Terrence Boone
Candidate for U.S. Senate · Georgia. Party: Republican.
Campaign website: booneforsenate.com. Linking to a campaign website is not an endorsement.
Answers on data centers
Written by the candidate and published exactly as submitted. We do not edit, shorten or correct these answers.
Water use
Large data centers can use millions of gallons of water a year for cooling. What should the state require of new facilities?
Water use should be handled through existing utility agreements and state environmental review, which already assess supply and discharge for every large industrial customer. Data-center-specific rules would duplicate what is in place and slow projects the region depends on.
Ratepayer costs
When a data center's demand requires new transmission or generation, who should pay for that build-out?
The existing rate case process already allocates these costs, for every large customer rather than one industry. Singling out one class would set a precedent that raises costs for manufacturers and hospitals next, and push investment to other states.
Local approval
Should local governments be able to reject a proposed data center after the state has approved it?