Bill > HB1133

This bill authorizes the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), a state agency that helps finance environmental projects, to finance and manage projects that facilitate solar installations on closed landfills, which are sites where waste was previously disposed of and are now permanently sealed. The bill defines "closed landfill" as a landfill that has been officially closed and secured according to state environmental regulations, and it expands the definition of "environmental facilities" and "environmental services" to explicitly include solar installations on these closed sites, along with related equipment like solar panels, inverters, and energy storage facilities. Importantly, the bill also provides limited liability for the GEFA's members, officers, and employees from any legal claims arising from these solar installation projects on closed landfills, ensuring they are protected while acting within their official duties. The bill also makes conforming changes to other Georgia laws related to bidding for government projects and taxes on water and sewer projects to align with these new provisions, and it will only become effective on July 1, 2027, if funds are appropriated by the General Assembly.