ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp and legislative Republicans have assembled an impressive arsenal of weapons for the campaign trail heading into next month’s primaries.
With Kemp facing a GOP primary challenge from former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, the General Assembly’s Republican majority pushed a conservative agenda through the General Assembly during the just-completed legislative session, mostly with the governor’s backing.
“We’re going to continue to see advertisements by Kemp showing issues that appeal to the Republican base,” said Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia. “It undercuts Perdue.”
By the time lawmakers gaveled out the 2022 session a few minutes after midnight April 5, the General Assembly had given final passage to legislation that would:
let Georgians carry concealed firearms without a permit.
give the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) original jurisdiction to investigate complaints of voter fraud.
give parents a greater role in the education of their children
prohibit the teaching of certain “divisive concepts” pertaining to racism in Georgia schools.
potentially set the stage for schools to prohibit students born male from participating in girls’ sports.
gradually reduce Georgia’s income tax rate from the current 5.75% to 4.99% by 2029.
“This has been a historic legislative session,” Kemp told members of the Georgia House of Representatives on the session’s final night. “People will talk about this session for many years.”
But some of that talk has been highly critical. Minority Democrats, civil and voting rights groups and education advocates railed throughout the session at what they characterized as the misplaced priorities of the Republican agenda.
“Not one school in this entire state knows anything about ‘critical race theory,’ ” said Rev. Timothy McDonald, a pastor in Atlanta and former president of Concerned Black Clergy of Atlanta. “They’re using that as an organizing tool to motivate their base.”
The permit-less carry bill was high on Kemp’s agenda. The governor has announced plans to sign it on Tuesday at a sporting goods store in Douglasville.
Republicans pitched the bill as promoting public safety by making it easier for Georgians to protect themselves and their families. Democrats countered that permit-less carry would lead to more gun violence on the streets.
The gun bill sailed through the legislature without opponents being able to make any significant changes, as did two of the three education bills.
The Parents’ Bill of Rights establishes a process for parents who object to what is being taught to their children to pursue complaints. The “divisive concepts” legislation outlines what can and can’t be taught to Georgia students concerning racism.
The bill’s Republican backers said the measure does not prevent the teaching of slavery and the Jim Crow and civil rights eras. However, they must be taught in a way that doesn’t cause students to feel guilty or perceive of themselves as superior or inferior because of their race.
Opponents said the bill creates so much uncertainty in interpretation that the penalties it carries would intimidate teachers into failing to teach an honest account of U.S. history, both the good and the bad.
Democrats almost managed to stop the so-called “transgender sports” bill. The original version of the measure would have prohibited students born male from taking part in most girls’ sports.
When it looked like the bill was going to be killed, Republicans agreed to a watered-down version that essentially punts policymaking on the issue to a newly created oversight committee that will report to the Georgia High School Association.
House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, said he had concerns about the original bill.
“I think this was a more reasonable approach,” he told reporters minutes after lawmakers adjourned for the year.
Another bill that underwent significant changes was an election measure intended as a follow-up to last year’s broader overhaul of Georgia election law. Unlike the education bills and permit-less carry, the election legislation was not part of the governor’s agenda.
By the time the bill made it through the General Assembly, it had been whittled down to a single provision allowing the GBI to investigate allegations of voter fraud without having to be called in by elections officials or the attorney general’s office.
Democrats and voting-rights advocates said giving the GBI original jurisdiction over elections investigations would result in voter intimidation.
“We urge the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to quicky adopt regulations making it clear that its investigators may not obstruct elections officials in their duties, particularly before elections are certified,” said Aunna Dennis, executive director of Common Cause Georgia.
While the tax cut and a separate $1.1 billion tax rebate proposed by Kemp arguably are aimed at Republican voters, Bullock said reducing taxes has broader appeal.
“Everybody loves a tax rebate,” he said. “It crosses party lines and can appeal to independents.”
The Georgia Public Policy Foundation endorsed the tax cut as a positive economic development measure.
“Other states around the country and especially in our Southeastern region are taking action to make themselves more competitive,” said Kyle Wingfield, the foundation’s president and CEO. “This strong, responsible plan will help ensure Georgia not only doesn’t fall behind but remains a leader.”
Another bill that received even more widespread support was an overhaul of mental-health services in Georgia that both the House and Senate passed unanimously, marking the session’s high point.
“It was truly bipartisan,” said Lee May, president of the DeKalb Pastors Christian Alliance. “I heard Democrats speaking highly of it. I heard Republicans speaking highly of it.”
On the other hand, the session hit a low point on its final night when the state Senate tabled by one vote legislation aimed at restarting Georgia’s medical cannabis program, which still hasn’t gotten off the ground three years after lawmakers legalized the cultivation of marijuana in Georgia and conversion of the leaf into low-THC cannabis oil for sale to patients suffering from a wide range of diseases.
“I’m at a loss on that,” Ralston said. “How long are these people going to have to wait?”
A proposed constitutional amendment asking Georgia voters whether to legalize online sports betting also fell by the wayside for the third year a row.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – Four coal ash ponds Georgia Power plans to close in place will continue to expose ash to groundwater after the closures are completed, an executive with the utility disclosed this week.
Ash ponds at Plant Hammond near Rome, Plant McDonough south of Vinings, Plant Yates near Newnan and Plant Scherer near Macon are among 10 ash ponds Georgia Power plans to close in place by 2028. Ash from the utility’s other 19 ponds at coal plants across Georgia will be closed by excavating and removing the ash.
Aaron Mitchell, Georgia Power’s director of environmental affairs, testified on the second of two days of hearings before the state Public Service Commission (PSC) on a plan the utility submitted in January outlining the mix of energy sources it intends to rely on for power generation during the next 20 years.
Georgia Power’s 2022 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) calls for the company to continue phasing out its fleet of coal-burning plants and stepping up its investment in natural gas and renewable energy. With the coal plants being retired, the utility plans to spend $9 billion to close all 29 of its coal ash ponds.
Coal ash contains contaminants including mercury, cadmium and arsenic that can pollute groundwater and drinking water as well as air.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put utilities on notice in January that it would require them to “control, minimize or eliminate” contamination of groundwater from ash ponds. At that time, the EPA rejected four ash pond closure plans submitted by utilities in the Northeast and Midwest.
After its announcement, the EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery sent a letter asking the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to review pending coal ash pond closure permits to determine whether they need to be modified or reissued.
While excavating and removing coal ash from ponds would make sure no groundwater contamination occurs, Mitchell testified the EPA has declared both removal and closure in place are acceptable.
“EPA has said both methods are equally as protective of the environment if the performance standards are complied with,” he said. “We believe our designs are compliant.”
The EPD issued a preliminary permit last year for closing the ash pond at Plant Hammond. Environmental groups and nearby residents have protested because some of the ash is sitting in groundwater.
Also, a 2020 lawsuit by Juliette residents against Georgia Power associated with groundwater contamination in the vicinity of Plant Scherer remains pending.
Georgia Power plans to offset some of the costs of closing the ponds by selling recovered ash for use in building materials, although some investment will be required for the infrastructure needed to update the ash to construction standards.
Mitchell said initially only about 10% of the ash will be recovered for “beneficial use.” Ultimately, however, the “vast majority” of the ash will be used, subject to market demand,” he said.
“The larger impact and larger value are from the reduction in the amount of ash and the value of the ash we actually have to close,” he said. “The benefits more than pay for themselves in the long term.”
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – The out-of-pocket cost of prescription drugs covered through Medicare would be capped at $2,000 a year under legislation introduced into the U.S. Senate by Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.
More than 1.2 million senior citizens paid more than $2,000 for prescription drugs in 2019.
“Our country should never allow for our seniors to have to ration or skip the medication they need because they can’t afford it.” Warnock said Wednesday.
Warnock’s bill would reduce the cap on out-of-pocket costs of prescription drugs for seniors from the current $3,000. It also would require drug manufacturers to take on more of the cost burden, reducing government subsidies and saving tax dollars.
Warnock, a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, also is a cosponsor of legislation that would let Medicare directly negotiate drug prices. Democrats in Congress have long pushed to allow such negotiations without success.
A third bill introduced by the senator calls for capping the cost of insulin used by diabetics at $35 a month. The U.S. House of Representatives passed an insulin cap last week.
Warnock said he’s working to get the prescription-drug cap for seniors through Congress as soon as possible.
“Georgians can’t wait another day for more affordable drugs,” he said. “Congress shouldn’t wait another day to act.”
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp continues to hold a sizable lead over former U.S. Sen. David Perdue in the Republican gubernatorial primary race, according to a new poll.
The survey of 509 likely GOP voters conducted April 1-3 by Emerson College Polling and The Hill, a newspaper covering Capitol Hill, showed Kemp with 43% of the vote to 32% for Perdue, with 17% undecided.
A plurality of Republican primary voters – 38% – said former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Perdue makes them more likely to support Perdue, while 30% said it makes them less likely to vote for the ex-senator. Nearly a third – 32% of GOP primary voters – said Trump’s endorsement makes no difference.
In a sample of 1,013 likely voters in the general election in November, Kemp led unopposed Democrat Stacey Abrams in a potential matchup 51% to 44%. Abrams also trailed Perdue by a slightly smaller margin, 49% to 44%.
“Abrams holds the majority support in the general election among voters under 50, while Kemp and Perdue have a strong majority of voters over 50,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. “Abrams’ chances in November depend in large part on whether or not these younger voters turn out.”
In other encouraging news for Republicans, likely GOP Senate nominee Herschel Walker led incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., in the Emerson poll, 49% to 45%, with 6% undecided.
The poll of Republican primary voters has Walker enjoying a huge lead, 57% to 13%, over Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, with 16% undecided. Warnock rolled up 85% of the support in a poll of 453 likely Democratic primary voters.
The primaries will take place on May 24.
The margin of error for the general election poll was plus-or-minus 3%. With fewer voters surveyed in the primary polls, the error margins for the Republican and Democratic polls were higher at 4.3% and 4.6%, respectively.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – Executives from Georgia Power Co. outlined the utility’s planned mix of power-generating sources for the next 20 years in hearings this week before the state Public Service Commission (PSC).
In 18 hours of testimony over two days, they explained Georgia Power’s plan to close nine coal-burning units and three oil-burning units by 2028, leaving only two units at Plant Bowen near Cartersville, which would be shut down by 2035. The utility has been phasing out coal for the last decade amid tighter government regulation of carbon emissions.
“It’s no longer economical to operate the company’s coal units,” said Jeffrey Grubb, director of resource planning for Georgia Power. “We don’t see a lot of positives in the future for the coal fleet.”
Georgia Power plans to replace the electricity the coal plants have been generating by purchasing 2,356 megawatts of natural gas from other utilities and adding 2,300 megawatts of power from renewable sources by 2029. That commitment to renewables would be raised to 6,000 megawatts by 2035, Grubb said.
“Customers want renewables and no-carbon solutions,” he said.
Georgia Power submits an updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to the PSC every three years, indicating where it plans to get the power-generation sources necessary to meet the needs of its 2.7 million customers for the next 20 years.
The utility also plans to increase its investment in power generated through battery storage, which helps offset the intermittent nature of renewable energy. The IRP calls for developing 1,000 megawatts from batteries by 2030.
On a smaller scale, Georgia Power plans to test “tall wind” technology by building two wind turbines 140 meters to 165 meters high capable of generating 4 megawatts each. An earlier experiment with shorter turbines the utility launched in 2013 didn’t prove economical, said Andrew Wilson Mallard, Georgia Power’s director of renewable development.
“If you get up high enough, that wind resource is significant,” he said. “It can create economical wind.”
Under questioning from Liz Coyle, executive director of the consumer advocacy group Georgia Watch, Grubb said none of the projects Georgia Power is requesting in the IRP likely would increase customer rates more than the 10% increase the utility has projected will result following the completion of the long-delayed, overbudget nuclear expansion at Plant Vogtle.
But Grubb said comparing the projects in the IRP with Plant Vogtle isn’t a useful analysis because of the longer-term benefits that will come from adding two nuclear reactors at the plant south of Augusta.
“You’re looking at a 60- to 80-year resource,” he said of Plant Vogtle.
After additional hearings this spring, the PSC is scheduled to vote on the Georgia Power IRP this summer.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
