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  • Georgia PFAS bills stall, leaving advocates wary of future changes

    Georgia PFAS bills stall, leaving advocates wary of future changes

    Georgia PFAS bills stall, leaving advocates wary of future changes

    No news is good news in the world of the Georgia legislature when it comes to regulations involving PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals.”

    Mark Woodall, the volunteer legislative chair of the Sierra Club in Georgia, said that several bills were introduced that would limit the liability of companies that use the chemicals, but luckily, none have passed.

    “So no progress on PFAS, so that’s unfortunate. At least no bad bills have passed,” he said.

    PFAS refers to a large group of manmade chemicals that have been used in manufacturing and consumer products. Rachel Rodgers, managing toxicologist at Gradient, said that the mobility of the chemicals through waterways and the environment make it hard to control exposure.

    “People can be exposed to PFAS when they use consumer products that contain PFAS or when they consume food that was grown or raised in PFAS-contaminated areas,” she said.

    In February, advocates were lobbying lawmakers to pass legislation to limit exposure, but instead, several bills were introduced that would limit accountability for companies.

    Although none of those bills passed before Crossover Day, the legislative session isn’t over, and some measures still have time to be inserted into existing bills through amendments.

    Here are some of the proposals from the session that the Sierra Club has deemed “bad bills:”

    • Senate Bill 577 reserves PFAS claims to the state meaning that cities and counties could no longer file those claims.
    • House Bill 1212, or the PFAS Removal and Remediation Promotion Act, would impose an excise tax on specific proceeds from settlements intended for the abatement, removal, and remediation of PFAS contamination of land but unused for that purpose.
    • House Bill 211, or the PFAS Receiver Shield Act, would provide immunity to carpet makers, a large user of forever chemicals, from future PFAS litigation.

    Here are some bills that would require more transparency from companies who use PFAS:

    • House Bill 611, or the Forever Chemicals Transparency Act, would require PFAS users to disclose to the sewer providers which chemicals and how much will be found in the waste stream.
    • Senate Bill 538 is the sister bill of House Bill 611.
  • Georgia bill could ease state takeovers of cities, raising equity concerns

    Georgia bill could ease state takeovers of cities, raising equity concerns

    Georgia bill could ease state takeovers of cities, raising equity concerns

    The Georgia Senate is considering a bill that would make it easier for the state to take over cities.

    Isabel Otero, the Georgia policy director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that House Bill 1166 creates a new definition of a distressed city making it much easier for the state to take control of local governments.

    “In Georgia’s political context, this means that there’s a particular danger for like Black-led, Black majority cities, cities that are highly diverse,” she said.

    If a city is deemed distressed under the processes of the bill, a state official would be appointed to manage the city’s finances.

    “That is again like an extreme thing to do when a city might be under financial distress. It creates this sort of ability for the state to approve of what local folks are deciding for themselves,” she said.

    Otero said they are advocating to amend the bill to create a better definition for a distressed city so it doesn’t apply to hundreds of cities in the state.

    “We don’t want this to be used as a political tool to intervene where the state legislature, the governor or the attorney general dislikes what that city is actually doing,” she said.

    After the end of the funds from the coronavirus pandemic and the shift of the federal government to reduce spending on local governments, Otero said cities are hurting, but this is not the solution.

    “This is just shifting the burden to different people and not actually addressing whatever financial issues these cities are actually having,” she said.

    Otero said over the past several years, the Georgia legislature has shifted in its approach to maintaining local control of cities and counties.

    “As cities do get more diverse, as they’re trying to do more progressive sort of policies around public safety, around housing, around all these other issues, we see sort of a backlash from state legislators who don’t necessarily agree with what’s happening at the city level or the municipality level,” she said.

    The legislative session ends at midnight on April 2, and Otero said people need to make their voices heard.

  • Georgia bill could dissolve City of Hiram amid financial, political tensions

    Georgia bill could dissolve City of Hiram amid financial, political tensions

    Georgia bill could dissolve City of Hiram amid financial, political tensions

    The City of Hiram faces dissolution as a state Senator pushes a bill before the close of session.

    When the Georgia legislative session started, state Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, made posts on Facebook regarding the financial challenges of the city that Councilman Garnet Morris said were ill-informed.

    “I thought that his approach in terms of calling out some of the financial challenges of the city was a little, how shall I say, pointed at Hiram while ignoring some of the other jurisdictions in the surrounding area who have similar financial positions to us, and so why Hiram, you know, and why now?” he said.

    Two reasons have been floated as to why the attention is on Hiram, Morris said. The first is that the previous council passed two residential developments without the approval of Anavitarte or the community. The second is that the election in 2025 changed the dynamics of the city council.

    “And so now, me taking that seat has now made the council a majority-minority council, right, which is the first time that that’s happened in the history of the city of Hiram,” Morris said. “And so some are thinking that because of that, that now has triggered the powers that be to want to dissolve the city.”

    If Senate Bill 630 passes, the city of Hiram will essentially be dissolved.

    Isabel Otero, the Georgia policy director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that the local government would be dissolved and all of its assets and responsibilities would be transferred to Paulding County.

    “There’s new tax exposure. They don’t get a vote on any of this, and it sort of just dissolves their local government and it reduces their political power,” she said.

    The SPLC is advocating for the city and Paulding County to have a chance to vote on whether the city should be dissolved.

    Like many other cities in the state, Hiram does have a deficit, Otero said. The city does not charge property taxes, and they spend more on public safety and services to accommodate new businesses coming to the city. 

    “It is difficult not to sort of look at this through the lens of racial justice and wonder why are we sort of targeting these kinds of cities when there are so many cities across the state that have also failed to submit audits that are also having financial trouble,” she said.

    The bill is on the local consent agenda, meaning it doesn’t have to go through the same processes as a normal bill. The assumption is that the bill has been agreed upon by the local governments and their representatives in the legislature, Otero said.

    “We know that some of what state legislators are concerned about are just things that happen in local government that the people of that local government should decide how to fix. It shouldn’t sort of be imposed on them.,” Otero said.

  • Data center bills stall as Georgia session nears final day

    Data center bills stall as Georgia session nears final day

    Data center bills stall as Georgia session nears final day

    The 2026 legislative session began with cries to protect Georgians from the cost and pollution of data centers. 

    With the last day of session quickly approaching, environmental groups fight to pass any meaningful legislation to protect residents from cost shifting and reduce tax breaks for giant technology companies.

    Mark Woodall, the volunteer legislative chair of the Sierra Club in Georgia, said data centers are the hottest environmental issue on the agenda in Georgia this year.

    “I mean, we’re supposed to be doing something about affordability. This session was supposed to be about saving people money, which we haven’t seen yet,” he said.

    Georgia Power and big technology companies looking to build data centers in the state have large lobbying groups fighting for their interests. Woodall said these companies have teamed up to prevent protections for residents and restrictions on data centers.

    “It’s people power versus big money basically, and so far the big money has prevented anything good from happening, but it’s not over,” Woodall said.

    Senate Bill 34 would have protected residential customers and small businesses from cost sharing with data centers. The bill was essentially gutted in committee, but the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, passed an amendment to restore the former bill. The bill was never taken up for a vote again in the Senate.

    The hope is to amend another piece of legislation with similar protections, Woodall said.

    A similar bill, House Bill 1063, passed the House but has not made headway in the Senate.

    Senate Bill 410 would end sales and use tax exemption on the construction materials and equipment for data centers, but it doesn’t repeal tax breaks that have already been granted. Woodall said they learned that the tax incentives for data centers and computer equipment for the 2026 fiscal year will be $2.5 billion.

    “So we’re giving the richest companies in the history of the world… these massive tax breaks taken out of the pockets of the people of Georgia, so that’s pretty disgusting and disgraceful,” Woodall said.

    Included in Senate Bill 476, or the Income Tax Reduction Act, was a repeal of data center sales and use tax breaks and high-technology computer equipment sales and use tax breaks.

    None of these bills have passed the full legislature to go to the governor’s desk, but Woodall said there is still time.

    “If citizens are upset, they can call their state (representative) and state senator and say they want something done right up until midnight of April 2,” he said. “This stuff often goes down to day 40, the last day.”

  • Early voting begins in Georgia 14th District runoff election

    Early voting begins in Georgia 14th District runoff election

    Early voting begins in Georgia 14th District runoff election

    Early voting starts today for the runoff election to replace former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in her Northwest Georgia seat.

    Democrat Shawn Harris will face off against Republican Clay Fuller, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. The two candidates are vying for the seat of the 14th Congressional District.

    “I am your candidate that’s going to fight directly for you, period. I’m the only candidate that can stand here today and say that I’m a Democrat, but I’m not tied to the party,” Harris said in his opening remarks at a debate last week.

    The polls will open at 9 a.m. today and will stay open until 5 p.m. Voters will have until Thursday to cast an early vote because of a state holiday Friday. Thursday voting hours will extend from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m..

    “I’m a cancer survivor, Air Force officer and America first prosecutor, and I’m one of you,” Fuller said at the debate.

    The winner will serve through Dec. 31 this year with another election taking place during the midterms to fill the seat for a full, two-year term.

    The final day to vote in this special, runoff election will be Tuesday, April 7 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

  • Lawmakers rally for Gwinnett barber facing deportation after ICE detention

    Lawmakers rally for Gwinnett barber facing deportation after ICE detention

    Lawmakers rally for Gwinnett barber facing deportation after ICE detention

    Georgia lawmakers, advocates and family members of Rodney Taylor gathered Thursday morning to protest his detention and demand his immediate release.

    The group gathered outside of the Atlanta U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office to hand-deliver a new letter signed by state lawmakers and a petition with more than 7,500 signatures to stop Taylor’s deportation, according to a news release.

    Alberto Feregrino, the Georgia organizing director for We Are CASA, called shame on the ICE agents and officials keeping Taylor in detention

    “Rodney should be at home with his wife, with his seven children, with his beloved community,” Feregrino said at the event.

    Taylor, a Gwinnett County barber, has been detained for over a year and reportedly has serious medical concerns that have not been addressed in the facility.

    Taylor was brought to the U.S. from Liberia as a two year old to receive medical care, which resulted in the amputation of both his legs. He never left the U.S.

    Samantha Hamilton, a senior litigation staff attorney with Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta, said that people being detained in ICE facilities regularly report being denied medical care.

    “ICE needs to release Rodney from Stewart Detention Center so that he can return to his family, to his community, and so that he can get the necessary medical care that he so desperately requires,” she said.

    State Rep. Gabriel Sanchez spoke at the event and said Taylor has faced unbelievable conditions at the ICE Stewart Detention Center.

    “I’ve seen the conditions that him and others have had to deal with, the heartbreaking stories directly from people in the facility, including Rodney. It is unimaginable the pain they have to go through, and no human being should be ever treated like that,” he said.

    Sanchez cited the firing of former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem as a sign that Taylor’s case has gained national attention.

    “This shows that the pressure is working, and we have to keep it up. Our movement has power, and we must not let up now,” he said.

  • Environmental groups petition court over Georgia PSC power expansion approval

    Environmental groups petition court over Georgia PSC power expansion approval

    Environmental groups petition court over Georgia PSC power expansion approval

    Environmental and faith groups are not giving up their fight with the Georgia Public Service Commission over the approved expansion of Georgia Power’s capacity.

    The Southern Environmental Law Center and the Sierra Club filed a petition Wednesday in the Fulton County Superior Court, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

    The groups argue that the PSC violated state law because Georgia Power never proved all of the new power resources were necessary.

    “We are tired of a Public Service Commission bending and outright breaking its rules and the law to give Georgia Power whatever it wants, no matter the cost to our air and water or the impact on our monthly energy bills,” Adrien Webber, a plaintiff in the case and Sierra Club member, told the AJC.

    The SELC is representing Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, Park Avenue Baptist Church and the Unitarian Church of Savannah. The Sierra Club is representing itself, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Webber.

    The petition names the PSC as the respondent.

    Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, the Southface Institute, the Sierra Club and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, represented by the SELC, petitioned the PSC earlier this year to reconsider their approval of the expansion based on the same argument.

    Commissioner Alicia Johnson, who took her seat in January, urged fellow commissioners to consider the petition at the hearing Feb. 12.

    “Reconsideration is not delay for delay’s sake,” she said. “I think it is responsible governance, and it reflects our obligation to balance growth with stewardship.”

    The PSC denied the petition with a 3-2 vote, with the two newest members voting against staff recommendations. The two newest members are Democrats who won their elections in 2025 after rising discontent with utility costs.

    Georgia Power’s expansion would include 10,000 megawatts of new power resources over the next five years mostly reliant on natural gas. The PSC voted to approve the expansion in December before the two newly elected members took office.

  • UCB to invest $2B in Gwinnett biologics facility, creating 330 jobs

    UCB to invest $2B in Gwinnett biologics facility, creating 330 jobs

    UCB to invest $2B in Gwinnett biologics facility, creating 330 jobs

    The first pharmaceutical biologics manufacturing facility in the U.S. is coming to Georgia.

    UCB, Inc., a giant biopharmaceutical company based in Belgium, is planning to invest $2 billion to bring the facility to Gwinnett County at the Rowen Foundation’s science and learning campus creating 330 new jobs.

    “When we met with UCB leadership earlier this year in Belgium, we discussed how the Peach State would be the right partner for their visionary plans in the U.S. that will benefit both patients and hardworking Georgians,” said Gov. Brian Kemp in a news release. “UCB’s announcement is also a significant milestone for our life sciences industry, representing one of the largest investments in state history and establishing both the Rowen facility and Georgia as a true hub of innovation in this field.”

    The company already has its North American headquarters in Smyrna, which supports more than 400 jobs. The new facility will serve as the anchor tenant for the 2,000-acre planned community by the Rowen Foundation.

    “This decision reflects our confidence in UCB’s long-term growth and our deep-rooted commitment to the United States,” said Jean-Christophe Tellier, CEO of UCB, in the news release. “By investing in Georgia, where our U.S. headquarters have been based for more than three decades, we are strengthening our biologics manufacturing capabilities, supporting our innovation pipeline, and creating high-quality jobs in a state that offers outstanding talent, a strong manufacturing tradition, and an ecosystem designed for sustainable, long-term success.”

    Tellier said in the release that the project will generate around $5 billion in total economic impact.

  • Georgia PSC races open as Pridemore exits, candidates line up

    Georgia PSC races open as Pridemore exits, candidates line up

    Georgia PSC races open as Pridemore exits, candidates line up

    Two seats are up for election at the Georgia Public Service Commission this year.

    An election for District Three was held in 2025 and Democrat Peter Hubbard won with nearly 63% of the vote.

    But, District Five has not seen an election since 2018 when Commissioner Tricia Pridemore ran for the first time after being appointed. She narrowly won that race with 50.3% of the vote.

    Pridemore has announced that she won’t seek reelection for her seat, opening the field to several candidates. Pridemore is, instead, running for the U.S. House of Representatives in District 11 along with seven other qualified Republican candidates.

    The PSC has “exclusive power” to decide the rates for services, including electricity, natural gas, and telecommunications, so these elections directly impact Georgia residents.

    Three Republicans and three Democrats have qualified to run for District Five of the PSC. For District Three, Hubbard will be the Democratic candidate for the general election as no one challenged him in the primary. Two Republican candidates are competing to be his opponent, including former Commissioner Fitz Johnson, who Hubbard unseated in 2025.

    Johnson is a U.S. Army veteran and served on the PSC from 2021-2025. Johnson was originally appointed to the position by Gov. Brian Kemp and did not face an election until 2025.

    His opponent in the Republican primary is Brandon Lynn Martin. According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s (SOS) qualifying candidates page, Martin lives in DeKalb County.

    Hubbard founded the nonprofit Georgia Center for Energy Solution in 2019 and spent years advocating for alternative long-term energy plans at the PSC before taking office. 

    Here are the candidates for District Five in order that they appear on the SOS website.

    Democrat Angelia Pressley spent her career working for large corporations, including Kroger, The Coca-Cola Company, and Cobb County government. She is currently a professor at Clark Atlanta University.

    Democrat Craig Cupid is an attorney who received an electrical engineering degree from Georgia Tech and a law degree from Georgia State.

    Democrat Shelia Edwards, a business owner, won the Democratic primary for PSC in 2022, but never had the opportunity to face off against Fitz Johnson. At the time, a lawsuit argued that how the PSC elections were conducted violated the Voting Rights Act. A judge agreed and suspended the two PSC elections that year.

    Republican Bobby Mehan is also a business owner who lives in Haralson County.

    Republican Carolyn Tatum Roddy is an attorney who lives in Cobb County

    Republican Joshua Aaron Tolbert is an engineer with 15 years of experience in energy infrastructure and power generation. He has served in top positions for a nuclear energy company and has spoken at Public Service Commission meetings.

    A libertarian is also running for District 5, but he will not be on the primary ballot. Thomas Michael Blooming, an engineer, qualified for the race and now needs to collect enough signatures to make it on the ballot in November.

  • Gerrymandering: how Marina Jenkins & the NDRC seek to end it

    Gerrymandering: how Marina Jenkins & the NDRC seek to end it

    Marina Jenkins, Executive Director of the⁠ National Democratic Redistricting Committee⁠, came to the kitchen table to discuss her role in combatting partisan gerrymandering and the impact redistricting has on everyday voters and voter participation.

    Hear how gerrymandering turned a 1% net win into a 47-seat bloodbath for Democrats not long ago in the U.S. House and how the mid-decade race to gerrymander is undoing years of work to bring better representation to Washington for voters.