Georgia EMCs
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 Georgia EMC’s Steering Committee is a group of historically under-represented member-owners from across the state working together to provide education, support, and organizing tools to member-owners. The GEMC Steering Committee supports local community-driven efforts to diversify EMC leadership, lower bills, work towards a just transition to clean energy, and ensure Georgia EMCs are adhering to the 7 Coop Principles. The Committee has a both/and approach and simultaneously works toward statewide reforms because we are stronger when we work together.
PSC Accountability
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!
Plant Vogtle & Nuclear Energy in Georgia
Plant Vogtle is a nuclear power plant located in Burke County, Georgia. Conceived as a two unit nuclear power plant in the 1970s, the first two units were completed in 1987 and 1989. Two additional units were planned for construction in 2006, with construction beginning on units 3 and 4 in 2009. These units were expected to take three and four years to complete construction, respectively, and estimated costs were a stunning $14 billion dollars.