Georgia deserve clean energy, a prescription for affordability and health
In Georgia, we are suffering from high power bills while data centers are moving into our state, creating a massive expansion of energy needs.
Georgia Power customers’ bills are on average $500 more per year than just two years ago after six rate hikes. We heavily rely on expensive nuclear, gas and coal to generate electricity, even though energy efficiency and solar energy solutions are far less expensive ways to relieve customers’ high energy bills and allow for energy growth that is safe for our health.
Other states have innovative solar solutions. One Wisconsin hospital parking canopy generates 1,000 megawatt-hours annually. Energy credits from another hospital rooftop solar canopy reduces energy bills for those in need. Implementing rooftop solar on warehouses and parking lots could decrease electric bills and is safer for Georgians because solar energy creates no noise, soot, carbon or radioactive pollution.
Why are we not realizing our rooftop solar potential? Currently only 7% of electricity in Georgia is solar generated. We rank 47th for solar per capita and only 0.4% of households have rooftop solar in Georgia because of policy decisions by the Georgia Public Service Commission.
Climate pollution has created health hazards
The PSC’s mission is to ensure Georgians have access to safe, affordable and reliable electricity. These five elected officials regulate Georgia Power’s energy sources and how much they charge for electricity rates and fees, and their decisions thereby affect the health and economic stability of millions. Two PSC incumbent commissioners will be facing opponents in Tuesday’s election.
The scientific and medical communities have been unequivocal: More than 200 medical journals published that rising global temperatures from fossil pollution is the greatest threat to public health because it leads to extreme weather. We are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which was made stronger and more powerful by climate pollution and resulted in many deaths, including 1-month-old twins in Georgia.
Its effects also contributed to a nationwide shortage of critically lifesaving saline. The PSC recently approved a rapid expand of burning fossil fuels, including gas and coal, even though generating electricity from coal, such as at Plant Bowen, emits soot (particulate matter) pollution that kills Georgians every year. Metro Atlanta ranks 67th worst in the nation for ozone pollution. Georgia’s air quality will become even worse with the large expansion of new methane gas infrastructure recently approved by the PSC, particularly for the communities closest to these plants. We can even pinpoint areas with the highest rates of children hospitalized in intensive care for asthma associated with soot and ozone pollution.
I, along with other health care professionals, have provided verbal and written comments to the PSC commissioners that the burning of fossil fuels is not safe for human health. I have witnessed others expressing frustration from extremely high bills and asking for more clean energy. Several commissioners have openly belittled students and other concerned residents, and they have ignored public comments of Georgians asking to stop expanding expensive and dirty fossil fuels.
Georgia needs regulations that benefit consumers and environment
Georgia’s current system allows the utility monopoly to profit from the expansion of fossil fuels and to profit even more on hot days made worse by climate change. Meanwhile, high energy bills force Georgians to choose between necessities or having their power cut off.
Energy saving programs that could have helped reduce energy needs were just cut by the PSC. Although a rate freeze was announced for Georgia Power customers, this does not include the $800 million in reconstruction costs for damage from Hurricane Helene nor costs of expensive and price volatile natural gas fuels that already add 30% to our bills.
In contrast to Georgia, other states have set new regulatory frameworks that incentivize the utility to cut costs, achieve efficiency and clean energy targets.
Please vote Tuesday. Your hard-earned money is at stake, as is the health of those you love. We can have a cleaner, cheaper, safer future, but we need PSC leaders to represent all Georgians.
Dr. Preeti Jaggi practices pediatric infectious diseases medicine in Georgia and has advocated to the Public Service Commission on numerous occasions.
