EPD director outlines agency priorities; lawmakers press agency on data center water use and enforcement

The director of Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division briefed the House Natural Resources committee on the agency’s mission, organization and programs and fielded sustained questions from lawmakers about staff retention, permitting and whether the agency has sufficient enforcement tools for local sedimentation complaints.

Jeff Count, identified in the hearing as the director of the Environmental Protection Division, opened the briefing by introducing senior leadership and summarizing EPD’s responsibilities to protect air, water and land. He called the EPD mission “to protect restore Georgia’s environment” and listed the division’s branches, district offices and laboratory capacity.

Count and deputy director Anya Trishinski introduced branch chiefs and described operations: approximately 735 full-time employees across seven district offices; a lab in Peachtree Corners that analyzes air, soil and water samples (including PFAS testing); and a complex budget with more than 50 revenue sources. Count cited the fiscal-year base “over $35,000,000 in state funds” and identified dedicated trust funds for hazardous and solid waste.

Lawmakers followed with specific questions. Representative John Corbett praised the director’s responsiveness and asked about employee retention; Count said turnover has improved to about 9.7% from a COVID-era high near 23–24% and credited salary adjustments and recruiting partnerships with state universities.

Data center concerns dominated several exchanges. Trishinski said most data centers obtain water from local utilities and therefore typically do not require a direct EPD water-withdrawal permit; if a facility requires an increased withdrawal, the utility and the project would need to work with EPD through the permitting process, which considers regional water planning and resource capacity.

Trishinski also explained cooling-system options: "In a closed loop, they use a lot less water and they're able to maintain it within that facility," noting those systems trade lower water use for higher energy demand. On air issues, EPD staff said emergency generators and certain emissions thresholds can trigger permits and that the agency is evaluating how to address increasing generator use.

On enforcement, a lawmaker asked whether EPD has sufficient authority to act against willful sedimentation from surface mining or borrow pits. Director Count said the agency possesses enforcement tools, described administrative procedures and encouraged citizens to report complaints to district offices, which handle many inspections annually.

Why it matters: The briefing connected EPD’s technical work to constituent concerns about water resources and local enforcement. Regional water planning, local issuing authorities and EPD permitting together determine whether new industrial uses such as data centers can be sited without harming existing users or resources.

Quotes from the hearing

“Our mission is to protect restore Georgia's environment,” EPD director Jeff Count said as he introduced the agency’s leadership team.

“Most of them receive their water from the local water utility, so they don't need to get a water withdrawal permit from us,” deputy director Anya Trishinski said about data centers, and she added that closed-loop cooling "uses a lot less water."

Ending

The committee thanked EPD for the overview and closed the session to allow members to attend House business; staff and members said the briefing supplied contacts and resources for district-level constituent issues.