The Georgia Public Service Commission: Why Your Vote Matters!
Two seats on the five-member Georgia Public Service Commission are on the ballot this year. So, what is the Georgia Public Service Commission or “PSC”? The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) is the governing body that regulates the rates and services of “public utilities” in the state, including telecommunications, electricity (meaning our Georgia Power bills) and natural gas.
Current PSC Commissioners include H. Doug Everett, Commissioner, District 1; Tim Echols, Vice Chairman and Commissioner, District 2, Chuck Eaton, Commissioner, District 3, Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, Jr., PSC Chairman and Commissioner, District 4 and Patricia Pridemore, Commissioner, District 5.
As a nonprofit, the Georgia Solar Energy Association (GA Solar) cannot recommend any specific candidate. However, we urge Georgia residents to do your homework! Your vote matters!
GA Solar sent out a questionnaire to all PSC candidates to help voters understand where the candidates stand on issues related to the PSC’s responsibilities. The following candidates responded to our questionnaire as of May 15: Lindy Miller, candidate for District 3; Ryan Graham, candidate for District 3, and John Turpish, candidate for District 5. The following candidates have not responded: Chuck Eaton, incumbent candidate for District 3; Patricia Pridemore, incumbent candidate for District 5; and Dawn Randolph, candidate for District 5. You can read the unedited responses at this link:
https://tinyurl.com/GASolarPSCQuestionnaire18
Georgia has some of the lowest utility rates in the nation. However, that is about to change. Electricity rates are set to resume a historic rate of increase over the next six years.
FROM GA Solar Chair Don Moreland’s BLOG POST, February 7, 2018:
“ … In 2016, the Georgia Public Service Commission and Georgia Power agreed to freeze rates until the next rate case in 2019. A lot has happened since then. Georgia Power purchased Atlanta Gas & Light for $12 billion and the cost to build Plant Vogtle 3 and 4 have soared to a total of $25 billion. These two events have not been factored into rates yet but all that’s about to change in 2019.
Before the freeze on rates, according to the last 18 years of data available on the PSC website, Georgia Power customers experienced an average rate increase of 2.5% per year. If we are to assume that amount of rate increase will resume in 2019, then rates will increase 12.5% over the next 6 years.
At the PSC website, there is a page entitled: “Meet the Commission” at this link: https://bit.ly/1cR1seH. Each Commissioner’s profile includes a link entitled, “Get my views on…” where detail about the Commissioner’s votes, including date and subject, are included."
Again, your vote matters! Although the candidates represent specific districts, every voter in Georgia will be asked to vote for a candidates for each seat. Please invest time in getting to know the candidates and their positions!
LINKS:
Page with candidates verbatim responses. (https://tinyurl.com/GASolarPSCQuestionnaire18)
GA Solar (https://www.gasolar.org/)
Georgia PSC (http://www.psc.state.ga.us/)