SB13: SB13 Georgia Environmental Finance Authority; finance and perform certain duties in connection with projects relating to natural gas facilities; authorize

The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) currently helps local governments finance water, sewer, and solid waste projects. This bill expands GEFA's authority so it can also finance and support projects involving natural gas facilities, such as pipelines, storage tanks, and distribution systems built outside a natural gas company's certified service area, and projects that convert overhead electrical lines to underground lines. The bill rewrites several definitions in Georgia's GEFA law (O.C.G.A. § 50-23-4) to add these new project types to the list of 'environmental facilities' and 'environmental services' GEFA can support. It also gives GEFA authority to write rules and regulations to carry out its duties, and it extends the law's existing personal liability protection for authority members, officers, and employees to cover natural gas systems built by local governments. The changes take effect as soon as the Governor signs the bill or it becomes law without his signature.

• Adds natural gas facilities, including pipelines, storage tanks, and distribution systems built outside a certified gas company's service area, to the list of projects GEFA can finance.
• Adds projects that convert overhead electrical lines to underground lines to GEFA's list of financeable environmental facilities.
• Creates new legal definitions for 'natural gas facility' and 'nongovernmental entity' in Georgia's GEFA statute (O.C.G.A. § 50-23-4).
• Gives GEFA the power to write rules and regulations needed to carry out its expanded duties under this law.
• Extends existing liability protection for GEFA members, officers, and employees to cover natural gas systems owned and operated by local governments.

The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority and its board, officers, and employees; local governments that build or operate natural gas systems or convert power lines underground; and nonmunicipal gas companies whose certified service areas border these new GEFA-financed projects.

By letting GEFA finance natural gas infrastructure and underground power line conversions, local governments gain another state-backed financing option for these projects, potentially affecting how quickly gas service or underground lines reach some Georgia communities, while GEFA officials get liability protection similar to what they already have for water and sewer projects.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 50-23-4 to expand the definition of 'environmental facilities' to include natural gas storage, supply, and distribution systems outside a gas company's certified area, and underground conversion of electrical lines.
• Section 1 also updates the 'environmental services' definition to include natural gas facilities and electrical line conversion, and adds a definition of 'nongovernmental entity' as a nonprofit focused on land and natural resource conservation.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 50-23-5 to add a new power letting GEFA 'promulgate and adopt rules and regulations to carry out the purposes of this chapter.'
• Section 3 amends O.C.G.A. § 50-23-12 to extend personal liability protection for GEFA members, officers, and employees to natural gas systems owned by local governments.
• Section 4 makes the Act effective immediately upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without his signature.
• Section 5 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-05-14Effective Date 2025-05-14
2. 2025-05-14Act 306
3. 2025-05-14Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2025-04-07Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2025-03-27Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate)
6. 2025-03-21House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
7. 2025-03-21House Third Readers (House)
8. 2025-03-18House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)

• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)Primary sponsor
• Blake Tillery (R, SD-019)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• John Kennedy (R, SD-018)
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)
• Derek Mallow (D, SD-002)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
• David Lucas (D, SD-026)
• Larry Walker (R, SD-020)
• Brandon Beach (R, SD-021)
• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)
• Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)

1. PassedSenate voteFebruary 24, 2025

   42 yea, 11 nay (2 not voting, 1 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #85

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 21, 2025

   109 yea, 50 nay (6 not voting, 15 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #299

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2025

   50 yea, 0 nay (4 not voting, 2 absent)

   Agree To House Substitute: Senate Vote #308

• natural gas infrastructure
• utility regulation
• electrical line undergrounding
• state finance authority
• local government projects