Fixing Systemic Problems at the Georgia Public Service Com by Patty Durand

By Patty Durand

Atlanta, GA – This week’s focus is the path to fixing systemic problems at the Georgia Public Service Commission. We made a good start on that road last November electing two new commissioners but there are many more things that need to be done. Here is a timeline of opportunities this year:

This looks like a lot but there is very little overlap so the path should be fairly easy if enough people engage. I want to acknowledge these aren’t the only activities at the PSC which also regulates railroads, gas, some telecom/broadband, boundary disputes, and EMCs around the edges. But these are the proceedings I think matter the most because of their outsized impact on our lives. Gas is really bad too and I hope to focus on that this year because the abuse is scandalous.

The timeline above begins with Southern Environmental Law Center’s Motion for Reconsideration filed on January 9th. I believe the hearing will be on February 3rd but it is not yet scheduled. While there is nothing more important than getting better commissioners, undoing whatever we can from the December 19th PSC decision is also critical. The commissions’ decision to allow Georgia Power to build 10 GWs of mostly gas (five new gas plants) plus 1,000 miles of transmission, plus hiding the costs, will be remembered as one of the worst decisions this commission has ever made. It’s right up there with the approval to construct two new reactors at Plant Vogtle which ballooned into the most expensive power plant ever built and which drove a rate increase of 25%, the largest in state history for a relatively small amount of new capacity. If is time for us to end the collusion of Georgia Power and PSC Commissioners since both entities’ bad behavior have deeply harmed Georgia and is getting worse. And this year we can, starting with the motion. Here it is. Click image to access.

What is a motion for reconsideration? It is a formal request asking a court or decision-making body to re-examine and change a prior ruling or order, typically due to an error in law or fact or overlooked evidence. It’s filed with the same body that made the decision and serves as an alternative to immediate appeal.  

SELC’s request in this motion is for commissioners to revisit their December decision and disallow major parts. While it’s an important step, I have never seen this commission change their minds under any circumstances when it comes to something Georgia Power wants. But we must play the game. And we have something we’ve never had before: two new commissioners freshly minted from voter anger over high bills and data centers. We have more voter awareness too.

The motion itself is 35 pages, a quick read. If you upload the PDF to Chat GPT and ask it this: summarize anything this document says about trade secrets and redactions.

To read more, click here.