Environmental injustice continues to harm low-income communities and people of color, exposing them to higher levels of pollution and health hazards. Together, we can create a future where everyone has equal access to clean air, water, and land.
Public Service Commission Elections
The Georgia Public Service Commission sets the rates you pay for your electricity. You vote for them! They are up for election this year.
The PSC is a five-member elected body that regulates electricity and gas utilities. They set rates and they approve energy projects that impact your bills and the state’s energy future (such as, allowing Plant Vogtle to be built).
Learn more from Go Vote Georgia.
Current Priorities
HR 100 – Study Committee on Cumulative Impact of Pollution on Economic Development and Growth
A study to review and understand how pollution impacts our economy is needed. We want shovel-ready projects to invest in; however, we also need clean air, water, soil, and a healthy educated workforce to ensure that economic development programs and projects bear long-lasting benefits.
The health of a community directly impacts how successful economic development programs perform-a healthy workforce is vital, however, asthma, dangerous pregnancy outcomes, heart disease, and various forms of cancer can cluster in polluted areas, areas near highways, and areas near industrial plants; addressing the environmental causes of disease is important for the health of communities, but also for the economic prosperity of the state.
Georgia’s leading economic engine, agriculture, is put at risk by air, soil, and water pollution that can stunt crop growth and affect both Georgia’s economy and the food security of all Georgians.
Home prices, property values, and generational wealth are directly linked to the surrounding environment. Lower property values are directly related to limited amenities, and poorer schools.
Learn more about Cumulative Impacts here
SB 94 – Consumer Utility Counselor at the Public Service Commission (PSC)
There is no one on the PSC that is charged with solely representing the needs of the individual ratepayer. As such – the average power bill has risen by about $45/month in the past year — driving many Georgians into energy poverty.
Monopoly public utilities must be held accountable to protect the financial interest of Georgia ratepayers by keeping profit earnings within national standards and to ensure that the financial cost of bad business decisions are not passed on to customers.
HB 644 – Bad Actor Bill
Enable the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to deny permits for known bad actors (repeat offenders) from outside and inside the state.
BioLabs was a repeat offender.
SB 34 & HB 528 – Data Centers Pay to Play and Data Center Transparency
Data Centers are swarming into Georgia.
They will require Georgia to double its power output, and each center uses more water than a small city. Google, Amazon, and Meta can afford to install new power generation – we cannot. Make them pay to play (SB 34).
They produce less jobs than a McDonald’s.
Data centers are used for everything from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to online shopping to off-site data backups. Data Centers enable amazing things – we must ensure that they are good citizens of Georgia.
Data Centers have large infrastructure burden, create few jobs, and we have minimal transparency into taxes collected and power and water usage and rates.
We need increased transparency into data center resource use (HB 528) to ensure growth for all Georgians.
Benefit to Georgia
Empowerment of Marginalized Communities: Provide a mechanism for communities to participate in discussions on environmental and local development issues, ensuring that their views are heard and that their concerns are taken into account.
Legal Protections: Establish a framework for resolving environmental injustices, making it simpler to challenge and correct circumstances where at-risk groups suffer disproportionately from pollution and other environmental risks.
Healthier and More Prosperous Georgia: Focuses on enhancing health equality by lowering exposure to dangerous pollutants, which can improve health outcomes for all inhabitants, regardless of their background.
Environmental Sustainability: Encourage cleaner and more environmentally friendly practices to create a more resilient Georgia.