Environmentalist candidate John Noel says “Bye Bye” with fundraiser as PSC Chair Stan Wise rides off into the Swamp

Over his 23 years in office, Public Service Commission Chairman Stan “Swamp Thing” Wise taught Georgians the Cobb County way by shoving Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 down the state’s throat. If you’ve been a Cobb EMC customer or noticed how the Braves stadium deal came to pass, you know what I’m talking about: A good old boy network colludes with corporate interests to screw the public. And while Cobb EMC’s former manager faces dozens of racketeering charges, consumers will never get their money back. And the same goes for Vogtle, which may or may not be completed. Today was Wise’s last day on the job.  During his final meeting today, a colleague read from a Senate Resolution honoring…

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Solar-powered Georgia PSC candidate John Noel builds momentum, takes lead in cash on hand

When looking at Georgia Public Service Commission races, it’s no surprise to see utility money flowing into GOP incumbents’ coffers. It’s the way they play the game. The shocker this year is that environmentalist John Noel—who is definitely not counting on utility support in his bid to unseat Chuck Eaton—has the most cash on hand of any candidate, Democrat or Republican. With only three months to go before the primary, this should be especially alarming to the competition. Not only that, but the news follows a whirlwind day in Athens for Noel that included a half-dozen media interviews and an enthusiastic response to his message: Ruth Pannill, president of Young Democrats of UGA, saw Noel speak at the Athens-Clarke County Democrats meeting…

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Georgia’s solar-powered PSC candidate meets with Clayton County Democrats

Thursday evening, John Noel took a short trip to Clayton County and spoke to local Democrats, led by Clayton Board of Elections member Pat Pullar. In a spirited back and forth, he took more than a dozen questions about Georgia Power’s $25 billion Plant Vogtle, base charges, service charges, and deteriorating customer service especially in Georgia’s poorer/rural communities. There is a strong youth movement of politically involved and ambitious achievers who want to see more voter involvement and environmental sustainability in state and federal policies. He encouraged them to check out the knockout video about hi, “Sticking It to the Man.” With several candidates in attendance, including three for the state legislature, it looks like Clayton County will be humming this year!…

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PSC Candidate John Noel to Georgia Power: Give tax savings to consumers

As a result of the federal government’s recent corporate tax cuts effective this year, utilities will save millions of dollars on their tax bills. Many electric utilities are announcing plans to pass on recently-enacted federal tax cuts to their customers. The New York Times reports: In recent days, electric companies in Massachusetts, Illinois, Oregon and other states have announced plans to pass their tax cuts on to customers through lower rates. On Tuesday, Pepco, which provides power to nearly 300,000 customers in Washington, D.C., said it would cut rates beginning in the current quarter. But with Georgia Power and its parent, Southern Company, scrambling to find cash to complete the $25-billion-and-counting Plant Vogtle boondoggle near Augusta, you gotta wonder if they have other ideas…

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