Georgia PSC: Why Are My Bills So High?!?

This weekend I attended the 2025 Member Retreat for Green Leadership Trust (GLT). During this amazing retreat, we heard from a panel of Georgia’s pre-imminent leaders in environmental, climate, and energy justice. The panel consisted of Brionte’ McCorkle, Executive Director of Georgia Conservation Voters, Andrea Young Jones, Government Relations and Public Policy Director, Georgia Wand, Nathaniel Smith, Founder and Chief Equity Office of Partnership for Southern Equity, and Marcus Cole, Organizing Director, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light. There were many great expressions of truth during this panel. For instance, Nathaniel Smith said, “Climate Justice was not by invite. We were called to this. We are operating in this call to advance racial equity.” Brionte’ made us aware that the Public Service Commission is the main thing. There is no competition for attention. What Brionte’ was saying is that the Public Service Commission is the conversation piece. What the public is asking is, “Why are my bills so high?”

The statement that I was struck by most was from Marcus Cole. Marcus stated, “The decisions being made this summer are going to affect my two and half year old child when he graduates high school.” He went on to remind us that the recent decision by the Supreme Court restricts the impact of public comment. Therefore, the concerns of the communities are not being heard.

It did not take the Supreme Court to rule for me to be reminded that our community concerns don’t matter. I was confronted with this on Tuesday May 27th as I sat in Georgia’s Public Service Commission hearing concerning the IRP. While observing the hearing, I witnessed elderly women, veterans, and young single people express concerns about capacity and rate increases. My heart was moved as I heard from one veteran who expressed being on a fixed income and needing to adjust his spending to ensure they maintained a liveable residence. They complained about their bill going up six times within a short period without any energy consumption increases. There was an elderly black man who testified that the IRP and capacity increase were “stupid” and unnecessary. Yet, we are tasked with paying this. They were all asking, “Why are my bills so high?!!”

In order to understand why our bills are so high, we must seek answers from our decision makers. The weight of this question sits with our public service commissions. These elected officials are the ones that make the final decision on how much we can be charged. Even though they are the ones that we should ask and hold accountable, we also need to understand the deeper systemic issue that our utility owner is a monopoly. In Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, the largest owner of the utility is Southern Company.

The first time I ran across the power of this monopoly was during an intervention at the Greater Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution, Energy Alabama, and Southern Environmental Law Center to discover how Alabama Power came up with the rates. During that meeting the representative for Southern Company told the public that they charge what they want to charge. Knowing that Southern Company shareholders have enjoyed 78 consecutive years of increase in stock dividends equal to or greater than the year before.

Our bills are high because we don’t have a public service commission that cares for the concerns of the communities that elected them. They protect polluters and profit and forsake protecting people and planet. Yet, the deeper issue is that Southern Company is a monopoly. It was Lord Acton who said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” A monopoly gives absolute power to a single entity. Because there is no competition for Southern Company, they have continued to burden the south with no accountability. 

Our bills are high because we have elected officials that have been purchased by a monopoly. Our bills are high because we have a monopoly owned utility company that is driven by profit at the expense of people and planet. Last, our bills are high because we have not been paying enough attention to who is making the decisions. In Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, our shared goal is educating the public on the power of our public service commissions. The People’s Justice Council recently had a screening of our Power for Southern People NOT Southern Company Campaign’s documentary, “Exposing the Unspoken.” At the end of the screening we had an opportunity to engage with the audience. One of the participants of the screening stated that she had been living in Alabama for over 40 years and had not heard of the Public Service Commission (PSC). Why is this? I mean, the PSC is the second most powerful entity in our states. They have a direct impact on our finances. The public not knowing the importance of the PSC is intentional and sinful. 

The People’s Justice Council through Arm in Arm and the Power for Southern People NOT Southern Company campaign is on the frontlines and in community to engage and equip the people with tools and access to share their own story in order to counter this monopoly's false narrative that they are a good neighbor.