Energy & Environment
Georgia Senate tosses revised ‘right to farm’ hot potato to House
A controversial bill that has drawn opposition from some of the farmers proponents say the proposed law would protect passed out of the Senate after an impassioned debate – and competing claims of farm heritage – but an altered version of the measure faces an uncertain future. Senators swapped barbs over the so-called right to […]
Lawmakers agree to let utility with Vogtle stake borrow without voter OK
Updated 8 a.m. Thursday A controversial measure that frees a north Georgia municipal utility with a stake in the expansion of Plant Vogtle from holding a public vote before borrowing money for electricity projects is on its way to the governor’s desk. The bill drew opposition from lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who […]
Watchdogs call for Georgia Power to delay delinquent customer shut-offs
State utility regulators are set to sign off on terms of a repayment plan for 160,000 Georgia Power customers delinquent on their bills when a moratorium on electricity shut offs expires next month. The Georgia Public Service Commission is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a proposal to offer Georgia Power’s delinquent customers the option to […]
Trump’s environmental rollbacks hurt poor communities, critics say
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is suspending key environmental reviews during the pandemic that critics warn could further harm poor and minority neighborhoods around the country. Lawmakers and activists say the administration’s actions — meant to boost the lagging economy — could have disproportionate effects on minority communities that live near pipeline and power projects. […]
Lawmakers ready bills for ethylene oxide transparency, coal ash fee hike
Several environmental bills – including a high-profile ethylene oxide spill reporting measure – have been teed back up in a House committee for action. The House Natural Resources and Environment Committee heard initial testimony from state senators on a handful of environmental measures that cleared the Senate by Crossover Day. It was one of the […]
PSC gives utilities OK to once again cut service to delinquent customers
Utility customers who have fallen behind on their electricity and natural gas bills during the COVID-19 crisis could have their service cut off starting next month, even as advocates caution state regulators that many Georgians are still hurting financially during an economic crisis of historic proportions. Several public utilities suspended those disconnections in March when […]
PSC could let Georgia utilities resume late-payer service shut offs
State regulators are set to decide Tuesday whether Georgia Power and Atlanta Gas Light can begin shutting off service again next month to homes where residents have fallen behind on payments. The two companies – which are both subsidiaries of the Southern Company – were among the dozens of utilities that halted the practice of […]
Southern Co. says it will hit ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
The parent company of Georgia Power announced Wednesday that it is on track to beat its self-imposed deadline to cut carbon emissions in half in the next decade and said it will strive to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Tom Fanning, chief executive officer of the Southern Company, announced during the company’s annual shareholder […]
Shift from coal power leaves state air pollution regulators short of money
The gradual retirement of coal-fired power plants in Georgia is leaving a state program that polices industrial polluters short on cash. Permit fees – a key source of revenue for the state Environmental Protection Division’s air protection branch – have declined and left the branch to deal with a $1 million shortfall in the new […]
Critics go online to question Okefenokee Swamp area mining plans
The Alabama mining company proposing to dig heavy minerals out of soil near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge pitched their project at a virtual public meeting this week and environmentalists online didn’t like the project much more than when they saw it up close and in person. Twin Pines Minerals consultants said this week an […]
Georgia Power tells PSC 20% of Vogtle workers scaled back
The company overseeing the expansion of Plant Vogtle has scaled back one-fifth of its workforce after an outbreak of COVID-19 spread to 185 workers and left significant numbers of employees afraid to show up for work. The reduction – which took the on-site workforce down from 9,000 to about 7,000 – is likely to cost […]
FAA to take another look at Spaceport Camden after plans downsized
The Federal Aviation Administration is set to require a new environmental review for a scaled-down proposal to launch rockets off coastal Georgia, creating a new hurdle for Camden County’s eight-year quest to create a Spaceport. The federal agency announced Tuesday it will require Camden County to prepare another draft of an Environmental Impact Statement for […]