Georgian’s energy bills have increased approximately $45 a month in the past year. $45! This has driven many individuals into energy burden. At the same time, data centers and crypto mines are pushing our energy infrastructure to its limit. Near term predicted energy demands are equivalent to 1.8M homes, and 85% of all four Vogtle reactors. These competing forces are putting an even bigger strain on energy infrastructure and Georgia Power is calling for increased capacity, which will drive up rates even further.

To begin to address this situation we support

1. The placement of a consumer ombudsmen on the Georgia Public Service Commission to ensure all voices and interests heard.
2. The transparent disclosure from all facilities that draw more than a certain amount of power and water to ensure that public resources and tax revenues are properly accounted for.

Related Bills

SB 34 – If data centers require more power generation, only raise power rates on data centers (not consumers). Bill Rubic.

SB 94 – Reestablishment of a Consumer Utility Council (CUC – ‘the ombudsmen’). Read more about the bill here. Read the bill rubric here. 

HB 528 – High use facilities transparency act. Requires high resource use facilities to submit annual disclosure reports providing detailed information about their energy and water usage, and the taxes they pay to the state. Read the bill rubric here.

SB 178 will allow the state treasurer to invest up to 5 percent of any fund in Bitcoin. The treasurer will also be allowed to loan digital assets, if it does not increase financial risk of the state. Read the bill rubric here.

The environment impacts what we eat, drink, and breathe, shaping our health. Living in neighborhoods with dirtier water, less greenspace, reduced access to nutritious food, and higher air pollution has a negative impact on a person’s economic and physical wellbeing.

Georgia should encourage growth in a method that ensures everyone has a seat at the table, and all members of a community feel positive, not negative, impacts. That which can be measured can be obtained. Understanding the Cumulative Impact of Pollution on Economic Development and Growth is the first step on this journey.

Related Bills

HR 100 – House Study Committee on the Cumulative Impact of Pollution on Economic Development and Growth. Read the bill rubric here.  Write your Representative here. 

HB 211 excludes ‘PFAS Receivers’ (which are people who don’t manufacture PFAS but use manufacturing processes with PFAS, receive or maintain goods with PFAS, or purchases goods with PFAS) from legal liability when spreading PFAS. Anyone who is not a chemical manufacturer would be excluded from liability. This differs from many PFAS receiver shield acts – where only unintentional users are shielded. Read the bill rubric here. 

HB 611 – Forever Chemicals (PFAS) Transparency Act. Under current law, industries that use these chemicals do not have to disclose their use to the municipal treatment plants where wastewater is sent to be treated. Thus, PFAS is getting into our water and soil without our knowledge. HB 611 closes this information gap by requiring industries to disclose when they are sending PFAS to municipal wastewater treatment plants – allowing those utilities to effectively do their jobs.

What are PFAS (forever chemicals)?

 HB 644 – Bad Actor Legislation. Currently, the Environmental Protection Division does not have the ability to consider prior history when processing permit applications. This means companies with a past history of environmental violations can set up shop here in Georgia. This legislation would make sure that known “bad actors” receive proper vetting.

In alignment with Title 28 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, all bills that significantly impact state expenditures and revenues must be accompanied by a Fiscal Note. We strongly recommend that the Georgia General Assembly adopt a similar policy for any bills that involve scientific principles and evidence-based interventions. These Science Notes would highlight the strengths and limitations of the up-to-date, nonpartisan research into the science of the proposed policy. Using these memos would help to guide policies and demonstrate to constituents the commitment of the legislature to science.

Communication with the communities impacted is one of the most important considerations in legislation, and we strive to ensure Georgians have input in the areas that most impact their lives. Science for Georgia has, and will continue to produce, plain-language summaries of the scientific research regarding specific legislation to ensure that scientific facts are part of the legislative conversation.

There is a large number of bills and issues that involve science and evidence-based best-practices. We cannot tackle them all. We provide rubrics on bills that fall into our issues of interest and/or that are moving through the General Assembly.

The below image shows how we pick “issues of interest” to focus on.

1. Impact. ​Who is going to be impacted? Is it equitable? 
   1. Negative impact – a majority of stakeholders believe the bill will have negative impacts on the target audience.
   2. Positive impact – a majority of stakeholders believe the bill will have positive impacts on the target audience.
2. Reach. Does it reach its target audience?​
   1. No impact on target audience.​
   2. Impacts a narrow segment.
   3. Impacts a majority of the audience; a few exceptions.
   4. Impacts the entire target audience.
3. Scientific Merit​. Does it utilize scientific research accurately?​ Is this based on evidence, best practices, and peer reviewed research?
   1. Yes – this does follow the research
   2. No – this does not present or reflect scientific consesus
4. Financial Feasibility​. Is it financially feasible? ​Or does this have​ burdensome finances​ (higher taxes, future costs, etc)?​
   1. Extremely high costs.
   2. Expensive, but can be done.
   3. Slight.
   4. No financial burden.
5. Political Feasibility​. Level of opposition and partisan disagreement. ​
   1. Majority disagreed, regardless of party.
   2. Split along party lines.
   3. Minimal opposition.
   4. Complete consensus (zero to five ‘nays’)
6. Measurable Metrics? Is the data available or being measured? Here are some metrics that could measure impacts. 
   1. No Data
   2. Some data and/or the data is mainly not accessible.
   3. There is some data and/or the data is somewhat accessible.
   4. Complete transparency.

HR 67 – A resolution committing Georgia to 100% clean and renewable energy by 2050. Bill Rubric.

SB 37 – AI Accountability Act. Bill rubric.

HB 169 – Currently, farmers receive money from the state to ease their tax burden. Currently, if they replace their farmland with solar panels, they lose the tax incentives on that parcel of land only. With this bill, they would lose all of their tax incentives on all of their land. Bill Rubric. 

HB 507 / SB 203 – aims to promote solar energy development by establishing a comprehensive community solar program for Georgia. Community solar projects are small scale solar installations that can serve a neighborhood – enabling those who cannot install solar panels on their own home to still have access to solar power. Bill Rubric.

HB 100 – Prescription Drug Consumer Financial Protection Act – pass prescription drug rebates back to the consumers who earned them. Read Bill Rubric Here. 

HB 201 prohibits selling, offering for sale, trading, or distributing lab-grown meat. Read the bill rubric here.