeling voter anger about rising electricity rates. Georgia ranks No. 3 in the country in data centers in the planning stage, and No. 5 overall when facilities in operation are rolled in, according to the Pew Research Center. 

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Maine Governor Janet Mills took a different tack in April, bucking her own party by vetoing a proposed moratorium on permitting for data centers larger than 20 megawatts until November 2027, saying it would hurt a part of Maine in need of an economic boost. 

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Kemp, a two-term Republican prohibited by term limits from running again, is trying to straddle the line between industry and constituents.

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“I’m not saying we need to put a data center in every community. We certainly don’t need to be pushing them in communities where the local governments and the people don’t want it,” Kemp said from the sidelines of the Edison Electric Institute conference in Las Vegas. “But there are many places around the state where people do want it, and that’s where we need to work with them.”

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—With assistance from Brett Pulley and Sarah McGregor.

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(Updates with statement from Bottoms in third paragraph.)

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