Where the Candidates Stand: Shelia Edwards on Climate & Energy

If you're a Georgia Power customer, this is worth knowing about. Shelia Edwards, the Democratic candidate for District 5 on the Georgia Public Service Commission, is running largely on the issue of high electric bills. The PSC sets rates for Georgia Power and other utilities in the state, so who holds these seats directly affects what you pay each month. Edwards says her 2022 campaign was sparked by getting a $500 electric bill and thinking about families who have to choose between paying it and covering housing, food, or medicine.

On policy, Edwards has called for expanding Georgia Power's net metering program, which lets homeowners with solar panels get credit for extra power they send back to the grid. She's also been critical of rate increases tied to new gas plant construction, saying the commission should protect customers from what she calls "endless rate hikes." On data centers, a growing driver of electricity demand in the state, she wants them to pay their fair share of grid costs rather than shifting expenses onto households, along with more transparency in how utilities plan and price power.

Her campaign hasn't laid out specific positions on climate change or electric vehicles. Election Day is November 3. The voter registration deadline is October 5, early voting runs October 13 through October 30, and the absentee ballot request deadline is October 23. Any eligible Georgia voter can vote in this race, regardless of where in the state they live.