Commission's unanimous vote extends data center moratorium
- Isabella De La Sierra
- Apr 17
- 3 min read
The Athens-Clarke County commission voted unanimously to extend the current data center moratorium on Tuesday. The moratorium delays further action on new data centers within the county until further research on the technology and environmental impacts can be conducted.
Athens residents spoke about their concerns pertaining to data centers in Athens-Clarke County.
Tawana Mattox, an Athens resident, raised concerns echoed by other residents about the harmful environmental effects on the county, particularly on low-income neighborhoods.
“We cannot trade our health, our water, our air, our neighborhoods for corporate profit…People over profits, please. Community over corporations. Health over harm,” Mattox said.
While data centers are believed to generate revenue and boost the economy in their areas, for example, through transmission costs, residents raise concerns about the real price of data centers in Athens communities.
“The tax revenue, roughly $200,000 so far, does little for the communities paying the true cost,” Mattox said. “Often owners get breaks and incentives while we shoulder higher energy bills, drained water, noise and environmental risk.”
Athens-Clarke County residents weren’t the only ones in attendance; university students also spoke on their concerns for the proposed data center.
“Though they may seem like an economic gold mine, data center demand projections inherently contain uncertainty and systematic upward bias,” said Eli King, a member of the Young Democrats of UGA and Citizens Climate Education.
According to the Frontier Group, a U.S.-based non-profit research and policy organization, data centers are popping up across the U.S. as the popularity of generative AI grows. These data centers place a unique burden on communities. Cooling systems consume millions of gallons of water daily, according to Frontier Group. While Athens-Clarke County has proposed
regulations requiring strict use of clean energy and closed-loop cooling systems, these would require more land and be more expensive to build.
The moratorium was first enacted on Dec. 5, 2025, in response to Athena Studios' proposed switch to becoming a data center, following the film industry's move out of Georgia.
Athena Studios, opened in 2023, was supposed to bring revenue from the film industry into Athens with a 105-acre soundstage complex. Now, it sits empty.
“I think that just speaks to the volatile nature of our tax policy in the state of Georgia,” said King.
Athens-Clarke County's Clean and Renewable Energy Plan lays out a future in which all community electricity demand is met with clean, equitable energy. This plan includes installing solar panels and replacing all fossil-fuel-burning vehicles used by Athens-Clarke County to combat greenhouse gas emissions.
Reuters reported that new data centers can use as much electricity as needed to power 750,000 homes. Data centers across the U.S. are primarily powered by fossil fuels and slow the transition to clean energy.
According to Frontier Group, 7 power plants with 17 fossil-fuel generating units have delayed closures due to concerns about increasing electricity demands.
Commissioner Melissa Link stated during discussions that the commission needs to move forward with caution, conducting thorough research to develop appropriate regulations with the county's safety in mind.
---------------
Why I wrote this story: I wrote this story to cover the Athens-Clarke County commission meeting on March 3. This meeting covered prominent topics such as data-centers and ARPA funds. This story is meant to inform residents about what occurred during the meeting.
Comments