WAYCROSS — Concern over a proposed amendment to Brantley County’s land use ordinance has spread to the citizens of Ware County, who agree data centers have no place in our community.
The C.C. McCray City Auditorium was filled Monday, February 16 with residents from Ware, Pierce and Brantley counties. Satilla Riverkeeper Shannon Gregory teamed with Science for Georgia’s Executive Director Dr. Amy Sharma and Sierra Club’s Georgia Chapter Organizer Hannah Baker to educate attendees on the impact of data centers.
The speakers explained the importance of having strong ordinances and moratoriums in place to mitigate damage.
Data centers are high-tech warehouses making artificial intelligence and cloud storage possible. There are pros to having a data center in a community, such as its ability to provide monetary contributions to small businesses and fund research breakthroughs.
However, these warehouses require large properties (according to Gregory, data centers are commonly the size of 10 Brunswick malls) and a wealth of natural resources to operate, which is why they often receive backlash.
The evening opened with insightful observations on water usage. A map showed the cities of Waycross, Waynesville and Brunswick are already depleting the Satilla River watershed and Floridian aquifer at alarming speeds without a neighboring data center.
“If we’re drawing water from the aquifer faster than it can replenish, we face water shortages in the future,” Gregory warned. “But, it’s not just us. There are parts of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida which also tap into the Floridian aquifer. We need to focus on our neighbors as well.”
Dr. Sharma shared that though taxes on the facilities might eliminate the property taxes of locals, they could also get the short end of the stick.
“They’re going to take up a large part of land, and that land should provide some ad valorem taxes for residents depending on the deal struck,” she said. “You could end up with zero property taxes from it.”
Dr. Sharma also stressed the novelty of data centers and public officials’ eagerness to welcome them at accelerated rates, nationwide calls for questioning their durability and opportunity cost.
“We don’t know how long data centers will be here,” Dr. Sharma said. “Unless you can get them into a 20-year deal, what happens when they leave in five years?
“If you lose this (center), there’s going to be 10 in line behind it. If they’re trying to push you into a deal without letting you figure out what’s going on, they’re trying to use you.”
Another concern is the staggering amount of power data centers require. Dr. Sharma shared a graph from the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), showing Georgia Power’s five-year plan to support the state’s influx of Data Centers.
The graph showed by 2031, data centers will have used 43 percent of Georgia Power’s existing resources.
“We have 17 gigawatts of generational power in the state,” Dr. Sharma said. “In the next five years (Georgia Power) is going to build 14 gigawatts. That’s essentially doubling our power output capacity in the state in five years.
“It took us about 100 years to get to 17 gigawatts and now we’re just gonna double capacity in less than five years? This is bananas. Do you honestly think anyone can pull off this sort of infrastructure development in the next five years? And, who’s going to pay for this?”
Dr. Sharma agreed this might make data centers sound abysmal, but there are things residents can do to ensure the county’s access to resources remains intact, such as requiring transparency.
“How much water (do they plan to use)?,” she asked. “How many actual permanent jobs (are they offering)? How many of those jobs are going to hired locally? What happens if they go bankrupt?
Baker agreed connecting with state legislators and local officials is a large part of the process, as well as neighbors.
Gregory then opened the floor for questions. For 90 minutes, attendees voiced concerns ranging from environmental pollution to corrupt politicians. One individual asked where Brantley County would source the water for its proposed closed-loop system. When asked if this water could expose locals to dangerous chemicals, Gregory said she couldn’t be sure.
Others wanted to know if a data center would receive prioritization for fresh water in a disaster, if local fire departments have the resources to manage fires in a warehouse of this size or if population growth in Southeastern Georgia would affect data center water usage.
“Water use is actually really well planned in the state of Georgia,” responded Dr. Sharma. “Every municipality gets an allotment... But, once they hit the cap of their allotment, they’re out.”
Local businessman Marvin Peavey asked: “Tell me why they have to have our fresh water? Why can’t they use our ocean water, which we have plenty of?”
Dr. Sharma stated the process for desalination is too time-consuming and expensive.
Many attendees were suspicious of both state and local politicians. They felt if a data center land use ordinance were to pass in Brantley, it should be classified under Heavy Industrial rather than Light Industrial, as commissioners currently are considering. Some felt commissioners are not being entirely forthcoming with the details they have shared regarding the proposed land use ordinance.
“Brantley County Commissioners say you’re going to get a landfill, or you can get a data center,” said Matt Day, a candidate for Georgia’s District 1 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. “Do you want a dry well, or do you want a poisoned well? That’s the way I feel about it. That’s the way it is.”
One citizen asked what would happen if a data center came into a community with strong ordinances in place, but refused to follow them. Gregory explained this varied by county ordinance.
Baker, Gregory and Dr. Sharma concluded the meeting by encouraging attendees to perform more research and continue to network. Those interested in learning more about data centers and how they may impact Southeast Georgia, can visit the Science for Georgia, Sierra Club and Satilla Riverkeeper websites.
