Georgia’s largest electricity provider, Georgia Power, has been expanding its power generation infrastructure to meet the growing energy demands of data centers. However, environmental and public health organizations are challenging a recent proposal from the Trump administration to repeal greenhouse gas emission standards for power plants. Advocates argue that this change would likely increase Georgia’s emissions and harm both the environment and public health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking to repeal a rule introduced under the Biden administration, which required coal plants to either install carbon capture technology or shut down by 2032. For new natural gas plants, the rule required either carbon capture or reduced operation. This rule was seen as a key step toward phasing out coal, which is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. However, with the Trump administration’s proposed repeal, the future of these regulations remains uncertain. In Georgia, the impact of the Biden-era rule was already being felt. Georgia Power had planned to retire its coal plants due to the high cost of installing carbon capture systems. However, after Trump’s return to office, the company revised its strategy. According to Maggie Shober of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, the company had anticipated the potential repeal of the Biden rule and adjusted its plans accordingly. In 2024, Plant Scherer, near Macon, emitted over seven million metric tons of carbon dioxide, while Plant Gaston in Alabama emitted over a million metric tons. Georgia Power delayed the retirement of these plants, citing regulatory uncertainty. The company’s resource planning process included multiple scenarios, some of which assumed compliance with the Biden rule and others that did not. As a result, the company is now continuing to operate several coal plants and is expanding natural gas generation to meet rising energy demands. Without the EPA’s current restrictions, emissions from new natural gas turbines could more than double. Under the Biden rule, these turbines would have been limited to operating about 40% of the year, producing around four million tons of carbon dioxide annually. If the proposed changes go through, they could operate 85% of the year, potentially producing 8.5 million tons of emissions annually. The EPA’s proposed rule change is not yet final, and there will be a public comment period. Several groups have sued to block the change, but the effectiveness of regulations in influencing utility operations remains unclear, as seen during the Trump administration. Georgia Power’s parent company, Southern Company, has not provided specific comments on the issue, instead emphasizing the need for regulatory certainty and affordable electricity for customers.