Georgia

Georgia Power could face new law to disclose its cost of power generation on customer bills – Georgia Recorder

Published

2 years ago

February 28, 2024

Georgia Power could face new law to disclose its cost of power generation on customer bills – Georgia Recorder

A bill aimed at increasing transparency into Georgia Power customer’s bills has cleared the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee ahead of a critical deadline this week.

The House committee unanimously approved on Tuesday Chairman Don Parsons’ House Bill 1406 that would require Georgia Power to provide on customer bills information about the average overall cost of fuel used by the electric supplier to generate kilowatt hours of electricity charged to the customer for the billing period.

It’s the second time in recent days the state’s largest electricity supplier with strong lobbyist representation at the state Capitol has been the subject of proposals to rein in some of its business practices. Late last week, a state Senate committee supported a bill proposing the creation of a consumer advocate to represent ratepayer interests with Georgia Power files for a rate hike.

Parsons said he drafted the bill so customers can better understand how much the state’s largest utility company charges based on energy costs. The information includes the average cost for Georgia Power to produce a kilowatt hour of electricity from coal, natural gas, solar and nuclear energy over the previous year.

The fate of the bill now rests with the House Rules Committee ahead of Thursday’s Crossover deadline for legislation to advance out of one chamber during the 2024 session.

Parsons said that during his 30 years of serving on utilities legislation committees, he could only recall Georgia Power supporting legislation that it asked a lawmaker to sponsor. The bill comes on the heels of state regulators approving several Georgia Power bill increases due to increased electricity base rates, overrun costs associated with building the Vogtle nuclear power plant units, coal ash cleanup and other expenses.

“I think having this kind of transparency could really alleviate a lot of those concerns, particularly when fuel costs go up also happens to be around the same time that another rate hike happens,” said Parsons, a Marietta Republican.

Jeff Grubb, director of resource and policy planning at Georgia Power said one of the reasons the company opposes the bill is that a good deal of the information can be found on the customer bills and the company’s website.

For example, Georgia Power updates its fuel costs for energies like coal, nuclear and natural gas every year under the company’s facts and figures section online, he said.

Grubb cautioned that many customers could become confused by including information that’s not directly tied to the rates customers are paying on that particular bill.

“If customers are looking to make changes to their bill, or to add a resource or behind the meter solar, we have teams that will work with those customers and provide them all the information that they need to make those types of decisions,” Grubb said.

Grubb said that when a customer’s power bills fluctuate, it’s typically due to the usage of electricity and the fuel costs Georgia Power receives is determined in rate cases that goes before the Public Service Commision. The company can come back later to recoup some of the extra fuel costs if they exceeded projections based on the energy commodities market, Grubb said.

He also said that providing how much Georgia Power has paid for fuel within the past couple of months puts the company at risk of providing trade secrets in a volatile energy market.

“We have less concern or no concern with something from last year a few months ago, but something that we just got finished with and our annual expenses in a month causes us concerns from a business confidentiality point because it could harm customers,” Grubb said.

Parsons said that Grubb must think Georgia Power has a lot of “dumb” customers who will be confused by providing more information on what it costs to do business.

“If I’m getting a new roof put on the house and the contractor tells me this summer this is going to cost this much, I say well, okay, how much does it cost you for each bundle of roofing material that you use? I would expect him to tell me how much,” Parsons said.

“I don’t know why Georgia Power would not want to provide this basic information to a customer. You keep talking about proprietary secrets and things like that,” Parsons said. “You’re defending the company, but you’re not looking out for the customer.”

Bob Sherrier, staff attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, says Georgia Power’s policy with the Public Service Commission lets the company charge customers 100% of its fuel costs.

“For example, in last year’s (fuel cost recovery) proceeding, the average residential bill was increased by about $16 a month to pay for mostly gas spikes the prior year,” he said. “I think that this is a good bill and that this kind of information is important for the people who actually have to pay for it to know.”

Rep. Beth Camp, a Concord Republican, said she would appreciate a breakdown of coal, natural gas, nuclear, and solar power on her Georgia Power bill.

Woodstock Republican Rep. Jordan Ridley recommended that Georgia Power get out of the electricity business if it is so concerned about protecting trade secrets.

“Anytime we have government-run monopolies, we need to have as much transparency as possible,” he said.

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Georgia

What is a Heat Dome and How it’s Impacting South Georgia

Published

9 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Press Room

What is a Heat Dome and How it’s Impacting South Georgia

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – A large Heat Dome will dominate the weather pattern for South Georgia this week. A Heat Dome is directly related to a large ridge, or a northward bulge, in the jet stream. Underneath this upper-level ridge, air sinks and warms as it drops to the surface.

This creates a sprawling surface high pressure, underneath the ridge, as hot air is continually reinforced at the surface. This will drive temperatures into the mid 90s through the rest of this week with lots of sunshine and slim chances for rainfall.

Heat Dome Will Bring Unseasonably Hot Temperatures(WALB)

To stay updated on all the latest forecasts and weather, follow WALB News 10 Weather on Facebook and X (Twitter).

Click here to see all the latest weather headlines and here to view the First Alert Radar. To keep up with all things South Georgia weather, click to download the WALB First Alert Weather app on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

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Georgia

First Alert Forecast: Heat advisory issued for parts of east Georgia amidst building heat wave

Published

19 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Press Room

First Alert Forecast: Heat advisory issued for parts of east Georgia amidst building heat wave

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Heat will be the main story over the next week with highs in the 90s every day.

TODAY: MID-90S WITH HEAT INDEX NEAR 105

Heat advisory for Jasper, Putnam, Greene, and Morgan counties from Noon – 8 p.m.

High temperatures will reach the mid-90s across most of the area, with the combination of heat and humidity creating heat index values near 105 in east-central Georgia counties under the advisory. Those in the advisory area should limit outdoor activities, drink plenty of fluids, and take frequent breaks in air-conditioning or shade.

REST OF THE WEEK: PERSISTENT HEAT

Hot temperatures will persist through Saturday, with highs in the mid to upper 90s and heat index values remaining above 100 degrees most afternoons. Overnight lows in the mid to upper 70s will provide little relief.

Chance for Afternoon Storms

While the heat will dominate the forecast, there is a chance for afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms each day, with the best opportunity Monday through Wednesday. Any storms that develop could produce frequent lightning, heavy rain, and gusty winds. These storms may provide brief relief from the heat, but most of the week will remain hot and humid.

Heat Safety Reminder

Extended time in this heat can be dangerous. Stay hydrated, take breaks in air-conditioned spaces, and check on elderly neighbors and family members. Avoid strenuous outdoor activities during peak heating hours, typically between noon and 6 p.m.

First Alert 7-Day Forecast(WANF)

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Georgia

Ossoff, Bottoms declare ‘United for Georgia’ at first joint campaign rally – The Current

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2026

Press Room

Ossoff, Bottoms declare ‘United for Georgia’ at first joint campaign rally – The Current

by Craig Nelson, The Current
June 27, 2026

There was no mistaking the message that incumbent U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms were seeking to drive home at a rally on Saturday in Savannah, not only to the thousand or so supporters gathered in a hall on a sweltering day in late June but to voters across the state.

Signs reading “United for Georgia” were everywhere, eclipsing the “Ossoff for Senate” and “Bottoms for Governor” placards. The two Democrats that top their party’s ticket this fall embraced at rally’s end and held their clasped hands high before the adoring crowd. The meaning of the gestures was plain: They have decided they cannot win in November without the public support of the other.

The rally, held at the Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden, was an hourlong, made-for-social-media event and a dose of electioneering in 2026. Campaign videographers circled around the speaker’s rostrum. Producers in earphones coached the sign-waving crowd directly behind the podium, which served as a colorful backdrop for the videos and soundbites that would be posted before day’s end.

‘Slick Rick’

For Ossoff and Bottoms, it was their first joint rally since state Republicans chose their candidates for U.S. Senate and governor in the primary runoffs earlier this month. With their opponents decided — Mike Collins in Ossoff’s case and Rick Jackson’s in Bottoms’ — the verbal knives were unleashed.

Bottoms recounted the economic hardships of her youth and the sacrifices made by her “can’t never could” mother to boost her up the ladder of educational, professional and political success — a narrative she apparently hopes will offset Jackson’s “foster-care-to-billionaire” saga.

“Slick Rick,” she claimed, has built his healthcare empire on $1 billion in no-bid, state contracts and mocked him for promising if elected to be Donald Trump “with a southern accent.”

“Rick Jackson has been making a profit off the people of Georgia. His fortune is filled in part with your tax dollars,” she said.

‘Toys out the stroller’

His shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows in his trademark style, Ossoff set biography aside. He opted instead for what has become a staple of his campaign speeches: commentary on news out of the Trump administration that mimics the skewering the president receives on late-night television (“Now, Savannah, I don’t know if you saw the mess in Washington last week . . .”)

Trump, Ossoff said, “was so humiliated in [the Strait of] Hormuz, he threw his toys out the stroller and refused to sign the affordable housing bill. That’s after he gave some felon donor a no-bid contract for the reflecting pool, and it filled up with algae, which for some reason required the deployment of the National Guard.”

He went on to bash Trump for sending his son-in-law “prince” Jared Kushner to “cosplay” as a negotiator in the Middle East “despite zero qualifications” and inspiring a so-called color revolution in Albania over his plans to build a luxury resort there.

It wasn’t all satire. In his measured, sometimes plodding, cadence, Ossoff’s a scold, too.

He called Collins as a “bigot congressman” and election denier (“To this day, Mike Collins defends that violent attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.”)

And as Collins’ Republican primary opponents predicted, criticized him for failing to fire “degenerate political staffer” Brandon Phillips after multiple offenses until finally doing so in May after Philipps posted a tweet mocking a rape victim.

‘Mutually beneficial’

What the partnership between Ossoff and Bottoms means in practical terms isn’t clear. Neither candidate has indicated how many joint rallies are planned as the general election unfolds.

However it evolves, the alliance is “mutually beneficial,” said Andra Gillespie, an associate professor of political science at Emory University.

In a state where Republicans slightly outnumber Democrats, voter turnout is crucial, not only in Democratic areas of the state but in Republican-dominated areas of the state, too, Gillespie noted.

“While Senator Ossoff is popular in his own right among Black Democrats, being able to run alongside an African American woman candidate also does give him some cache” in the effort to turn out that vote, she said.

Bottoms, for her part, may benefit from Ossoff’s campaign war chest, Gillespie said.

The former Atlanta mayor who, as of April 30, had $62,000 in cash on hand, faces a general election opponent in Jackson who spent at least $107 million dollars in the primary. As of April 29, Ossoff reported more than $32.5 million in cash on hand, according to his submissions to the Federal Election Commission.

This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://thecurrentga.org/2026/06/27/ossoff-bottoms-declare-united-for-georgia-at-first-joint-campaign-rally/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://thecurrentga.org”>The Current</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/thecurrentga.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cropped-TheCurrent_site-icon.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>

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