Your bills have been raised over and over again. This is not the first time your bills have been raised. No matter where you live, if you pay a power bill in Georgia or know someone who is paying a power bill, THIS AFFECTS YOU! The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) keeps raising our bills. We elect the PSC and they should be fighting for us, not the power company!

Georgia’s electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) are member-owned, not-for-profit utilities that serve approximately 4.4 million of Georgia’s 10 million residents and 73 percent of the state’s land area. Georgia’s EMCs employ more than 6,000 workers and operate by far the largest distribution network in the state, with 194,867 miles of electric power lines.

 The PSC oversees Georgia Power, a monopoly investor-owned utility company. For most Georgia Power power customers, it’s their only option to buy electricity. As an investor-owned company, Georgia Power also aims to make a profit; the commission decides how much it can make by setting a figure in the rate case called “return on equity.” 

The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) is a body of five elected officials who regulate utilities and ensure fair and accountable governance in our state’s energy sector. Their decisions directly impact the cost of power bills and the future of clean energy in our state. The commission, by its own description, “must balance Georgia citizens’ need for reliable services and reasonable rates with the need for utilities to earn a reasonable return on investment.”

Georgia Power uses fossil fuels, especially natural gas (48%), and coal (15%). Most recently, the PSC voted to approve a Georgia Powers Integrated Resource Plan, allowing the monopoly to continue using coal and natural gas instead of prioritizing clean, affordable alternatives.

As Georgians are concerned about climate change, environmental justice, and energy affordability, the PSC is a commission that can no longer be ignored!