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

Summary

Georgia Today – Detailed Podcast Summary
Episode Date: February 3, 2026
Host: Peter Biello (GPB News)
Main Themes: Data center regulation in Georgia, uncertainty over Atlanta Braves TV broadcasting, aftermath of the Conyers Biolab chemical fire

---

Episode Overview

This episode explores three major stories impacting Georgia:

• The ongoing challenges and regulatory debates surrounding the rapid expansion of data centers in the state.
• The uncertain television future for Atlanta Braves fans after contract disputes.
• The lasting aftermath of the 2024 Biolab chemical fire in Conyers, focusing on businesses still unable to recover due to unclear contamination data.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Aftermath of the Biolab Chemical Fire in Conyers (00:22–04:28)

• Lingering Impact on Local Businesses (00:22–04:06)

  • Many business owners, including Chris Lovejoy and Stephanie Donnelly, are still unable to return to their properties nearly a year and a half after the fire.
  • The main obstacle is the lack of clear information on what chemicals remain. Cleanup cannot begin without official test results, stalling business recovery.
  • Critical gaps exist in the testing done post-fire. Notably, key contaminants such as hexavalent chromium (“chromium 6”), a carcinogen, were not checked for, despite recommendations from Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division.

  Notable Quote:

  • Stephanie Donnelly on their struggle:

    "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." (00:22, 01:56)

• Health Concerns and Testing Gaps (03:15–04:15)

  • Dr. Ted Schettler, Science and Environmental Health Network, highlights that long-term exposure to chromium 6 increases illness risk, and without testing, residents may never know their true exposure.
  • Contractors for Biolab assumed the chemical would convert into a non-toxic form, so didn't test for it, contrary to official advice.

  Notable Quote:

  • Dr. Ted Schettler:

    "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 want to do is avoid ongoing exposures because long term exposure is associated with more illness." (03:15–03:32)

  • Stephanie Donnelly voices a need for health guidance for affected residents.

  Memorable Moment:

  • Frustration from the business owners about the lack of clarity, both for their business and potential health risks.

    "If we could find somebody that could say, hey, maybe you need to have yourself checked for this, this, this, this and this, then that would be something good to provide to the community, I think." (04:06)

---

2. Regulation of Data Centers in Georgia (05:24–07:57)

• Bipartisan Push for Accountability & Transparency (05:24–06:49)

  • Georgia is a leading market for data centers, but their rapid growth has prompted legislative calls for stricter regulation.

  • Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R) sponsors a bill requiring data centers to bear the full cost of their electricity rather than shifting costs to consumers.
    Quote:

    "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." (06:22)

  • Representative Debbie Buckner (D) pushes for clear information especially about water and electricity use, especially in the rural communities where these centers often locate:

    "If you're going to come be a neighbor of ours, we want to be a good neighbor of yours. And we want to know how many gallons of water a day, how many megawatts." (06:41)

• Forsyth's Major Data Center Rezoning (07:09–07:57)

  • The Forsyth City Council approved rezoning for a 1600-acre data center, after public comment both supporting (potential property tax relief) and opposing (concerns over water use and community impact).
  • Developers estimate the facility will use nearly half of Forsyth’s daily permitted water.

  Memorable Community Quotes:

  • Support, from George McCandless:

    "This project presents a rare opportunity to change that equation..." (07:09)

  • Opposition, from Michael Griffin:

    "What you're doing is, is just taking money. They're bribing you. That's what you're trading here. You're trading people's lives." (07:09)

---

3. Uncertain Future for Atlanta Braves TV Broadcasts (11:24–12:29)

• Broadcast Rights Dispute (11:24–12:20)

  • The Braves are one of nine MLB teams ending contracts with Main Street Sports Group (FanDuel Sports Network) due to missed payments.
  • Six teams have agreed to have Major League Baseball produce and distribute local TV broadcasts in 2026, but the Braves haven’t yet clarified their plans.
  • Some speculate the Braves may launch their own network, as the Texas Rangers have done.
  • The club promises they will be ready to broadcast throughout the Southeast and will announce details soon.

  Summary of Braves’ Statement:

  • "[The Braves] are well on their way toward launching a new era in Braves broadcasting. What that means is an open question... The team will be ready to broadcast games throughout the Southeast and will announce plans in the coming weeks." (12:13)

---

Additional Noteworthy Segments

• Legislative Updates:

  • Senate bill proposes mandatory property tax homestead exemption statewide (04:28–05:24).
  • Data center regulation bills continue moving through legislature; local impact debated in Forsyth (05:24–07:57).
  • Bill for student loan forgiveness for optometrists in rural/underserved areas passes the Georgia House. (08:42–09:20)
  • Lawmakers discuss increasing Georgia’s low tobacco tax to boost health funding (09:20–10:09).

• Culture and Community:

  • Columbus Film Office expands grant program for local filmmakers (10:09–10:52).
  • Georgia House subcommittee advances bill to ban cellphones in high schools. (10:52–11:01)

---

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Conyers Chemical Fire:
  • "It sits directly across the street from Biolab's chemical plant." (01:07)
  • "Sixteen months later, and nothing is any better." (01:32)
• On Data Centers Impact:
  • "Since 2018, my property taxes have gone up 49%. That is more than double the rate of inflation." (07:09)
• On Braves Broadcast Uncertainty:
  • "The Braves are well on their way toward launching a new era in Braves broadcasting." (12:13)

---

Tone and Style

• Straightforward, informative, grounded in local voices and expert opinions.
• The reporting amplifies affected citizens' and community leaders' voices, emphasizing transparency, accountability, and public concern.
• The mood is urgent, particularly around unresolved issues like the Conyers fire aftermath and the future of Braves broadcasts.

---

For Listeners: Why This Episode Matters

This episode offers unique insight into how statewide policy and local events intersect to affect everyday Georgians, from business owners waiting for answers on hazardous contamination to rural communities grappling with the impact of major tech infrastructure projects. It’s essential listening for anyone interested in how legislative and corporate decisions ripple through lives, health, and communities across Georgia.

Transcript

[A]

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.

[B]

We're kind of in the state of limbo where our property is concerned. Concerned that, oh, yeah, it's not that bad and we can clean it. We don't know how, but we know we can.

[A]

Today is Tuesday, February 3rd. I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today. 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.

[C]

This has basically been like their little runoff.

[D]

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

[C]

So now when this fills up for rainwater, this is what's going to be running down into the county border.

[D]

It sits directly across the street from Biolab's chemical plant.

[C]

We were trying to get in the.

[A]

Front door and the lots were seized.

[D]

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

[B]

You can see rust on the exteriors of the fans up there. They weren't like that before.

[D]

Sixteen 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.

[B]

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.

[D]

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. The that was a chlorine based chemical called tcca. At the time, Jose Negron with the.

[C]

Epa, told reporters the initial chemical, the tcca, is gone.

[A]

Right now it's a matter of dealing.

[C]

With the residual of the chemicals that are non hazardous.

[D]

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 byproducts 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 shear fear is in their drinking water.

[C]

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

[D]

Dr. Ted Schettler is director of the Science and Environmental Health Network.

[C]

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 want to do.

[D]

Is avoid ongoing exposures because long term exposure is associated with more illness. Biolabs 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.

[B]

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

[D]

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.

[A]

The Georgia Senate passed a bill today that would make the statewide homestead exemption to Property tax mandatory. GPB's Sarah Kalis reports.

[E]

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. Senator Chuck Huffstetler, the sponsor of Senate Bill 382, hopes to change that. The bill removes the option for local governments to opt out of the homestead exemption program.

[C]

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.

[E]

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 Kalis at the state Capitol.

[A]

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 lieutenant governor 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 free freeze property taxes. He touts his rise from foster care to running a healthcare 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. 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 Senator Chuck Hufstetler of Rome says his proposal would require data centers to cover the full cost of the electricity they use instead of passing those costs on to consumers.

[C]

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.

[A]

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

[C]

If you're going to come be a neighbor of ours, we want to be a good neighbor of yours. And we want to know how many gallons of water a day, how many megawatts.

[A]

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. Leaders of the middle Georgia city of Forsyth approved the rezoning of a 1600 acre plot of timberland for a proposed hyperscale data center. GPB's Grant Blankenship has more.

[C]

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. 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, but they heard from more opponents like Michael Griffin. What you're doing is, is just taking money. They're bribing you. That's what you're trading here. You're trading people's lives. In the end, the Forsyth city council voted 5 to 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 GPP News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Monroe county.

[A]

Director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told lawmakers that she attended an FBI search of an election center in Fulton county last week and 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 Gabbard's 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. The Georgia House passed a bill yesterday that would allow optometrists to apply for student loan forgiveness. Like other medical professional willing to practice in underserved areas, bill sponsor Gerald Green says it will help address a coverage gap.

[C]

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

[A]

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. 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 state lawmakers are.

[D]

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.

[C]

If Georgia were to increase at even.

[A]

Just $1.50 per pack, that would prevent.

[C]

5,400 kids from smoking.

[A]

It would prompt nearly 30,000 adults to quit smoking. It would also raise over $300 million in revenue.

[D]

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

[A]

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. Legislation that would ban cell phones in public high schools got unanimous approval in a Georgia House subcommittee yesterday. House Bill 1109 would go into effect in the fall of 2027 if it passes the state House and Senate. A similar ban on cell phones and 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 K8 ban extended to high schools.

[D]

Hi, it's Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air.

[C]

Hey, take a break from the 24.

[D]

Hour news cycle with us and listen to long form interviews with your favorite.

[C]

Authors, actors, filmmakers, comedians and musicians.

[D]

The people making the art that nourishes us and and speaks to our times. So listen to the Fresh Air podcast from NPR and whyy.

[A]

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 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 and we'll announce plans in the coming weeks. 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 want to 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 from 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 Georgia Todaypb.org when you use that email address, your note will go to the whole production team. Again, Georgia Todaypb.org I'm Peter Biello. Thank you again for listening. We will see you tomorrow.