Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Good morning! It’s April Fool’s Day, but we’re playing it straight here as usual with a roundup from the legislature, a calculator that breaks down your Georgia Power bill, and an update on a legal case about a local wetland.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
GOVERNING: NEWS
Still on lawmakers’ plates
In a race to Thursday’s finish, Georgia lawmakers on Tuesday were still wrangling proposals on issues including election reform, tax cuts, literacy plans, and data centers, The Georgia Recorder reports. On that last issue, the session has been disappointing for those hoping to rein in the growth of these water-guzzling, energy hungry facilities. With just a couple days left, the focus has turned from a statewide moratorium on data centers to winding down tax breaks.
EXPLAINER: BUSINESS
Calculating profit
A recent report by the Energy and Policy Institute found that Georgia Power’s profits accounted for almost 23% of each customer’s bill last year, which means that for an average summertime bill of $200, a customer paid about $46 toward company profits. Georgia Power’s profits were among the highest examined, and the rising cost of electricity has become a major consumer and political issue in Georgia. However, Georgia Power disputed the findings, stating that the assertion that more than 22% of a customer’s bill payment goes to Georgia Power profits is incorrect and misleading.
Supreme Court refuses local wetland case
The U.S. Supreme Court recently denied a hearing of an appeal over a filled-in wetland on St. Simons Island.
Glynn Environmental Coalition, the Center for a Sustainable Coast and Jane Fraser have fought since 2019 against what they say was a fraudulent application by Sea Island Acquisition for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fill in a half-acre wetland on St. Simons Island. In January they asked the high court to hear this Clean Water Act case, but last month it declined, as it does with most such requests.
The denial does not reflect agreement with the lower court, or prevent other efforts to remedy the harm the decision has created, plaintiffs’ attorney John Brunini wrote in a statement to The Current GA.
“We believe the petition will help pave the way for others to continue the fight in other cases, through the administrative process, and in Congress,” Brunini wrote. “Our wetlands are too important to allow such a temporary setback to stop us from continuing to advocate for their protection.”
Also noted
Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council will meet from 10 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. April 15, at the Marine Resources Research Institute Auditorium, 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC. The public is invited to attend in-person or remotely. For meeting updates, including a final agenda with remote participation instructions, visit this site.
At its March 26 meeting the Savannah City Council authorized a contract for up to $73,500 to remove what the clean-up group Friends of Urban Nature dubbed the “Great Savannah Tire Patch” on Hutchinson Island.
The Cherokee of Georgia will host a spring PowWow starting at 10 a.m. each day from April 2-4 at the Cherokee of Georgia Tribal Grounds, 100 Cherokee Way, St. George. Open to the public with free admission and parking, the event features dancers in regalia from many tribes. Guided tours available Thursday and Friday for homeschoolers, families, scouts, and schools. Click here for more information.
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Do or die under the gold dome
Lawmakers in Georgia are considering a number of proposals to change the state’s election system, tax code, and literacy plan, as well as a controversial bill to restrict access to police body cam footage, before the legislative session ends on Thursday.
Report puts Ga. Power profits at 23% of bills, a figure the company disputes
Georgia Power’s profits accounted for almost 23% of each customer’s bill last year, according to a recent report by the nonprofit Energy and Policy Institute.
Environmental groups sue over Georgia Power’s energy expansion for data centers
A group of environmental organizations filed a lawsuit against the Georgia Public Service Commission, alleging that the commission broke the law by approving nearly 10 gigawatts of new energy generation without properly demonstrating a need for it, which the lawsuit argues will leave customers on the hook for an estimated $50 to $60 […]
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