Georgia Today: Data center regulation; Atlanta Braves on TV; Conyers chemical fire aftermath

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, state lawmakers look at regulations for data centers. The future of the Atlanta Braves on television is uncertain. And almost a year and a half after a chemical fire at the BioLab plant in Conyers, some business owners still can't use their buildings. 

Stephanie Donnelly: We're kind of in this state of limbo where our property is concerned that, "Oh, yeah, it's not that bad and we can clean it. We don't know how, but we know we can."

Peter Biello: Today is Tuesday, Feb. 3. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today. 

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Almost a year and a half after the fire at the BioLab chemical plant in Conyers, some business owners still can't use their buildings. They say they can't start their own cleanup until they know what chemicals were left behind. But new records show critical gaps in the testing meant to answer that question. GPB's Pamela Kirkland reports. 

Chris Lovejoy: But this has basically been like their little runoff. 

Pamela Kirkland Last April, I met Chris Lovejoy and Stephanie Donnelly outside their disaster restoration business. 

Chris Lovejoy: So now when this fills up with rain water, this is what's going to be running down into the county's water. 

Pamela Kirkland: It sits directly across the street from BioLab's chemical plant. 

Chris Lovejoy: We were trying to get in the front door and the locks were seized. 

Pamela Kirkland: Back then, Donnelly pointed to their equipment, none of which could be used. 

Stephanie Donnelly: I mean, you can see rust on the exteriors of the fans up there. They weren't like that before. 

Pamela Kirkland: 16 months later and nothing is any better. Part of the problem, Lovejoy and Donnelly say, is they have never seen official testing results: data that would tell them what chemicals are on their equipment. Without that, they say, no one will sign off on how to clean their building or whether it can be cleaned at all. Nearly a year and a half later, their business is at a standstill. 

Stephanie Donnelly: So we're kind of in this state of limbo, you know, where our property is concerned that, "oh, yeah, it's not that bad and we can clean it. We don't know how, but we know we can."

Pamela Kirkland: Nineteen days after the September 2024 fire, BioLab, along with state and federal officials, told residents the immediate danger from the plume of smoke was gone. That was a chlorine-based chemical called TCCA. At the time, Jose Negron with the EPA told reporters:

Jose Negron: The initial chemical, the TCCA, is gone, right? Now it's a matter of dealing with the residual of the chemicals that are non-hazardous. 

Pamela Kirkland: But internal documents obtained by GPB show that testing after the fire left out some of the most dangerous chemicals that can form after TCCA burns. One of those potential by-products that was excluded, hexavalent chromium, or chromium-6, a known carcinogen at the center of the Erin Brockovich case in the 1990s, and what people near Georgia Power's coal-fired Plant Scherer fear is in their drinking water. 

Ted Shetler: You almost should be assuming that a lot of that would be chromium-6 if it — because there was a fire there and because it was that kind of fire with all these oxidizing chemicals. 

Pamela Kirkland: Dr. Ted Shetler is Director of the Science and Environmental Health Network. 

Ted Shetler: If you find elevated levels of chromium-6, you can take mitigation measures. People will have already been exposed to some extent in the aftermath of the fire, but what you wanna do is avoid ongoing exposure. 

Pamela Kirkland: Because long-term exposure is associated with more illness. BioLab's contractor GHD says Chromium-6 was highly unlikely to be found and said even if it was present, it would change back to its non-toxic form. That's why they didn't look for it. That's despite internal emails from Georgia's Environmental Protection Division advising exactly the opposite. Meanwhile, Stephanie Donnelly not only wonders about her business, She's in the dark about her health. 

Stephanie Donnelly: If we could find somebody that could say, "hey, maybe you need to have yourself checked for this, this, and this," then that would be something good to provide to the community, I think. 

Pamela Kirkland: Experts say without broader testing, residents and business owners may never know exactly what they were exposed to. For GPB News, I'm Pamela Kirkland. 

Story 2:

Peter Biello: The Georgia Senate passed a bill today that would make the statewide homestead exemption to property tax mandatory. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports. 

Sarah Kallis: Under current law, some Georgia property owners can apply to get $2,000 off of their property tax for their primary residence. But over 300 local governments have opted out of the program. Sen. Chuck Huffstetler, the sponsor of Senate Bill 382, hopes to change that. The bill removes the option for local governments to opt out of a Homestead Exemption Program. 

Chuck Huffstetler 70% of the citizens out there in Georgia didn't get the benefit of this cap on their homeowner taxes because the governments did opt out. 

Sarah Kallis: Some Democrats opposed the bill and said it could harm local school districts who rely on property tax revenue. The bill passed 31 to 19 and now heads to the House. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state Capitol. 

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Health care business owner Rick Jackson says he is running for Georgia governor as a Republican. His announcement today shakes up a GOP field that includes Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr. Jackson says he's a Trump-loving business owner who will cut state income taxes and freeze property taxes. He touts his rise from foster care to running a health care staffing company with billions in yearly revenues. Jackson's entry follows significant spending by a mystery group attacking Jones, considered the GOP frontrunner. The May 19 primary could be followed by a June 16 runoff if no candidate wins a majority. 

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Lawmakers at the state Capitol are debating how data centers should be regulated. Georgia is one of the top data center markets in the country, but bipartisan proposals now aim to regulate their rapid expansion. Republican state Sen. Chuck Huffstetler of Rome says his proposal would require data centers to cover the full cost of the electricity they use instead of passing those on to consumers. 

Chuck Huffstetler: Too often those things are hidden behind trade secrets so that you don't really know who's paying for them, but it's important that we codify into law that they pay all their costs. 

Peter Biello: State Rep. Debbie Buckner of Junction City, a Democrat, is pushing for more transparency, especially in rural areas where data centers are often proposed. 

Debbie Buckner If you're gonna come be a neighbor of ours, we wanna be a good neighbor of yours and we wanna know how many gallons of water a day, how many megawatts. 

Peter Biello: Both legislators were speaking to GPB's Donna Lowry on Lawmakers last night. Several bills related to data centers are still moving through the legislature. 

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Leaders of the Middle Georgia City of Forsyth approved the rezoning of a 1,600-acre plot of timberland for a proposed hyperscale data center. GPB's Grant Blankenship has more. 

Grant Blankenship: During over an hour of public comment, the Forsyth City Council heard from a small number of data center supporters, like former newspaper publisher George McCandless. 

George McCandless: Since 2018, my property taxes have gone up 49%. That is more than double the rate of inflation. This project presents a rare opportunity to change that equation. 

Grant Blankenship: But they heard from more opponents, like Michael Griffin. 

Michael Griffin: What you're doing is just taking money. They're they're bribing you. That's what you're trading here. You're trading people's lives. 

Grant Blankenship In the end, the Forsyth City Council voted 5-1 to approve rezoning for the data center, which developers estimate will use just under half of the city's daily permitted water withdrawals. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Monroe County. 

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told lawmakers that she attended an FBI search of an election center in Fulton County last week at President Donald Trump's request. In a letter yesterday, she said she facilitated what she described as a brief phone call between Trump and FBI agents who carried out the search. She says neither she nor the president issued any directives. The letter marked Gabbards first explanation for her unusual presence at an FBI search during which agents seized hundreds of boxes containing ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election. 

Story 7:

Peter Biello: The Georgia House passed a bill yesterday that would allow optometrists to apply for student loan forgiveness like other medical professionals willing to practice in underserved areas. Bill sponsor Gerald Green says it will help address a coverage gap. 

Gerald Green: House Bill 659 addresses critical workforce and access to care needs related to optometry in our state. 

Peter Biello: The program is already available to physicians, dentists, and physician assistants practicing in rural or underserved areas. The bill still needs approval from the Senate before the governor can sign it into law. 

Story 8:

Peter Biello: At 37 cents per pack, Georgia has one of the country's lowest tax rates on tobacco. A group that urges smoking prevention says increasing those taxes would save lives and generate billions to fund critical public health programs. GPB's Ellen Eldredge reports. 

Ellen Eldridge: State lawmakers are dealing with major cuts to federal programs that benefit Georgia, including the elimination of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health that provided data to states on tobacco use. Brian King is with the advocacy group Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. He says increasing the price of a pack of cigarettes is the single most effective way to reduce consumption and raise revenue. 

Brian King: If Georgia were to increase it even just $1.50 per pack, that would prevent 5,400 kids from smoking. It would prompt nearly 30,000 adults to quit smoking. It would also raise over $300 million in revenue. 

Ellen Eldridge King says tobacco companies spend more than $8.6 billion annually on marketing, outspending state tobacco prevention efforts by nearly 12 to 1. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge. 

Story 9:

Peter Biello: Filmmakers in Georgia's Chattahoochee Valley are getting a funding boost to help bring local stories to the screen. The Columbus Film Office has announced an expanded round of its local filmmaker grant program for 2026, increasing financial support for independent filmmakers in the region. The program will award five grants of $10,000 each aimed at helping directors, producers, and writers move projects from development into production. 

Story 10:

Peter Biello: Legislation that would ban cellphones in public high schools got unanimous approval in a Georgia House subcommittee yesterday. House Bill 1009 would go into effect in the fall of 2027 if it passes the state House and Senate. A similar ban on cellphones in kindergarten through middle school grades passed the General Assembly last year. An Emory University survey released last month found 71% of responding parents wanted the K-8 ban extended to high schools. 

Story 11:

Peter Biello: With Major League Baseball's opening day less than two months away, the Atlanta Braves have yet to clarify how fans across the Southeast will be able to watch games on TV this season. The Braves are among nine teams to terminate their deals with Main Street Sports Group, which operates the regional FanDuel Sports Network stations — this after Main Street Sports Group did not make scheduled rights payments. Six of those teams said yesterday they will have their local television broadcasts produced and distributed by Major League Baseball this season. The Braves, however, haven't said what they'll do. In a statement, the team said yesterday that the Braves, quote, "are well on their way toward launching a new era in Braves broadcasting." What that means is an open question. Some have suggested the team will launch its own TV network, as the Texas Rangers have done with the Rangers Sports Network. The Braves said the team will be ready to broadcast games throughout the Southeast and will announce plans in the coming weeks. 

Outro:

Peter Biello: And that is a wrap on Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. Come on back tomorrow. The best way to remember to do that is to subscribe to this podcast. That way we will pop up automatically in your feed. And if you wanna check out the latest headlines or get updates to the stories you heard on the podcast today, check gpb.org/news. We thrive on community feedback, so if you've got some feedback for this podcast, or if you have a story that you think we should be reporting on that maybe we don't know about, send a note by email. The address is georgiatoday@gpb.org. When you use that email address, your note will go to the whole production team. Again, georgatoday@gpb.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thank you again for listening. We will see you tomorrow. 

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