Today's edition of GPB's "Political Rewind" nearly overlapped with President Donald Trump's address to the National Rifle Association in downtown Atlanta, so discussion was light on his remarks – which included a full-throated endorsement of Republican Karen Handel in the Sixth District congressional runoff.
Rather, much of the focus was on Tim Echols, the state Public Service Commission member who has suggested that a federal rescue of Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle might be in order. Not a federal bail-out, he said, but “federal assistance.”
Westinghouse Electric Co., the general contractor of the two new nuclear reactors that are already years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget, has declared bankruptcy. Echols suggested that Trump could ask the Japanese government to make sure Toshiba, parent company of Westinghouse, doesn’t do the same.
Billion-dollar financial guarantees from Toshiba are now propping up the project. If you couldn’t catch it live, listen to it here now:
Today’s panelists: Host Bill Nigut; Echols, the PSC member; AJC columnist Kyle Wingfield; and Michael Owens, chairman of the Cobb County Democratic party.
Here’s some more background on Echols and the Plant Vogtle issue.
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