A Georgia bill that if passed will increase access to information during Georgia Public Service Commission hearings recently was introduced in the state House by Rep. Jordan Ridley.
“The bill allows third party interveners the right to discovery in cases before the PSC,” Ridley said of House Bill 446, which was introduced on Feb. 13. “From the research I’ve done, 49 other states allow it. So we’re just trying to bring it in line with all the other states.
“Interveners, who go before the Public Service Commission, should have all the information they need to help present their case regarding why we should or shouldn’t raise rates.”
The Public Service Commission, which regulates utility companies including Georgia Power, makes decisions affecting millions of Georgians’ electric bills. HB 446 would grant discovery rights to all official parties to Commission hearings, allowing them to ask questions and compel relevant information, such as data that is not voluntarily provided in an initial filing, from other parties, including Georgia Power.
Vote Solar is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002 dedicated to 100% clean energy by making solar solutions accessible to all. Vote Solar advocates for clean energy in legislative and regulatory arenas at the state level.
As a state that currently denies discovery rights to intervenors, a lack of discovery rights jeopardizes the ability to challenge unfair pricing and practices, according to Vote Solar. HB 446 will align Georgia with best practices nationwide by granting discovery rights to all official parties at hearings.
“With energy costs on the rise, transparency in decision-making has never been more critical,” said Allison Kvien, Vote Solar’s Southeast regulatory director, in a news release. “Discovery rights will equip stakeholders with the tools needed to analyze whether rate increases are justified and to push for energy solutions that prioritize affordability and access for everyone, including hard-working families and underserved communities.”
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Ridley said when it comes to an intervenor it’s all-encompassing.
“The PSC has a process on how you can register to become an intervener,” said Ridley. “There are organizations, environmental groups, solar groups to go forward and have all the information before any case before going before the PSC. We used to have the Consumers’ Utility Counsel, that was on the side of ratepayers. But that was eliminated in the 2007 and 2008 budget cuts. So we’re just trying to bring back some of that transparency and fairness.”
In response to Georgia Power filing its 2025 Integrated Resource Plan, the Public Service Commission is inviting residents to participate in the process.
The process to approve the plan will include three public hearings to be held March 25-28, May 27-30 and a rebuttal hearing on June 23-25. The first hour of each day’s hearing will be reserved for public comment.
Public hearings are held in Atlanta at 244 Washington St., SW., and will be live-streamed on the PSC’s YouTube channel.
“It is up to Georgian lawmakers to ensure the fairness and transparency that all Georgians deserve,” Kvien said in a news release. “Now is the time for Georgia to join the rest of the nation in following best practices that ensure a fairer process for everyone.”
Ridley said the next step for the bill is getting assigned to a committee.
“Hopefully, next week, we can have a committee hearing on the bill and move forward with it,” He said. “It takes a couple weeks to hit the committee. And then a week to get to the House floor. Then it moves to the Senate, and then a few weeks over there.”
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Partners.
Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at [email protected] or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Georgia House Bill seeks more level playing field for electric rates
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