Tea Party Group Takes on Georgia Power

The Associated Press reported June 2 that the Atlanta Tea Party is challenging Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of Southern Company and one of the nation's largest generators of electricity. Among the Atlanta Tea Party's criticisms are the company's reluctance to increase its use of solar power, the increasing costs of building a new nuclear power plant and its legal right to monopoly status.

“It certainly isn’t anything personal, but one of our core values is promoting the free-market system,” Julianne Thompson, a co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party, told the AP. 

According to the report, the electricity market in Georgia is not a free market, and state law gives electric utilities, including Georgia Power, exclusive rights to serve customers in designated areas. Most customers cannot choose their provider.

The company, a spokesman said, is taking the Tea Party organization's concerns into consideration.

“We listen carefully to the concerns and ideas of the Tea Party, as well as all other organizations that represent the diverse opinions of Georgians,” the AP quotes spokesman Jacob Hawkins as saying in a statement.

Click here to read the full report. 

Do you think Georgia Power — and other companies that provide electricity — should be looking at ways to make use of solar power? Tell us in the comments section.