ATLANTA — On Thursday, the Sierra Club submitted an 11-page comment letter to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) with recommendations for how the state agency should handle new data center developments.
One of the functions of the Georgia DCA is to conduct reviews of large developments that will have impacts beyond the communities in which they are proposed. This process, known as a “Development of Regional Impact” or DRI review, is critical for local governments that are weighing the economic benefits of large development projects against their potential impacts. DRI reviews also provide transparency for the public so that Georgians can effectively communicate with their elected officials about these projects.
In July, the Georgia DCA decided to “pause” DRI reviews of data centers, saying these facilities are not specifically listed among the types of projects subject to the agency’s rules for DRI reviews. Then, last month, the DCA announced it was updating its rules so it could resume DRI reviews of some data centers, depending on their size. The DCA opened a public comment period for the new rules, which closes on Friday, Sept. 12.
In addition to advocating for these new rules to be adopted, the Sierra Club’s comment letter also asks the DCA to issue guidance to data centers that recommends these facilities use clean, renewable energy with battery storage as backup power sources. Many data centers use diesel-powered generators, with often more than 100 generators on site, to provide power if electric service is interrupted. When activated, these diesel generators will add to Atlanta’s already dangerous air pollution. This type of policy has already been implemented in other states: In Virginia, home to the most data centers in the world, data centers are encouraged to install cleaner technology to control emissions. At the very least, the Sierra Club recommends that DCA issue guidance on this matter and track each project’s expected emissions and area of impact.
“We’ve seen communities in California and Virginia suffer devastating consequences for letting data centers into their neighborhoods with little to no oversight,” said Adrien Webber (he/him), Director of the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter. “Georgia has the chance to proactively protect communities over computers by setting clear guidelines for these projects. We must protect the health of our communities that will be directly impacted by data centers’ pollution and dirty energy usage. We urged the DCA to put our common sense recommendations into place to protect Atlanta residents from the threats of data centers’ unregulated rush to our state.”
Read the Sierra Club’s letter to the DCA in its entirety at this link.
About the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter
The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter is the largest grassroots environmental organization in the state, with more than 75,000 members and supporters. The Chapter supports a robust outings program and has active committees working on forest and coastal protection, transit expansion, and clean energy. For more information, visit sierraclub.org/georgia.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit sierraclub.org
For media inquiries, please contact:
Ricky Leroux, Communications Strategist
470-719-4512 | ricky.leroux@sierraclub.org