Green New Deal money finds a new target in Georgia’s energy regulator races

By Elizabeth Gianini, President, Regulators RoundTable, Inc

For the first time in Georgia history, outside progressive groups have poured millions of dollars into state Public Service Commission races. Their goal was not hidden. It was to flip the commission, weaken the state’s energy independence and replace balanced, all-of-the-above energy policy with the ideology of the Green New Deal.

The result: two Democrats were elected to the Georgia Public Service Commission, a body that regulates the electricity, gas and utility rates of more than 10 million Georgians. The victory did not come from grassroots organizing. It came from national organizations and donors who saw Georgia as the next front in their campaign to reshape America’s energy policy one state at a time.

Groups tied to the League of Conservation Voters, EarthJustice, Michael Bloomberg’s Carbon Fund, and Hollywood activist Jane Fonda spent millions of dollars trying to convince voters that going “100 percent renewable” was not only cleaner, but cheaper and more reliable than the natural gas, coal and nuclear power that have sustained Georgia’s grid for decades. Their message was simple and emotional. Their math was not.

These liberal organizations campaign with feelings, not facts. They sell fear of climate change and guilt over traditional energy sources instead of explaining what it really takes to power a modern economy. The truth is that renewables play an important and growing role in our energy mix, but no credible analysis supports the claim that solar and wind alone can provide stable and affordable energy for a fast-growing state like Georgia. Natural gas remains the backbone of reliable baseload generation. Nuclear power provides zero-emission energy 24 hours a day. Coal continues to offer strategic value for grid stability and resilience during peak demand. None of that made it into the campaign narrative pushed by these out-of-state climate groups.

This was not just a political victory for the environmental left. It was a strategic breakthrough. For years, state utility commissions were considered too technical and low-profile to attract partisan campaigns. That changed when national Democratic donors realized that control of these commissions determines the future of energy infrastructure, industrial expansion and data center growth. In Georgia, the 2025 election became the testing ground for a new playbook: flood the zone with outside money, use emotion to sell an idea and label anyone who supports anything less than 100 percent renewable as out of touch.

Georgia voters deserve an honest discussion about the costs, reliability and tradeoffs involved in energy policy. That is what state Public Service Commissions are supposed to provide. Instead, millions in outside money turned these races into ideological contests disconnected from the real-world responsibility of keeping the lights on.

The consequences will be felt far beyond Georgia. National progressive networks will now take this strategy to other states in 2026, where commission elections will be held in nine states across the country. The goal is not just to change leadership. It is to shift the country’s energy policy away from reliability, affordability and innovation, and toward a one-size-fits-all renewable mandate.

Conservatives across the energy sector should take notice. If we care about American energy dominance, job creation and reliable power, we cannot ignore what just happened in Georgia. The Green New Deal movement has found a new entry point, and it is not through Congress. It is through the states’ Public Service Commissions.

About the Regulators RoundTable, Inc. (501(c)(4))

Regulators RoundTable, Inc. is a 501(c)(4) is the first organization dedicated to strengthening and advocating for conservative leadership in state regulatory policy. The organization connects public service commissioners, policymakers, and industry innovators to advance energy solutions grounded in reliability, affordability, and innovation.

_{*The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EnergyPlatform.News.}