Georgia is one of only 11 states with no clean energy goals, and Georgians pay the 4th highest energy bills in the nation. That’s why I’m running for the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC). I want to lead Georgia into a modern energy future with meaningful climate change goals that increase renewables on the grid above the 9% that Georgia has now. I will end lavish giveaways for Georgia Power, advocate for significant increases in energy efficiency spending that will save customers money, and expand bill pay assistance for people experiencing energy poverty. Additionally, I will work to expand rural access to broadband internet, a topic largely neglected by the five-member PSC.
None of the current commissioners have an energy background, none of them pay the Georgia Power bills they regulate. And it shows. Georgia has been in the top 10 for the highest energy bills for years despite a much lower overall cost of living than the national average.
I served on the Forsyth County Tree Protection committee, co-founded the Forsyth Forest Conservation Group, and worked at the Sandy Springs Conservancy to expand greenspace and build Morgan Falls Park. From 2005-2009, I served as state director of the Georgia chapter of the Sierra Club. From 2011 to 2021, I led the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative, a national nonprofit focused on grid modernization and renewable resources.
Recognizing climate change as one of the biggest threats facing our planet today, I am proud of my work to stop the permitting and construction of a new coal-fired power plant in Blakely County, Georgia. In my role at the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative, I learned that other states and utilities are doing amazing things keeping costs low and accelerating renewables on the grid, and that’s when I realized that our PSC isn’t concerned with representing the needs of Georgians. Time and time again, they rejected money-saving proposals and the needs of the people to serve only as a rubber stamp for the for-profit Georgia Power Company.
I decided to run for this seat because the people of Georgia need an advocate on the PSC who will fight for them: someone who will address climate change by accelerating renewable energy growth, who will lower electricity bills by implementing common sense solutions through grid modernization, and who will work with local cooperatives to offer expanded access to broadband internet in rural communities that are underserved by the big providers. I will not be another rubber stamp for Georgia Power executives. I will fight climate change at every opportunity and work tirelessly for Georgians. I am running because Georgia deserves better, and the rest of the country deserves better. Climate change does not stop at state borders and Georgia is trying to expand natural gas at a time when climate change is here. I won’t let that happen.
Since announcing my candidacy in July of 2021, Georgia’s all-Republican PSC has been working overtime to remove me from the ballot. In early 2022, I was gerrymandered from my district. Text messages revealed my opponent was working with Republicans in the state legislature to hijack the redistricting process in order to remove my eligibility to run for this seat. I have a great legal team, and we expect to prevail in court, so this never happens again to anyone else. Ironically, the Republican party claims to stand for election integrity while using their role as public servants to violate election integrity. I have created a PAC to help pay campaign legal fees to fight this desperate Republican power grab.
I’m confident in my campaign, but I need your support to push back against the attacks and take on the fossil fuel industry. This position is a statewide seat which means there is a lot of to do work to reach enough voters to win. From campaign materials, advertisements, and staff, my campaign needs all the support we can get to flip this seat in Georgia and regulate our utilities better–in the interest of Georgians and the interest of all people in the United States because carbon emissions don’t recognize state lines.
Visit my website, read about my platform, and please support my candidacy for the most critical seat in state government when it comes to climate change: the Georgia Public Service Commission. Visit pattyforpsc.com to help.