Elect Georgia legislators and Public Service Commissioners who will let the sun shine on Georgia!

Solar PV prices have dropped so much they're competitive with coal, natural gas, and nuclear. The only thing that stops Georgia from leading the country and the world in solar energy is our legislature and Public Service Commission kow-towing to the electric companies instead of serving the public. How about we elect Georgia legislators and PSC members who will change that?

How about if we elect legislators who will stop approving nuclear boondoggles for Southern Company through a stealth tax on Georgia Power customers? How about we elect Georgia Public Service Commissioners who will stop giving Georgia Power a guaranteed profit through charging cost overruns (already $400 million) for the Plant Vogtle boondoggle to Georgia Power customers?

How about instead we fully fund the existing 35% state tax rebate for renewable energy? Last year Georgia legislators did double the money in that fund, but it's still only $5 million a year and the funding for 2012 has already been used up. $5 million a year for power after it's installed, while Georgia Power and Southern Company have already run $400 million over budget on nuclear energy that nobody will see for years, if ever! We need Georgia legislators who understand that Moore's Law for solar means fast growth; growth in jobs, energy independence, and profit for Georgians.

To bring Georgia to the lead in renewable energy in this country and the world, all we really need to do is to pass something like SB 401 to modify that arrogant dinosaur of a 1973 Georgia Territoriality Electric Service Act that prevents you from getting financing to install solar generation and selling it through the grid at a profit, with the electric utility taking a cut and bragging rights.

It is time to let the south Georgia sun break through the clouds of power utility disinformation and regulatory capture. It is time for us to elect Georgia legislators and Georgia Public Service Commissioners who will let the sun shine on us in Georgia!

-jsq

Comments

[Cristie]

Please provide me a list of the people running for these positions so that I know who they are and can support them. Thanks.

[Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange]

GA Sec. State provides you with a sample ballot here: http://lake.typepad.com/on-the-lake-front/2012/07/my-voter-page-by-ga-sec-state.html
The incumbents are marked. For PSC, vote for somebody who isn't an incumbent. This is a primary, so you need to select a Republican ballot (Pam Davidson and Matt Reid are *not* incumbents) or a Democratic ballot (Stephen Oppenheimer is *not* an incumbent). For the legislature, these people voted for the nuke stealth tax
as a charge on Georgia Power bills for electricity nobody will get for years if ever: http://lake.typepad.com/on-the-lake-front/2012/05/who-voted-for-georgia-powers-nuke-rate-hike-cwip.html On your ballot, see if somebody else is running against them. Around here, somebody is:
Bikram Mohanty for State Senate District 8,
http://www.mohantyforsenate.com/
Teresa Lawrence for State House District 174
http://lawrencefor174.weebly.com/
JC Cunningham for State House District 175
http://jcforstaterep.com/
Dexter Sharper for State House District 177 (a new seat)
-jsq