Understanding the complexities of climate and energy policy in Georgia, especially regarding the influence of state officials, is no small feat. However, a recent collaboration with WABE and Grist sheds light on the matter, pinpointing the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) as a major player in this intricate game of regulation and resource management. This elected body, due for its next ballot in 2025, has its hands on the levers of Georgia Power's future, particularly through the triennial approval of the utility's Integrated Resource Plan, which outlines a 20-year energy blueprint and rate cases.
The PSC, despite its small size, has significant influence, as it not only regulates the main utility provider but also natural gas pipelines and telecommunications in Georgia, a state where approximately a third of the populace are Black, yet historical representation on the PSC falls short with only two Black members in its 145-year history—both appointed rather than elected, which speaks to ongoing political tensions, including recent legal challenges under the Voting Rights Act that have put a pause on elections since 2022 and the subsequent denial of the case by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024, leading to a new law dictating a fresh election schedule set to begin in 2025.
On the gubernatorial front, Governor Brian Kemp, whose next election is slated for 2026, has focused not on the broader concept of climate change but instead has been bullish on pivoting Georgia towards becoming the "electric mobility capital of America," according to WABE. This shift aligns with his administration's initiative to develop a state climate action plan, with federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act fueling the ambition.
Other state officials, like Attorney General Chris Carr, also wield climate influence but from a different angle; Carr, for instance, led a coalition of Republican-led states in 2024 to challenge an EPA rule to reduce power plant emissions and has been vocally critical of climate-friendly federal initiatives, as when he took a stance against the Biden administration's moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands, seen in a broader context of state attorneys general playing defense or offense in the climate policy arena, leaning on their legal expertise to shape or shake the environmental narrative.
When it comes to agricultural and financial oversight in the context of climate policy, the state's Agriculture Commissioner and Treasurer are pivotal too, with the former embroiled in a battle with major banks over climate-oriented financial commitments and the latter, Steve McCoy, signing a 2022 letter expressing opposition to a Securities and Exchange Commission proposal on climate risk disclosure in corporate investment strategies—showing yet again how intertwined the financial sector is with the environmental strategies (or lack thereof) a state may pursue.
Mayors and local sustainability officials, while not wielding the same statewide heft, nonetheless carve out their own climate-responsive territories within Georgia's borders, like Atlanta's ambition to achieve 100 percent clean energy by 2035 and the establishment of a regional climate plan by the Atlanta Regional Commission, indicating a nuanced multi-tier approach to what is unarguably a complex problem requiring action at all levels of governance.
The discussion on whether to reintroduce a utility consumer advocate within the Georgia Public Service Commission, a position that was stripped away during Recession-era cutbacks, but which found bipartisan legislative support in the recent session, continues to underscore the undercurrents of debate around who speaks for the public in matters of rising electricity costs and uneven energy regulation—even though PSC commissioners maintain that their advocacy staff fulfills this role, skepticism persists among those who call for a distinctly appointed or elected voice to echo consumer concerns more robustly.
