Committee schedules hearing on bill to let GIFA fund natural-gas line upgrades in South Georgia

Senator Summers asked the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee to hear Senate Bill 13, a measure to allow the Georgia Industrial Finance Authority to provide low-interest financing for upgrades to a small natural-gas pipeline serving parts of South Georgia.

Committee members say the measure targets areas around Albany and Coffee County that currently have limited natural-gas capacity and that upgrades would help attract industry.

The bill’s sponsor told the committee the existing pipeline is “extremely small” — he said he understood it to be about 4 inches — and that it runs from Albany east into Coffee County through Ashburn, Turner County and Irwin. “Coffee County is literally out of natural gas,” Senator Summers said, adding that the limitation prevents adding industry. He described the bill as a low-cost mechanism to bring financing into the region so lines can be upgraded.

Chairman Martin and members indicated no immediate objections. Chairman Martin said a subcommittee meeting would be scheduled before the committee takes the matter up next week to ensure details are in order. No formal vote was taken at the hearing; the committee set a hearing for the bill at its next meeting and asked the sponsor to meet with the chair and staff ahead of that session.

The committee did not provide text of the financing mechanism or a statutory citation during the hearing. The precise terms of any GIFA loan program, the number of projects that would qualify, and whether additional approvals would be required were not specified in the discussion.

The committee recessed with the bill set for a hearing at the next available meeting date and with a subcommittee expected to convene to review technical details before then.