Latest news with #PeterHubbard
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Polls are closed in Georgia's Public Service Commission runoff. Results here.
Peter Hubbard, an energy consultant and expert, has won the Democratic nomination for District 3 of the Georgia Public Service Commission. Hubbard defeated fellow Democrat Keisha Waites by about 16 percentage points in Tuesday's primary election runoff, according to results from the Georgia Secretary of State's office. Hubbard will face incumbent Republican Commissioner Fitz Johnson in the November election. Waites and Hubbard were the top two vote-getters in the primary last month, but didn't secure more than 50% of the vote, so a runoff was required by Georgia law. Waites received 57,800 votes and Hubbard received 41,832. Robert Jones received 25,898, eliminating him from the runoff. Georgia Conservation Voters endorsed Hubbard prior to the runoff, calling him an 'ideal candidate.' 'Peter's understanding of how companies rig the game by hiding the devil in the details, like how Georgia Power's modeling tends to be biased toward massive construction projects, where customers end up footing the bill, demonstrates the kind of strategic thinker that could benefit Georgians. GCV encourages everyone who cares about low bills and safe energy to use their vote to influence this critical election,' the endorsement said. Hubbard has a nonprofit, the Georgia Center for Energy Solutions, which consults on electric utility Integrated Resource Plans and has testified on Georgia Power's Integrated Resource Plans for six years, across four different plans from 2019 to 2025. In 2025, he created his own alternative IRP and brought it to the commission. 'I'm an expert in the subject matter,' he said prior to the runoff. 'You need an energy expert to be able to understand all the ways that that costs are being shifted onto residential rate payers and customers like me and you, and that's what I bring is that 15 years of experience in the energy industry putting together power plants of what to build and retire, understanding the different mechanisms and ways that in a rate case you can shift costs.'
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Peter Hubbard leads Keisha Waites in Democratic runoff for Georgia Public Service Commission
Peter Hubbard took the lead over Keisha Waites in early returns Tuesday in a runoff to settle the Democratic nominee for a post on the Georgia Public Service Commission. The commission oversees utilities including Georgia Power Co. The runoff was necessary after neither won a majority in a June 17 primary. Waites finished first and Hubbard finished second in a three-way race. Under Georgia law, when no candidate wins a majority, a runoff is required to choose a winner. The winner will face Republican incumbent Fitz Johnson in November in the District 3 race. Republicans in June chose incumbent Tim Echols, who has been on the Public Service Commission since 2011, to face Democrat Alicia Johnson of Augusta in the District 2 race. Voters statewide cast ballots for each of the five seats on the commission, but candidates must live in a particular district. Turnout was exceedingly low in early voting for the runoff, and fewer than 100,000 voters are likely to decide the nominee. RELATED STORIES: GA voters picking Public Service Commission nominees in primaries focused on bills Republican Echols wins Georgia Public Service Commission primary as Democrats head for a runoff Turnout 'miserably low' in the race for utility regulator Debate has centered on bills charged by Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Co. Georgia Power customers have seen bills rise six times in recent years because of higher natural gas costs and construction projects including two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Augusta, and other factors. A typical Georgia Power residential customer now pays more than $175 a month, including taxes. The commission sets rates and oversees generation plans for Georgia Power, which serves 2.3 million customers statewide. Now, all five commission seats are held by Republicans. Hubbard and Waites argue that breaking the GOP hold on the body will help lower bills. A green energy advocate, Hubbard touts his experience testifying before the commission and developing alternative plans that emphasize a shift toward solar power stored in batteries, rather than building more natural gas plants. Waites is a former state House member and former Atlanta City Council member. She emphasizes that she would give representation to Black people and Democrats on the commission. In a statement Wednesday, Waites said her previous experience in office would help her work with others to lower rates. The five-member commission, currently all Republicans, also oversees some natural gas rates for Atlanta Gas Light and Liberty Gas. Georgia usually doesn't have statewide elections in odd-numbered years, but these were pushed back after elections were delayed by a lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged the statewide voting scheme as discriminatory to Black people. No Georgia Public Service Commission elections have been held since 2022 because of the lawsuit. Fitz Johnson was appointed to the commission in 2021 by Gov. Brian Kemp and has never faced voters. He was supposed to run for the last two years of his predecessor's term in 2022. Instead, the District 3 winner can run again next year for a six-year term, after lawmakers rewrote the terms. Echols was supposed to run for a six-year term in 2022. Instead, the District 2 winner will serve for five years, with the next election in 2030.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Polls open for voters to decide Democratic runoff for Public Service Commission
Polls across Georgia are now open for voters to decide a runoff election for a seat on the Public Service Commission. Last month, neither Democrat Peter Hubbard nor Keisha Waites received a majority of the votes for the District 3 seat. District 3 represents parts of Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties, but commissioners are elected statewide. Polls will stay open through 7 p.m. Channel 2 Action News will bring you the results as soon as they are available. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Public Service Commission helps set utility rates for companies like Georgia Power. 'If you don't like the direction your power bills are going, then you have a choice. You could do something about it,' Hubbard said. 'I plan to lower energy bills by advocating for increased transparency in utility rate-setting, promoting competition within the energy sector, and prioritizing clean, renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on fossil fuels,' Waites said in the statement. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Washington Post
a day ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Georgia runoff to decide Democratic nominee for Public Service Commission
ATLANTA — Voters head to the polls Tuesday to choose a Democratic nominee for one of the posts on the Georgia Public Service Commission, which oversees utilities including Georgia Power Co. Keisha Waites and Peter Hubbard are competing in a runoff after neither won a majority on June 17. Waites finished first and Hubbard finished second in a three-way race. Under Georgia law, when no candidate wins a majority, a runoff is required to choose a winner.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Georgia runoff to decide Democratic nominee for Public Service Commission
ATLANTA (AP) — Voters head to the polls Tuesday to choose a Democratic nominee for one of the posts on the Georgia Public Service Commission, which oversees utilities including Georgia Power Co. Keisha Waites and Peter Hubbard are competing in a runoff after neither won a majority on June 17. Waites finished first and Hubbard finished second in a three-way race. Under Georgia law, when no candidate wins a majority, a runoff is required to choose a winner.
