Volts Pay attention to the most important political race of 2025
19 snips
Oct 8, 2025 Peter Hubbard, an energy analyst and Georgia Public Service Commission candidate, teams up with Brionté McCorkle, executive director at Georgia Conservation Voters. They dive into the importance of the PSC race as a national indicator, addressing the impact of rising utility bills on families. Hubbard critiques utility forecasts and discusses lessons from cost overruns at Vogtle, while both guests advocate for utility reforms. They highlight strategies for lowering rates, the need for better representation, and the importance of grassroots engagement to drive change.
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PSC Race Is A National Bellwether
- Georgia's Public Service Commission (PSC) race is unusually important because rising electric bills are a top voter grievance and the election is top-of-ballot in 2025.
- Low turnout makes this race a national bellwether for whether Democrats can mobilize voters around utility reforms.
Voters Link Bills To PSC Decisions
- Brionté McCorkle hears voters connect high household costs directly to rising energy bills and want a target to hold accountable.
- She says the PSC is the obvious place for voters to push for relief because commissioners approve rate hikes.
Data Center Load Forecasts Are Overstated
- Georgia Power projects massive data center load growth but most of that pipeline is uncontracted and historically forecasts overshoot.
- Peter Hubbard argues the grid has headroom and planners should question those aggressive load forecasts before spending on new gas and coal.