One Hundred Miles v. Effingham IDA (OpenAI data center, 2026)
One Hundred Miles et al. v. Effingham County Industrial Development Authority — Open Meetings/Open Records Challenge to OpenAI 'Project Camellia' Data Center Deal (Ga. Super. Ct., filed Sept. 2026)
Effingham County, GA · One Hundred Miles, Inc. et al. v. Effingham County Industrial Development Authority et al. (Effingham Cnty. Super. Ct., filed Sept. 21, 2026)
- Status
- Blocked / in litigation
- Applies to
- Effingham County Industrial Development Authority
- Enforced by
- Effingham County Superior Court
A coastal Georgia conservation group, One Hundred Miles, and five Effingham County residents, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, sued the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority on September 21, 2026. They allege the authority broke Georgia's Open Meetings and Open Records Acts while approving a deal for OpenAI's planned $20 billion 'Project Camellia' data center: listing it only as 'Project Gateway' on an agenda, discussing a roughly $900 million tax abatement in an improper closed session, rescheduling a meeting without proper notice, and selling public land without a public vote. They ask the court to void the authority's memorandum of understanding with OpenAI and the land-sale documents and to release the sale agreements. No ruling has been reported.
Who is protected: Effingham County residents and the public (open-government rights)
Legal detail
Filed Sept 21, 2026 (Monday), Superior Court of Effingham County, Georgia (Judge Michael Muldrew per The Georgia Virtue). Plaintiffs: One Hundred Miles, Inc., Amy Collins, Robert Collins, Elizabeth Fisher, Crystal Hayes, Manjusha Sheobaran; counsel Zachary Hennessee (SELC). Defendants: Effingham County Industrial Development Authority; Octans GA, LLC (OpenAI affiliate; plaintiffs say they assert no claims against it at this time, per Georgia Virtue). Claims: Georgia Open Meetings Act and Open Records Act. Alleged OMA violations: (1) rescheduled July meeting (where ~$900M in tax abatements were approved) not properly posted / no seven-day notice; (2) agenda listed the item only as 'Project Gateway'; (3) tax abatement discussed in an unauthorized executive session; (4) sale of ~1,440 acres of public land to Octans GA LLC without public vote/disclosure. ORA claim: refusal to produce May and July land-sale agreements. Abatement: 50% property-tax reduction for 15 years, ~ $900M (Inside Climate News). Relief: declare the OpenAI MOU nonbinding and void; invalidate purchase/sale agreements and related documents; compel release of the land-sale agreements. Project (Effingham Herald): OpenAI 'Project Camellia', ~$20B, ~4.4M sq ft on ~1,440 acres at the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub near Rincon, up to 3.2 GW, 2028-2032. NOT ESTABLISHED: case number; any response or ruling. Companion case: Finch-Mincey v. Effingham County (data center zoning ordinance, 2026).
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Effingham County, GA |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Citation | One Hundred Miles, Inc. et al. v. Effingham County Industrial Development Authority et al. (Effingham Cnty. Super. Ct., filed Sept. 21, 2026) |
| Penalties | Relief sought: voiding of MOU and land-sale documents; records release |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · AI disclosure and transparency |
| News report | Second Lawsuit Targets Effingham IDA Over OpenAI Data Center — Effingham Herald |
More AI rules in Effingham County, GA
- Finch-Mincey v. Effingham County (data center zoning ordinance, 2026) · Blocked / in litigation
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
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