PSC hopeful wants to stop Georgia Power from passing on costs
John Noel, a Democrat running for the Georgia Public Service Commission, wants the PSC to stop Georgia Power Co. from passing on costs to consumers of the far-over-budget additional nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle. Noel, a former one-term legislator and the owner of Energy & Environment LLC, tells The Statesboro Herald that "we've got a lot broken at the PSC, a whole lot." He told the newspaper that the utility giant, instead of being regulated by the PSC, has assumed the role of boss. "I think they think they own the commission, instead of the commission being owned by the people," Noel said. Plant Vogtle's original two reactors were first projected to cost $1 billion and ended up with a $9 billion price tag that was passed on to consumers in higher rates, he says. Now forecasts show the third and fourth reactors, originally projected to cost $14 billion, are likely to run $25 billion. Noel and two other Democrats, Johnny C. White and Lindy Miller, face off in the May 22 primary, with the winner facing incumbent Chuck Eaton in the Nov. 6 general election.
Fire safety consultant says bill would leave Georgians ‘painfully vulnerable’
Stephen Skalko, a fire-safety and construction consultant from Macon, says House Bill 876 will "leave Georgians and the future of our communities painfully vulnerable" if passed and signed into law. The bill would override a 2016 Sandy Springs ordinance prohibiting the use of combustible materials — including wood — in buildings in excess of 100,000 square feet or three stories. "Wood, albeit a traditional building material, is simply inferior to modern alternatives such as concrete, masonry or steel, especially as it pertains to fire safety and durability. The rate at which wood burns can often be too fast before firefighters are able to adequately respond, and all too often, firefighters and residents pay for this deficiency at the expense of their wellbeing," Skalko wrote in a guest column in The Marietta Daily Journal. He writes that the legislation is "entirely grounded in special interests and notes that many architects and project managers use wood with the hopes of turning a quick profit. The bill passed the House on Feb. 28 and is pending in the state Senate.
Editorial: Dig deep into information about candidates
An editorial in The Savannah Morning News suggests that voters look beyond those annoying and influential campaign signs that are peppering the landscape. It suggests that voters do a deep dive into the candidates, looking at their websites, studying media accounts about them and fact-checking all the available information. "Let's face it: Some voters, perhaps many, will go to their polling place on May 22 with little knowledge of the men and women on the ballot. And many of those electors will return in November surprised that the random person they voted for in the primary didn't make the general election ballot. Such disengagement is even sorer on the eyes than the grove of political candidate signs. We still have plenty of time to become educated voters. Please take advantage," the editorial states.
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