Tag Archives: Ethics

4 of 5 incumbent GA PSC Commissioners accept massive utility campaign contributions

Could contributions produce influence? Neither of the incumbent Public Service Commissioners showed up for last night’s GPB debate, just as they didn’t show up for the previous weekend’s GIPL debate. Saturday the AJC examined the incumbents’ campaign finance and regulatory records, and let’s look a bit into how they’ve acted as regulators towards their biggest indirect contributors: Georgia Power.

Kristi E. Swartz wrote for the Augusta Chronicle or AP 21 July 2012, Donors to Georgia Public Service Commission members vested in decisions,

Four of Georgia’s utility regulators have accepted at least 70 percent of their campaign contributions from companies and people that could profit from the agency’s decisions, a review of five years of campaign finance records by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed.

The fifth member of the state Public Service Commission, Tim Echols, campaigned on the promise that he wouldn’t take money from employees or lobbyists for businesses regulated by the agency.

Even so, nearly one in five dollars in Echols’ contributions came from people or companies whose business is affected by PSC decisions, the review found.

Together, the PSC commissioners took in nearly $750,000 in the last five years, records show. Two of them — Stan Wise and Chuck Eaton — are seeking re-election this year to their $116,452-a-year posts.

Wise and Eaton would be the two incumbents who can’t be bothered to show up for debates. Doesn’t make them look very responsive to the people, does it? Who do they respond to, then?

A review of major decisions that have come before the PSC in the past five years shows utilities have received much — but not all — of what they have asked for.

Georgia Power donors

In the past five years, for example, Georgia Power’s rates have risen 24 percent, although they dipped in June. The PSC must sign off on the company’s rate changes.

Current and former employees of Georgia Power, its parent Southern Co. and its law firm, Troutman Sanders, poured $52,650 into the campaign coffers of four of the sitting PSC members.

A Georgia Power spokeswoman argued that including Troutman Sanders and other company vendors in an analysis of spending “is false.” But critics say including them is critical to capturing the full influence of the utilities on the PSC.

Influence like this? Melissa Stiers wrote for GPB News 19 July 2011, PSC Nixes Vogtle Cost Check,

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Debate: Georgia Public Service Comission candidates this afternoon on GBP

Rumor is that, like last weekend, the incumbents won't show up for this afternoon's Public Service Commission debates, this time on Georgia Public Television.

GPB does still list them as "invited", with this schedule for today, Sunday 22 July 2012:

Date and TimeDebateInvited Candidates
Sunday, July 22 at 4:30 pm Public Service Commission District 3 Republican Chuck Eaton and Matt Reid
Sunday, July 22 at 5 pm Public Service Commission, District 5 – Republican Pam Davidson and Stan Wise

If the incumbents don't bother to show up, how responsive to the people are they?

-jsq

Where are the traditional media about Brooks County Board of Elections?

Patrick Davis provided some explanation of what the suspension issue was at the Brooks County Board of Elections, and then asked a bigger question: where are the traditional media when sunshine is needed?

Patrick Davis wrote yesterday for the Macon Examiner.com, Brooks Co. Board of Elections addresses voter disenfranchisement at meeting

The main reason behind the suspension is centered around his alleged participation in qualifying and certification irregularities along with accusations of voter disenfranchisement of local citizens in regard to a sample ballot for the upcoming July 31 election.

Collins insists it is a misunderstanding, and Nancy Duncan, the chairperson of the Brooks Board of Elections, echoes those sentiments and urged the Board of Elections not to involve the Secretary of State and/or other authorities.

As you can see, he linked who the Brooks County Board of Elections are to what they were saying in George Rhynes’ videos.

Davis linked and discussed to the timed video snippet from my blog post of Thursday; the one that shows the chair demanding of George Rhynes, “What are you doing?”

Then he brought up the bigger sunshine issue:

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Pam Davidson is running for Georgia Public Service Commission

Pam Davidson is running for GA PSC District 5, challenging incumbent Stan Wise in the Republican Primary. In this video she spoke to the Cobb County Republican Party, first emphasizing that she wouldn’t take money from regulated companies, and then she spoke about those new Southern Company nukes:

The largest economic development project in the southeast is the two nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle. Now you may say, “I’m a Cobb EMC customer.” Well, when Georgia Power, as the largest regulated utility in the state builds a new facility, often that serves as a merchant facility, or Georgia Power will sell it to the EMCs. So indirectly the Commission votes on EMC issues.

According to Oglethorpe Power the statewide consortium of EMCs of which Cobb EMC is the largest,

Oglethorpe Power is a 30 percent owner of Plant Vogtle’s existing Units 1 and 2 and will own 30 percent of the two new units as well.

Back to Pam Davidson:

But you want to be very very careful about those nuclear plants. And we have problems, ladies and gentlemen. We have problems with nuclear reactors 1 and 2. And all those problems are really cost problems. I am in favor of nuclear energy. I think it’s a great source of energy. However, nuclear energy cannot survive a rennaissance if it’s so expensive.

Here’s the video:

When I spoke to her recently, Pam Davidson said:

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Vogtle nuke overruns could be larger than entire Georgia state budget

Georgia Sierra Club Footnotes Issue #61 19 July 2012, Chances that Vogtle 3 & 4 Will be Built? 50%.

Already they are almost a billion dollars over and running behind schedule. People closely following this slow-motion train wreck doubt that the actual cost of Vogtle 3 and 4 will be less than $20 billion — and that is excluding capital costs, which ratepayers will be paying for the rest of their lives (like our house mortgages). To put that in perspective, the State of Georgia budget is about $20 billion annually.

The Public Service Commission has a third party monitor who helps them assess whether the project and associated costs are on track. Right now, Georgia Power is on the hook for $400 million in cost overruns. This fall will likely be a critical time for Georgia regulators to make a go/no-go decision. In the meantime, now is your chance to find out whether the two Public Service Commissioners who are up for election this year, Chuck Eaton and Stan Wise, deserve another term. Georgia Public Broadcasting will be hosting a debate which will air Sunday at 5pm. Click here for the broadcast, and don’t forget to vote on July 31st!

According to GPB, the PSC debate schedule for Sunday 22 July 2012 is:

Date and TimeDebateInvited Candidates
Sunday, July 22
at 4:30 pm		 Public Service Commission
District 3 Republican		 Chuck Eaton and Matt Reid
Sunday, July 22
at 5 pm		 Public Service Commission,
District 5 – Republican		 Pam Davidson and Stan Wise

Maybe, unlike for last weekend’s PSC debates, the incumbents will bother to show up. If they don’t, how responsive to the people are they?

-jsq

Who are the Brooks County Board of Elections?

Who are the Brooks County Board of Elections, who don’t seem to know Georgia sunshine laws, and about whom election qualifying issues have been raised?

The man at the head of the table who was put on suspension by the board was Ken Collins, Election Supervisor, who has been in place for six months. According to the minutes of the 9 January 2012 Monthly Workshop and Regular Meeting of the Brooks County Board of Commissioners,

Commissioners present were: Mr. S. L. Jones, Chairman; Mr. Joe Wingate, Vice Chairman; Mr. James Maxwell; Mr. Howard Lawson, and Mr. Willie Cody. Others present were: Mr. Robert D. O’Barr, County Administrator; Ms. Patricia Williams, County Clerk; Mr. Vann Parrott, County Attorney; Mr. Mark Deatcher, Public Works Director; and various residents….

4. Election Supervisor – Emergency Selection

Due to an unforeseen illness, Mr. Johnny Spearman resigned as Brooks County Elections Supervisor which resulted in an emergency hiring of Mr. Kenneth Collins, previous applicant. Lowndes County Board of Elections has willingly offered their services for utilization during this transition due to time sensitivity with 2012 election events. Mr. Maxwell made the motion to hire Mr. Kenneth Collins as Brooks County Elections Supervisor, Mr. Lawson seconded. Vote was unanimous.

(That’s the most recent set of minutes listed on the Brooks County web page. Have the Brooks County Commissioners really not met since January?)

According to the Brooks County Commmissioners’ minutes of their Special Called Meeting of 13 July 2011:

On motion by Mr. Wingate, Board unanimously appointed Mr. Johnny Spearman as Elections Supervisor for Brooks County. Salary will be $32,000.00 annually.

OK, that’s the elections supervisor who resigned and was replaced by Ken Collins. But who are the Board of Elections?

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Brooks County Board of Elections 2012-07-17

The person chairing the Brooks County Board of Elections didn’t like George Rhynes recording their public open meeting, and didn’t know that state law says anyone can.

She asked repeatedly:

What are you doing?

Several people explained to her that Georgia law says he can. Then she unilaterally declared an executive session without any vote or saying what it was for. Several people explained to her she couldn’t do that. Her response (after the video clip):

Video by George Boston Rhynes for bostongbr on YouTube.

I just am feeling very threatened at this point, very picked on and torn apart.

Eventually she declared the meeting adjourned without any vote. Various people explained to her she needed a motion and a vote for that, too.

Then they suspended someone from the election office until an investigation could take place.

I would post names of the various people, but I can’t find any list of members or employees of the Brooks County Board of Elections online.

In addition to the Quitman Board of Elections not understanding Georgia’s sunshine laws, Continue reading →

Will electricity demand increase?

Back in April Southern Company CEO Thomas A. Fanning gave yet another version of his stump speech that we saw at the shareholders’ meeting in May and that he’s video blogging on YouTube now. In April he emphasized a huge assumption with no evidence; an assumption that may just not be true.

National Energy Policy – Part 5 of 7 (30 April 2012)

This much we know: demand for electricity will increase. The Energy Information Administration projects an 18% increase in electricity demand nationally and in the southeast, we’re as expecting as much as a 25% increase over the next 20 years. So we know the need is real, immediate, and critical.

Really? Here’s recent electricity use and nearterm forcast by the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

Sure looks to me like there was a big dip in 2009, and projected use in 2013 is no higher than in 2007. What was that about “immediate”?

Now you may say, of course, that’s a recession. But what about this?

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Why Energy Matters to You —Thomas A. Fanning

Since our coverage of the Southern Company (SO) shareholders meeting in May, SO CEO Thomas A. Fanning has started his own YouTube video series, “Why Energy Matters to You”, in which he tries to head off a real energy policy by advocating SO’s nuclear and coal strategy instead.

SO PR 28 June 2012, Southern Company Chairman Launches CEO Social Media Video Series,

Southern Company SO today unveiled the first in a series of CEO Web videos examining issues critical to the electric utility industry. The video series, “Why Energy Matters to You,” is available on YouTube and features Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning. Fanning announced the Web series during an appearance at the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colo.

Here are his two episodes so far. His theme:

“I believe that every American deserves a supply of clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy.”

Who could argue with that? It’s just SO’s ideas of how to do it that provoke some argument.

Here’s Part 1 of 2:

Why Energy Matters to You —Thomas A. Fanning Part 1 of 2

His question:

“How can better energy create more economic freedom for the American people?”

His answer is in Part 2 of 2:

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Dear Southern Company: Green Energy Now! –Protesters

At yesterday’s Big Bets movie premiere, Southern Company doubled down and dug deeper in the hole.

Joeff Davis wrote for Fresh Loaf yesterday, Protesters picket utility’s Midtown film premiere, blast construction of new nuclear reactors

On the same day that tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Tokyo against the restart of Japan’s nuclear reactors, roughly 30 protesters chanted, marched, and handed out flyers today in Midtown to protest against Georgia Power’s construction of two new nuclear reactors in eastern Georgia. The two units, which are located about 175 miles from downtown Atlanta, are the first to be built in the United States in nearly three decades.

“Georgia Power is using our money to pay for something we don’t need, we don’t want and is killing us,” said Margie Resse as she handed out flyers outside the Fox Theatre. Southern Company, Georgia Power’s parent company, had reserved the historic Midtown venue to screen a documentary that it commissioned about the utility’s 100-year history for shareholders and executives.

The flyers claimed that Southern Company used “its notorious lobbying machine to

push a $2 billion rate hike” onto Georgia ratepayers to build “two risky nuclear reactors on the Savannah River,” which the groups say are months behind schedule and $900 million overbudget. The flyer urges ratepayers to refuse to pay a fee tacked on to utility bills that helps pay for the reactors’ construction.

Southern Company Spokesman Steve Higginbottom, standing just inside the Fox Theatre’s entrance and speaking barely above the protesters’ chants, said that Southern Company supports the rights of protesters but disputes their claims.

The “$900 million” figure cited by protesters, he said, has been alleged by Westinghouse, the manufacturer of the reactor, and Shaw, the project’s general contractor.

Um, Southern Company’s response is to talk about infighting among the consortium building the new nukes? SO could be digging themselves a hole deeper than the one the reactors sit in….

I do compliment Higginbottom and Southern Company on being consistently civil, however.

-jsq