The Georgia Public Service Commission has approved six rate increases in three years and signed off on a sweeping expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure, decisions that have reshaped Georgia’s energy landscape and contributed to rising electric bills for many households. Alicia Johnson, who holds a PhD in business administration, hopes to chart a different course.

Johnson, alongside fellow Democrat Peter Hubbard, made history in the last election cycle. The pair became the first Democrats elected to the five-member commission since 1998, and the first Democrats to win a non-federal statewide office in Georgia since 2006. Their victories signaled a shift at one of the state’s most consequential, and often overlooked, regulatory bodies.

The commission sets electricity rates, oversees utility investments and approves long-term energy plans that determine how Georgians heat, cool and light their homes and businesses. In an era of rising electric bills, rapid data center expansion and intensifying climate-fueled storms, those decisions carry increasing financial and environmental stakes.

With three decades of experience in public service, Johnson campaigned on promises to prioritize affordability and transparency in her oversight of monopoly utilities like Georgia Power, arguing that regulators must more rigorously scrutinize decisions that ultimately affect customers’ monthly bills.

In a wide-ranging interview, Johnson discussed what she hoped to bring to the commission and how she plans to approach decisions that could shape Georgia’s energy future. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

RYAN KRUGMAN: You bring a diverse background and a long history of public service experience to this role. What experiences have most prepared you to serve as a commissioner, particularly in overseeing complex utility and energy decisions?

ALICIA JOHNSON: I think I bring a unique perspective to the Public Service Commission. My career has been at the intersection of community development, public policy, economic inclusion strategy and healthcare ecosystems. I am not an engineer by trade or an energy expert by any means, but I do understand the importance of having solid public policy that is people-centered. Good public policy can set us up for a strong energy future and a legacy for our children’s children to inherit.

KRUGMAN: You and Peter Hubbard secured historic victories, becoming the first Democrats to win a non-federal statewide election in nearly two decades. Why do you think voters were ready for change at the Georgia Public Service Commission?

JOHNSON: One of the key elements of my campaign was educating people about the PSC and what it actually does. Prior to my campaign, I think it was a little-known regulatory body tucked away in its stone and marble building at the State Capitol. People did not understand how that quasi-judicial body, making rules and overseeing utilities, was affecting their everyday lives. Once people understood how policy connects to their pocketbooks, they became thoughtfully and authentically engaged.

KRUGMAN: That relates to transparency at the PSC, which consumer and energy advocates have long raised concerns about, with regard to the PSC, Georgia Power and ratepayers. Where do you see gaps in transparency, and how can the commission improve public trust in its decision-making?

JOHNSON: Typically, the PSC process is engaged by utilities themselves, energy experts, intervenors and advocacy groups. What starts to happen is that regulators are centered around what they are hearing, which can reflect special interests. So it loses the voice of the people. The information must be decipherable for the average person—that’s the key. That’s the piece that is missing.

One of the things I have started discussing with utilities and the PSC is making certain the information is disseminated clearly and that our sites are 508 compliant, meaning that a person who is hearing impaired, visually impaired or for whom English is a second language can easily access information. There is an entire Consumer Affairs Department at the PSC that most people don’t know exists. They don’t know they can file an inquiry or complaint about their utility. So part of it is just breaking open the box and letting people look in—and that’s one of the things I’m committed to in my first year of service.

This all starts with conversations. I will be hosting forums and webinars so that people can listen in and understand what happens at the PSC, that they know there is a Consumer Affairs Division, and that there are staff who are paid by their tax dollars to serve them rather than the utilities.

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KRUGMAN: Affordability has become a defining political issue nationally over the past several years and was central to your campaign. What does affordability mean to you, and what specific tools does the commission have to protect ratepayers?

JOHNSON: What is central to me, and what was central to my campaign, is the need for socio-economic resilience tied to our energy future. When we say that people are literally choosing between food and paying their power bill, it is the absolute truth. The benchmark for energy affordability is that no more than 6 percent of your income goes toward paying for energy. In Georgia, that figure is over 19 percent for some working families. For utilities and regulators in our communities not to understand the basic realities of their constituents is, to me, not only absurd—it’s abhorrent.

When we talk about affordability, it is more than just “let’s help people save a few bucks.” It’s about quality of life and economic mobility. While I am an advocate for clean energy and believe that should absolutely be part of our regulatory goals, affordability and ensuring that the commission centers people was the focus of my campaign.

KRUGMAN: The commission recently approved a roughly 10-gigawatt expansion of generation capacity, including about 6 gigawatts of new natural gas infrastructure—a plan you voted to reconsider. Will you factor long-term climate and environmental impacts into your votes on new generation, and are you committed to using your position to advance a transition toward cleaner energy sources?

JOHNSON: Absolutely. We have to begin thinking long-term. One of the things I supported and hoped to amend in the plan was decertifying Plant McIntosh because it is one of the most inefficient in the state. We can’t continue backing gambles like this expansion on the backs of existing Georgia Power customers in hopes of attracting large-load customers like data centers down the line. The reality is that data centers are going to be here, but we have to put guardrails on how they show up in our communities.

If I can’t get my fellow commissioners and state regulators to understand the environmental impacts of data centers and this expansion, then I will work with cities and counties to ensure their zoning policies put regulatory guardrails in place to protect residents from environmental and public health concerns.

KRUGMAN: You are serving on a five-member commission where major decisions often split along party lines. As one of two Democrats, how do you plan to influence outcomes and build consensus on contentious votes?

JOHNSON: I think the opportunity is there to build consensus. Good public policy is not red or blue policy, it is people policy. I hope our fellow commissioners saw that more than a million people came out to vote, and that 60 percent of them voted against what had been happening at the commission before my and Peter’s arrival.

I will also say there is another seat up for election this year, and I have faith in the people of Georgia that we will see another strong turnout. Time will tell, but I believe the cards are aligned for change and that the change will be a lasting one.