2024 End-Of-Session Legislative Recap
Article written by Marqus Cole. Above photo of the Georgia Water Coalition at the Georgia State Capitol for Capitol Conservation Day on Feb. 27, 2024 was taken by Erik Voss.
Yesterday was Sine Die, the end of the 2024 Georgia General Assembly. Below is a short, non-exhaustive, reflection from the organizing team at Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) on a few of the top policies we worked on this legislative session.
Our work protecting the Okefenokee Swamp has been dynamic this legislative session, but not without success! Throughout the various policy iterations ( HB 71, HB 1338 & SB 132) protecting the Okefenokee as a sacred site to many and a critical water resource in Georgia, has been a key place we’ve organized and spent relational and political capital.
HB 71 was a bipartisan bill with over 90 co-sponsors that would have protected the Swamp from mining currently and in the future. That bill was never given a chance to get to a full vote by the House failing to come out of committee before crossover day. HB 1338 was a “meaningless moratorium” meant to help the mining company, Twin Pines, LLC, currently threatening the swamp. SB 132, similarly contained a three-year moratorium on limited types of mining but did not include strict time limits on judicial review of mining permit appeals as in HB 1338. It also reiterated the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s permit review requirements already in Georgia law. It passed a vote on the House floor but never received a final vote in the Senate.
Overall, we stopped the bad bills and garnered greater support than ever seen before for the good.
TAKE ACTION
Proposed mining permits around the Okefenokee are currently being considered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Join us and our partners at the SELC in calling on Governor Kemp and the DNR to reject these dangerous mining plans before it's too late. The deadline for comments is April 9.
Many Georgians are unaware that agribusiness is one of the main economic drivers in our great state. Our policy work around soil amendments (industrial waste applied as "fertilizer" to fields) in partnership with the Georgia Water Coalition has helped lead to positive outcomes for rural communities.
HB 1223, prohibiting the dumping of soil amendments in Georgia, passed the House unanimously (165 Yes – 0 No) and Senate (49 Yes – 1 No) and will now go to the Governor for signature. We anticipate it to be signed into law soon. The bill stops bad actors from spreading toxic sludge and protects the soil and groundwater in communities that desperately need relief.
CELEBRATE THE WINS
Join GIPL in celebrating this win for Georgia and Sacred Earth. Download the celebratory graphic below and share it with your Green Teams in newsletters or on social media. Sample Caption: Another water win for Georgia, thanks to our friends @GeorgiaIPL and the @GeorgiaWaterCoalition!
Separate from our work at the General Assembly, we have been intervening at the Public Service Commission (PSC) for more solar in Georgia Power's updated Integrated Resource Plan which is being driven in large part by new data centers in Georgia housing IT infrastructure. While the policy portfolios may be distinct, the issues are interrelated in the No-More-Data-Center-Tax-Breaks bill. HB 1192 introduced by Rep. John Carson (R-Marietta), eliminates the tax credit for data center equipment and amends the job requirements for the exemption.
HB 1192 creates a Special Commission on Data Center Energy Planning to make recommendations for new data center locations based on a review of energy, water, and other utility infrastructure, among other considerations. The Commission will meet as necessary, produce a report three months after the last Commission meeting, and dissolve in 2026. We think this additional oversight is great for Georgians! HB 1192 is awaiting the Governor's signature after passing the House (96 Yes - 71 No) and the Senate (29 Yes - 22 No).
SUPPORT GIPL’S WORK
Much of this critical organizing and policy work would not be possible without the generosity of faithful environmental advocates like you! Thank you for your support of GIPL as we work to build a just, clean-energy economy in Georgia!
As a reminder, Georgia has a “part-time” legislature; this means new legislation and policies from the General Assembly typically only come out for the 40 days they are in session in the late winter and early spring. Barring a special session called by the Governor, we are not likely to see new legislation passed until January 2025. The work in the interim is to build our movement and sustain momentum on the policies that are important to our community. Thank you again for your support!
