As Georgia Power continues to shock customers with steep electricity bill hikes, lawmakers are reigniting efforts to establish a consumer watchdog. This resurrection comes in the form of Senate Bill 457, intent to restore the Consumers' Utility Counsel – an office dedicated to ensuring citizens aren't overpaying for utilities.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Georgians are feeling the pinch, with average power bills set to increase about $38 by summer. State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler champions the bill as a means to provide Georgians an advocate with legal standing, particularly when utility bills in the state are some of the highest in the nation. "Now, we’re in the top five of consumer bills in the country. We’ve got some fairly high bills," he was noted as saying. Georgia Power has responded with the expression of respect for public advocacy roles, highlighting the value in consumer representation.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that SB 457 passed the Senate and is now before the House Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee. The revived Consumers' Utility Counsel would give Georgians a voice at the Georgia Public Service Commission, which oversees utilities such as Georgia Power. This move to establish the CUC comes after years of significant Georgia Power-related decisions by the PSC, including the continuation of the costly Plant Vogtle expansion.
Georgia Power's bills, fueled by various rate increases approved by the PSC, are set to surge again in 2025, leaving customers yearning for relief. While Georgia Power is asking the PSC to greenlight an expansion of its electricity generation capacity, PSC staff witnesses remain skeptical of the company's claim that the move will apply downward pressure to rates. A decision on this expansion is anticipated by mid-April.
The state of Georgia once housed a Consumers' Utility Counsel, but it fell victim to cutbacks during the Great Recession. With a current budget surplus and rising utility bills, the time appears ripe for a revival. "There’s a budget surplus and money is there for the state to go ahead and fund it," Andrea Young Jones of Georgia WAND told FOX 5 Atlanta. Should SB 457 pass, Georgians could once again have an ally in their corner, albeit more than a decade since they last did.
