Latest news with #PublicServiceCommission
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Removed Georgia PSC candidate will appeal. Opponent criticizes disqualification
Daniel Blackman's third run for the Georgia Public Service Commission may be over quickly after he was declared ineligible to run Thursday, a removal that one of his opponents responded to by saying 'democracy is diminished.' Blackman released a lengthy statement Thursday saying he'd challenge the removal from the race, after Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger confirmed Blackman was ineligible to run. Raffensperger, agreeing with an administrative law judge, said Blackman didn't provide enough proof that he had resided in District 3 long enough to run. Blackman, a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator and a clean energy advocate, publicly announced he is appealing Raffensperger's decision and is trying to stay in the race. 'My team is appealing the decision, and I will remain fully committed to the fight for energy justice and public accountability in Georgia,' Blackman said in his statement. 'The fact that a decision to remove me was made during early voting only underscores what many of us already know: this race matters.' The PSC regulates utility and power company decisions, and long-term plans that include energy sources and cost to rate payers. Georgia Conservation Voters, a nonprofit that aims to protect Georgia's air, water and land through political action, endorsed Blackman. They said Thursday they will not make another endorsement despite the secretary of state's ruling. 'GCV is disappointed to share that our endorsed candidate, Daniel Blackman, has been officially disqualified from the race for Georgia's Public Service Commission District 3 due to residency requirements,' Paul Glaze, GCV media specialist, said in an email. 'At this time, GCV does not plan to endorse another candidate for District 3 in the June 17th primary.' Peter Hubbard, one of Blackman's opponents and an energy expert who has intervened on power plans that have been presented to the PSC in the past, told the Ledger-Enquirer he believes Blackman is more qualified than Republican incumbent Commissioner Fitz Johnson, who Blackman and Hubbard are trying to unseat. 'Mr. Blackman was disqualified from running for the only Constitutional office where there is a statewide election but the candidate must reside for 1 year in a crowded district,' Hubbard said. 'This is why the Democratic primary is so lopsided with candidates — it is by design. Ultimately, democracy is diminished with Mr. Blackman's removal from the PSC election.' Blackman changed his voter registration to Fulton County, which is in District 3 on April 3, the last day that candidates could qualify for the race. Blackman registered to vote in the November 2024 election from an address in Forsyth County, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The current approach to electing PSC members has come under challenge before. The 2022 Rose v Raffensperger case challenged Georgia's method of electing members to the Public Service Commission, claiming the districts were set up to 'dilute' Black votes. The case was reversed by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in November 2023, so the methodology has not changed. When asked why the Secretary of State's office didn't catch this issue back in April during qualifications, Mike Hassinger, a public information officer for the office, told the Ledger-Enquirer that's not what the agency does. 'We don't do that; that isn't the role of the Secretary of State,' he said. 'We can't proactively thumb up or thumb down a candidate. (The qualification) is about a party process.' Blackman's team will appeal in Fulton County Superior Court. Robert Baker, public service commissioner between 1993 and 2010 and a lawyer, explained the process to the Ledger-Enquirer via email. 'An appeal of the Secretary of State's decision would go to the Fulton County Superior Court, which has jurisdiction over state agency decisions,' he said. 'I don't know if the Superior Court will expedite the appeal, but if Blackman loses at the Fulton County Superior Court then he can appeal that decision to the Georgia Court of Appeals unless the Georgia Supreme Court has exclusive jurisdiction.' Hassinger isn't sure Blackman has time before June 17, primary Election Day, to get back on the ballot. 'I don't know if Mr. Blackman can be heard in time for him to be on the ballot but stranger things have happened,' he said. Blackman said his name is still on the ballot statewide and 'people can still vote for me.' Raffensperger's office advised board of elections to put up a sign that he's been disqualified. 'We're actively seeking an injunction to get those signs taken down while we wait on a judge to review all of the details, testimony and evidence provided,' he emailed the Ledger-Enquirer. 'Voters should still vote and support the candidate that they know can win in November.' Public Service Commission candidate Keisha Waites, who is running against the others in the Democratic field, did not respond to a request for comment. The third candidate who faces Hubbard and Waites, Robert Jones, said the decision by Raffensperger does not 'alter the focus' of his campaign. 'My campaign has always been about me offering my extensive experience and expertise in utility operation, regulation and data center management to serve the interests of all citizens of Georgia wherever they reside across our State,' his communications director, Michael Ares said in an email.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Daniel Blackman disqualified from Public Service Commission race
The Brief Daniel Blackman has been disqualified from the Public Service Commission District 3 race after a judge ruled he did not meet residency requirements. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger confirmed the disqualification ahead of the June 7 special primary election. Blackman was seeking the Democratic nomination but will no longer appear on the ballot following the administrative court's decision. ATLANTA - In a major development in Georgia's Public Service Commission District 3 race, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has announced that Daniel Blackman has been disqualified from appearing on the ballot. What we know Blackman was seeking the Democratic nomination in the June 7 special primary election. However, a state administrative court judge ruled earlier this week that he failed to meet the residency requirements needed to run for the Public Service Commission seat. PREVIOUS STORY: Early voting begins in Georgia Public Service Commission primary elections What they're saying The Secretary of State's office confirmed the disqualification, effectively removing Blackman from contention in the closely watched race. Blackman has 10 days to appeal Raffensperger's decision. What's next Early voting is underway for the special primary election to fill two seats on the commission, which is a 5-member board that regulates utilities in the state.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Twinkle Cavanaugh leaves Public Service Commission for Trump administration job
Twinkle Cavanaugh leaves Public Service Commission for Trump administration job Show Caption Hide Caption President Donald Trump speaks at the University of Alabama President Donald Trump spoke at a pre-commencement event to graduates and supporters in Coleman Coliseum at the University of Alabama. Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh will step down as president of Alabama's Public Service Commission to take a role in President Donald Trump's administration, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cavanaugh will serve as the state director of rural development in Alabama. According to the news release, Cavanaugh will 'affirm the mission of the Trump Administration by focusing on finding ways to empower rural America and unleash economic prosperity.' A message seeking comment was left Tuesday with Gina Maiola, a spokeswoman for Gov. Kay Ivey, who is responsible for appointing the interim president. According to Maiola said the governor will appoint someone 'in the coming days.' Cavanaugh, a former chair of the Alabama Republican Party, was first elected to the Public Service Commission in 2010. In 2012, she was elected president of the commission, defeating Lucy Baxley, who at the time was the last Democrat holding statewide office in Alabama. The Public Service Commission is the state's utility regulator, though critics have long accused it of being passive toward the companies it oversees. The PSC since 1982 has operated under a system that guarantees utilities a profit, a process different from a formal rate hearing, where an entity must justify any rate increases. Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, an independent nonprofit website covering politics and policy in state capitals around the nation.
E&E News
2 days ago
- Business
- E&E News
Group claiming to represent data centers objects to Fla. utility rate hike push
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A nascent group claiming to represent planned new data centers in the state is objecting to Florida Power & Light's $2.5 billion rate hike request. Details: State records show the Florida Energy for Innovation Association was incorporated May 7, just eight days before it asked the Public Service Commission to allow it to intervene in the rate case. The association said in a motion that the FPL request includes a new rate structure that would charge large customers, including data centers, 65 percent more than existing rates. Advertisement The Florida Energy for Innovation Association doesn't give any details about the new centers it says its members are planning. And FPL objected to allowing the association to intervene.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Dem PSC candidate dealt another setback in quest to stay on ballot
Early voting for two PSC seats began Tuesday with Democratic candidate Daniel Blackman's name on ballots of State Brad Raffensperger has affirmed a judge's decision booting a Democratic candidate for the state Public Service Commission from the ballot for the June 17 primary. Raffensperger's two-page decision released Wednesday agreed with Administrative Court Judge Dominic Capraro's ruling that Daniel Blackman did not meet the residency qualifications to run in PSC District 3, which includes Clayton, DeKalb, and Fulton counties. According to testimony, Blackman said he rented a home in Fulton County to be closer to his work while his wife and children continued to live in their Forsyth County home. Capraro found and Raffensperger agreed that Blackman was unable to provide evidence that the Fulton County property was his primary domicile. Blackman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to state law, Blackman has 10 days from Raffensperger's decision to file an appeal with the superior court of Fulton County. The court can affirm the decision or remand it for further proceedings and has the power to reverse or modify the decision if they find Raffensperger erred, violated the law or abused his discretion. Early voting for two PSC seats began Tuesday with Blackman's name on ballots statewide. If Blackman's ban is permanent, notices will be placed in polling places advising voters of his disqualification, Raffensperger's office said. Three other Democrats appear on the District 3 PSC ballot: Keisha Waites, a former Atlanta City Council member and ex-state representative; Peter Hubbard, founder of the clean nonprofit Center for Energy Solutions, and Robert Jones, a former utility executive. The winner will face GOP incumbent Fitz Johnson, who was appointed to the seat by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2021. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
