Tea Party And Koch-Backed Group At Odds Over State Solar Plan

Public Service Commissioner Bubba McDonald is the author of the proposal. It requires Georgia Power to add 525 megawatts of solar electricity over the next two years. That would be in addition to a company commitment, made voluntarily last year, to boost solar capacity to about 260 megawatts by 2017, more than 10 times its current level. One megawatt powers about 450 homes.

“We have seen the significant decrease in the price of solar, over 40 percent in the last two years. We have a lot of land that’s affordable. We are the recipient of god’s sun, more so than 45 states in this nation so this perfect storm that we’re in right now, it’s time to respond and act,” said McDonald in a prior interview with WABE.

But the Georgia chapter of Americans for Prosperity argues solar remains too costly and the state has no business issuing solar mandates.

In a recent email blast, AFP leader Virginia Galloway went so far as saying the proposal could raise customer bills by 40 percent.

“I want Georgia Power to provide power that is the most economical and the most reliable that we can get and to push the envelope on solar I don’t think is wise,” said Galloway.

That position has put the group in direct opposition with at least two other conservative groups: Georgia Conservatives in Action and the Atlanta Tea Party.

Those groups support the plan, arguing it will help boost Georgia’s solar industry, and make the state’s energy market more competitive in the future.

“If you’re in Georgia Power’s service area, you are mandated to use their electricity. They can mandate the competition be stifled. That is not free market,” said Debbie Dooley, co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party

Dooley said AFP is trying to scare consumers out of solar. She cited AFP’s 40 percent claim, which a recent Associated Press review found to be exaggerated.  

“I think it was absolutely misleading. I think what AFP did is that they had a certain view on things and found something to validate what their view was and they did not take time to investigate or find out if that claim was in fact truthful,” said Dooley.

Dooley said the group is biased, pointing to its financial backing by the Koch brothers, the coal and natural gas giants.

“The Koch brothers have major interests in coal so they want to stifle competition and one would have to ask why these people are going out advocating for a misleading position,” said Dooley.

For her part, Galloway acknowledges customers won’t see a 40 percent rate hike right away, but she maintains energy mandates and renewable portfolio standards over the long-term translate into higher electric bills.

“I doubt that it would happen overnight, but I certainly think it would be reasonable to look to other states to see what happened in those states when they did renewable portfolio standards.”

In addition, Galloway insists the Kochs have had nothing to do with her organization’s position on solar, dismissing the connection as a “typical tactic of the Left.”

“I’ve actually had no contact with them or anyone else…I actually found out about it, somebody brought it to my attention, and I said ‘let me check into this,’” said Galloway.

The state Public Service Commission will vote on McDonald’s solar proposal Thursday. It’s part of a larger review of Georgia Power’s long-term energy plan for the state.