PSC elections will guide electricity rates and clean energy future
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Early voting has begun to pick who should serve on the Georgia Public Service Commission, the state regulator that decides how much you pay to turn on your lights.
Why it matters: In addition to electricity and natural gas rates, the five-member commission regulates telecom companies and has major say over the future of clean energy in Georgia.
Catch up quick: PSC elections have been delayed since 2022 after a federal judge ruled the commission's at-large elections violated the Voting Rights Act, kickstarting a legal dispute that remains under appeal.
- The winners of the June primary will face off in the Nov. 4 general election.
Zoom in: Commissioners are elected statewide but must live in a specific district. They serve staggered six-year terms.
Here's who's on the ballot.
District 2 (east): Alicia Johnson, a health care consultant from Savannah, is the lone candidate in the Democratic primary.
- She will face the winner of the Republican contest between incumbent Commissioner Tim Echols, who was first elected in 2010, and business owner Lee Muns,
District 3 (metro Atlanta): Clean energy nonprofit professional Peter Hubbard, former utility executive Robert Jones and former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites compete for the Democratic nomination.
- On Tuesday, an administrative law judge said another Democratic candidate, former EPA regional administrator Daniel Blackman, did not provide enough evidence to prove he lived in the district long enough to qualify for the ballot, the AJC reports.
- Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Wednesday affirmed the ruling and removed Blackman from the ballot. Votes already cast for Blackman won't count.
Incumbent Commissioner Fitz Johnson, the PSC's first Black Republican commissioner, is facing voters for the first time since he was appointed to the post by Kemp in 2021.
By the numbers: Georgia Power customers' bills have jumped an average of $43 since 2023 thanks to rate hikes approved by the all-Republican panel, Georgia Recorder reports.
Caveat: A yet-to-be-approved deal between the PSC and Georgia Power that's been blessed by Gov. Brian Kemp — and called out by watchdogs as an election-year ploy — would freeze rates through 2028.
Yes, but: Whoever wins in November will decide whether Georgia Power and other utilities can pass on the costs of hurricane cleanup, fuel and transmission lines to ratepayers, Jennette Gayer of Environment Georgia told Axios.
- In addition, they will join ongoing discussions about Georgia's data center boom and the strain the billion-dollar projects have had on the state's power grid.
What's next: Early voting runs until June 13. Election Day is June 17, followed by runoffs on July 15 if needed.
Log in to My Voter Page to check your polling place and view a sample ballot.