By Jill Nolin | Editor
A pro-data center group just launched in Georgia, just as similar groups have set up in other states. It’s all part of an industry-led effort to counter opposition to the massive facilities, which have sparked outrage in communities across Georgia.
The QTS data center complex under development in Fayetteville, Georgia, US, on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. A new data center industry group is embarking on a Georgia-focused publicity campaign to improve public opinion of data centers in the state. Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images
ENVIRONMENT
By Alander Rocha
An organization that represents the data center industry is trying to get Georgians to think of the electricity-hungry facilities more favorably.
Connected Georgia and its parent organization America Connects recently established a state presence when they created a website on June 15 and a YouTube channel the next week, where the organization published a 30-second ad that has garnered over 2 million views in about four weeks.
“From homes to hospitals to businesses, Georgia’s data centers are unlocking a smarter power grid for our communities,” the YouTube ad says.
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Larry Woodward/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
ENVIRONMENT
By Ross Williams
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is now a World Heritage site.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage committee approved the addition around midnight Saturday morning in Georgia time and about 1 p.m. in Busan, South Korea, where the meeting was held. The decision was reached without debate from the international committee set up to recognize sites of universal environmental or cultural importance, but the effort to join that coterie was more than four decades in the making.
“The Okefenokee is a place where nature still reigns,” Kim Bednarek, executive director of Okefenokee Swamp Park and Adventures, said in an acceptance speech.
President Donald Trump and GOP governor candidate Rick Jackson share the stage at a White House event at Cobb County’s Wheeler High School. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
2026 ELECTION
By Ross Williams
When President Donald Trump departed Georgia after his Cobb County rally Wednesday, he left something behind: fresh endorsements for governor nominee Rick Jackson and other aspiring GOP leaders who will be on the ballot in November.
The president invited Jackson to join him on the stage, calling the Republican healthcare executive “a true champion for the people.”
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