Gov. Kemp’s data center bill veto bad for clean energy, clean air, clean water

Support for EV tax delay one bright spot for Georgia’s environment

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp overrode the state legislature late Tuesday and vetoed HB 1192, which would have paused tax credits given to data centers and began an investigation into how they impact Georgia’s energy system. State Rep. John Carson introduced the bill.

“We are disappointed Gov. Kemp chose to veto HB 1192. Giving data centers a tax break without investigating their impact on our environment and bill payers is short sighted,” said Jennette Gayer, director of Environment Georgia. 

H.B. 1192 had been one of the few environmentally friendly bills to emerge from this legislative session. The legislature failed to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from future mining and thwarted the growth of solar power in the state.

Environment Georgia and our allies sent a letter to Gov. Kemp in April urging him to sign H.B. 1192. The letter outlined numerous reasons why he should, including increases in energy demand that are driving more fossil fuel energy production in the state, large and unquantified water demands and energy bill increases that will hurt Georgian’s  finances.

One bright spot from the final days of the governor’s window to sign or veto legislation was his signature on HB 516. This legislation delayed implementation of a new EV tax at public charging stations until 2026.

“I hope we can revisit the issue of burdensome EV taxes, as well as data centers, in the next legislative session,” said Gayer.