State pausing review of data center plans

An Atlanta-based environmental advocate is criticizing the Georgia Department of Population Affairs DCA decision to pause state reviews of new details center proposals While the decision will not stop local governments from approving information center projects it will rob local water planners of the state s valuable input Chris Manganiello water plan director for the nonprofit group Chattahoochee Riverkeeper noted Thursday Rather than the state helping regions think through this stuff it s going to leave planners flying blind he noted We ll end up with a patchwork of moratoria and ordinances at the local level addressing evidence center rise Manganiello s comments came during the kickoff meeting of a Georgia House subcommittee examining the anticipated impacts of the growing number of content centers springing up across the state on water use A second subcommittee is looking at how information centers are likely to affect consumption of electricity Input centers have exploded so promptly that elected executives in DeKalb Coweta Douglas and Bartow counties have imposed moratoria on new projects The Atlanta City Council voted last month to prohibit material centers from setting up in selected neighborhoods and require developers to seek a special-use permit for construction Danny Johnson director of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District recounted water subcommittee members more than details centers are operating presently in Georgia while more than more have been proposed Evidence centers use huge quantities of water with a typical facts center consuming the same amount of water per day as the cities of Marietta or Valdosta he commented However records center developers have proven willing to install water-saving strategies including closed-loop cooling to reduce their water consumption even though such machinery is expensive We encourage smart sustainable maturation that ensures critical infrastructure like details centers can thrive without compromising our water materials Jackson announced The statistics center industry remains committed to responsible water use in Georgia communities added Dan Diorio vice president of state framework for the Northern Virginia-based Statistics Center Coalition Records centers prioritize efficient water practices and responsible management to minimize their water footprint Manganiello suggested that the General Assembly put limits on tax incentives the state offers to attract high-resource use facilities to Georgia requiring that they disclose how much electricity and water they plan to use A bipartisan bill to that effect sponsored by state Rep Debbie Buckner D-Junction City failed to gain traction during this year s legislative session Manganiello also recommended that the state use tax credits to incentivize facts centers to employ water-saving hardware and establish a self-sustaining infrastructure fund to help advocacy evidence centers The water subcommittee will hold two more meetings in South Georgia one in Moultrie next month and the other in Claxton in September before issuing findings and recommendations The post State pausing review of material center plans appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta