On May 22, 2025, the Georgia House of Representatives convened the inaugural meeting of the Special Committee on Resource Management, a new body charged with examining how Georgia will manage the long-term demands of population growth, industrial expansion and rapid infrastructure development. The committee’s work comes as statewide energy consumption and water usage are poised to surge, particularly due to the boom in large-scale data center construction.
A New Focus on Long-Term Resource Planning
Chairman Rep. Brad Thomas, R-Holly Springs, opened the meeting by clarifying that the committee is not focused on daily operations, but on charting what the next 20 years of Georgia’s energy and water management should look like. The structure includes Water and Energy subcommittees chaired by Rep. Chas Cannon, R-Moultrie, and Rep. Victor Anderson, R-Cornelia, respectively. The committee plans to hold site-based hearings throughout the state, including upcoming meetings on the coast, in Fayetteville and in southwest Georgia.
Thomas emphasized the committee’s intention to “leave no stone unturned” and pointed to Rep. Lynn Smith’s, R- Newnan, legacy on water policy as a model for forward-thinking leadership.
Data Centers at the Forefront of Legislative Scrutiny
The committee’s first meeting featured presentations by two environmental policy advocates:
- Jennette Gayer, Director, Environment Georgia
Gayer warned that Georgia’s data center boom poses serious resource challenges. Her key findings included:
- 5 million gallons per day of projected water consumption from active and planned centers, comparable to a medium-sized city.
- A lack of centralized reporting for industrial water use, with much of the current data cobbled together from permits and media.
- Over 85 million square feet of land already committed to data center development.
- A call for greater public transparency, drought planning and community engagement.
Gayer’s full presentation is available here via Environment Georgia.
- Amy Sharma, Executive Director, Science for Georgia
Sharma expanded the conversation, estimating that Georgia now hosts 97 operating data centers, with another 19 announced. If built, their combined demands would:
- Require 14,000 megawatts of electricity, equivalent to three nuclear power plants.
- Use 27 billion gallons of water annually, on par with total usage in metro Augusta or Savannah.
- Cost Georgia up to $300 million per year in tax revenue due to data center incentives, per a 2022 audit.
Sharma also urged the committee to consider performance-based tax breaks, better cooling and efficiency technologies, and more resilient energy infrastructure, such as battery storage instead of diesel generators.
Implications for Stakeholders
With Georgia now a national leader in data center leasing and industrial project siting, the decisions this committee makes will likely shape incentive structures, permitting conditions and infrastructure funding strategies for years to come. As policy discussions evolve, private and public sector stakeholders, especially those in energy, tech, real estate and manufacturing, will need to monitor and engage with the committee’s work
At McGuireWoods Consulting, our team maintains close working relationships with committee leadership and has deep experience helping clients navigate the intersection of economic development, infrastructure planning and state regulatory policy in Georgia.
To learn more about the committee’s work or how it may impact your current or planned operations in Georgia, please contact our team. The full committee meeting can be viewed here.
