Commercial and Residential Locksmiths in Euharlee

Georgia Power Co. bills could go up another 17% in June to cover the higher costs of natural gas and coal that the utility is burning to generate electricity for its 2.7 million customers.

The unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. told regulators Tuesday that it needs to collect billions more going forward, and that ratepayers will likely owe the company an additional $2.6 billion for fuel it has already bought by June.

That means a typical Georgia Power Co. residential customer could pay as much as $23 a month more on their bills over the next two years to cover the costs, if the Georgia Public Service Commission approves. The company says falling natural gas costs could bring that amount down to $17 a month.

"Just as Georgians paid higher prices at the gas pump in 2022, Georgia Power also paid more for the natural gas — on average three times more — and other fuels we used to generate electricity," company spokesperson Jacob Hawkins said in a statement. "These increases are solely a result of rising energy prices — and Georgia Power earns zero profit from these fuel costs."

That will be atop rate increases already coming. Rates went up 2.5% last month, bringing a typical residential bill to $131.60 a month, after the Public Service Commission approved a three-year rate plan in December. Increases of 4.5% will follow in 2024 and 2025.

Customers will also have to pay the costs of the third and fourth nuclear units at Plant Vogtle near Augusta. Unit 3 is projected to begin operation in May or June, leading to a roughly $4 a month increase for residential customers. A larger rate increase is likely to follow when Unit 4 begins operations, now projected before March 2024.

Public Service Commission staff have warned that all the changes could increase residential bills by $55 to $60 month.

Typically, a utility is allowed to charge customers for the cost of fuel, but isn't allowed to make a profit on those charges, unlike the profits Georgia Power is guaranteed for investing in power plants and transmission lines. The five-member elected commission typically decides how much Georgia Power can collect to pay for fuel once every two years. In the meantime, if prices change, the company can collect too much or too little.

During this two-year period, even though the commission approved a 15% boost in fuel costs that began in January 2022, the company collected far too little money, as natural gas prices skyrocketed because of an improving economy and the Ukraine war, and coal prices rose even more steeply in part because of supply and labor shortages. Georgia Power says the price of gas tripled from 2020 to 2022, and the price of coal ended up five times higher.

Liz Coyle, the executive director of Georgia Watch, a nonprofit that advocates for consumers, acknowledged that the high unrecovered fuel balance is "highly, highly unusual," but said commissioners need to delay rate increases for Vogtle to give ratepayers some relief.

"Any way you look at it, people are struggling to pay their power bills, and the rate increase and unit 3 and 4 are bad," Coyle said.

Georgia Power says it wants to make up the under-collected amount over three years, instead of the typical two, because the debt is so large. The utility says spreading $900 million in collections into the third year would cut the boost in bills by about $7 a month.

The company says that natural gas prices have been falling since it made its projections of the cost in September, and the cost to a residential customer could be closer to $17 a month. Georgia Power said it would file updated projections later.

Georgia Power also wants the commission to give it the ability to make larger changes to cover cost swings between fuel-cost rate cases, asking for permission to raise or lower fuel charges by as much as 40% in the interim, instead of the current 15%. Because of unrecovered debt, that ability would likely only be used to further raise customer bills in the next two years.

The company also proposes to raise a fuel cost discount for low-income senior citizens from $6 a month now to $8 a month.

These students were named to the respective lists for the spring 2018 semester.

ROME, GA — Georgia Highlands College has released the list of Bartow County students named to the spring 2018 President’s List and Dean’s List.

To be named to the President’s List, students must earn a 4.0 grade point average and attain a minimum of nine semester hours of credit. To make the Dean’s List, students must complete a minimum of nine semester hours and achieve at least a 3.5 average.

The following students from Bartow County were named to the President's List: Harrison Banks, Cartersville; Samuel Boice, Cartersville; Sarah Bracken, Euharlee; Joria Brooks, Adairsville; Tara Butler, Kingston; Morgan Callari, Cartersville; Elizabeth Carver, Kingston; Alexandria Chitwood, Cartersville; Avery Cissa, White; Kaden Cochran, Adairsville; Michaela Crowe, Cartersville; Robert Crowe, Cartersville; Zackery Danz, Cartersville; Jesus De La Cruz, Cartersville; Brandy Folger, Adairsville; Angelica Gallegos, Cartersville; Lizeth Garcia Perez, Cartersville; Bradley Gilmore, Cartersville; Jared Goodwin, Rydal; Jocelyn Greene, Adairsville; Tyler Gustat, Cartersville; Grant Harris, Cartersville; Antonio Hernandez, Cartersville; Tanner Hund, Cartersville; Ashlie Hunt, Kingston; Brandi Ingram, Cartersville; Kaitlin Irish, Cartersville; Noah James, Cartersville; Megan Janisch, Cartersville; Bailey Jones, Rydal; Stephanie Jordan-Cain, Cartersville; Huda Kamal, Cartersville; Charles Keeney, Cartersville; Heather King, Cartersville; Kylie Knox, Taylorsville; Meredith Knox, Cartersville; William Lange, Cartersville; Thacker Lively, Emerson; Johanna Maserjian, Taylorsville; Lauren McKaig, Cartersville; Hunter Mccreary, Cartersville; Shelby Meatyard, Cartersville; David Moseley, Cartersville; Marissa Mowry, Cartersville; Vincent Myrick, Cartersville; Tina Ogletree, Cartersville; Morgan Ong, Cartersville; Karishmaben Patel, Cartersville; MacKenzie Payne, Cartersville; Jorita Perkinson, Cartersville; Madison Poe, Cartersville; Ashlee Price, Adairsville; Tori Pritchett, Kingston; Joshua Queen, Euharlee; Roger Redd, Adairsville; Brandi Rhodes, Cartersville; Joshua Rowland, Cartersville; Ashlynn Russell, Cartersville; Sean Simmons, Aragon; Abigail Smith, Cartersville; Lauren Tew, Kingston; Christienne Tolero, White; Kimberly Veliz, Cartersville; Justin Vocke, Cartersville; Avery Wade, Taylorsville; Samantha Walker, Cartersville; Kendyl Westmoreland, White; Kyra Williams, Cartersville; Anna Wilson, Adairsville; and Susan Wood, Cartersville.

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Bartow students appearing on the Dean's List for the spring 2018 semester are: Oskar Arnold, Cartersville; Timothy Bates, Cartersville; Anna Bedell, Cartersville; Kaitlyn Belcher, Rydal; Molly Belcher, Cartersville; Jasmain Belew, Cartersville; Camden Bridges, Cartersville; Carley Bruce, Emerson; Sh’nae Carr, Cartersville; Anthony Catanzaro, Euharlee; Ann Marie Chastain, White; Seth Colston, Cartersville; Christina Cooper, Cartersville; Lucas Corbin, Cartersville; Sidney Cothron, Cartersville; Rachel Craig, Adairsville; Morgan Creel, Kingston; William Crowe, Cartersville; Tyler Darnell, Cartersville; Charles Davis, Cartersville; Tambari Deeyaa, Cartersville; Megan Dillard, Cartersville; Jaina Dixon, Adairsville; Levi Dooley, Euharlee; Jeffrey Dunn, Kingston; Kristin Epps, Cartersville; Brooke Eure, Cartersville; Lacey Evans, Rydal; Ryan Frazier, Rydal; Anna Furrow, Cartersville; Sierrah Gani, Cartersville; Sarah Garber, Cartersville; Sara Garrett, Cartersville; Harlee Goldermann, Emerson; Braden Harris, Cartersville; Calvin Hayes, Taylorsville; Kameron Hendrix, Adairsville; Miriam Hibbard, Cartersville; Kyrah Holley, Cartersville; Cheyenne Holt, Adairsville; Erin Horgan, Cartersville; Taylor Hutson, Cartersville; Nia James, Cartersville; Coleman Jeffers, Euharlee; Jordan Kale, Cartersville; Ruhma Kamal, Cartersville; Ashley Kaufman, Cartersville; David Kindred, Cartersville; Asia Knox, Cartersville; Dalton Knox, Cartersville; Heather Kready, Cartersville; Anna-marie Lawson, Adairsville; Daniella Liley, White; Garam Lim, Cartersville; Jillian Malave, Cartersville; Leah Martin, Cartersville; Cynthia Mata, Cartersville; Tara Mathis, Cartersville; Brighton Mccollum, Cassville; Kelsey Mckinley, Cartersville; Chandler Morris, Cartersville; Matthew Morrow, Adairsville; Ivana Motes, Cartersville; Haley Murphy, Cartersville; Joseph Nash, Kingston; Ashley Oliver, Cartersville; Caleb Parker, White; Rutva Patel, Cartersville; Maria Payne, Cartersville; Kourtney Perry, Cartersville; Haley Pittman, Adairsville; Amanda Planchet, Cartersville; Matia Probus, Cartersville; Elizabeth Quinonez, Cartersville; Mayinampati Reddy, Cartersville; Cecilia Reyes-Cruz, Cartersville; Xavier Richey, Kingston; Kelli Rollins, Cartersville; Andre Sanders, Cartersville; Jillian Scanlon, Cartersville; Joshua Scott, Cartersville; Abigail Smith, Euharlee; Emily Sutter, Cartersville; Daniel Tidwell, Taylorsville; Hennessy Valle, Cartersville; Carsyn Wade, Cartersville; Shawn Weatherby, Cartersville; Collin Weese, Cartersville; Christian Welch, Euharlee; Haley West, White; Kassie West, Adairsville; Amanda Woods, Cartersville; Noah Woods, Cartersville; and Kayla Wooten, Cartersville.

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Dozens of paddlers from across North Georgia and beyond will soon take to the Etowah River to celebrate the waterway and raise money to create at 163-mile long boating trail.

The Etowah River Water Trail Rodeo will take place Sept. 20, and will feature an 8-mile paddle on the Etowah from the historic Leake Mound Site in Cartersville to the covered bridge town of Euharlee.

The paddle will be followed by a dinner provided by Johnny Mitchell’s Smokehouse in Euharlee, games, a silent and live auction and a kayak giveaway from The Outside World.

Cost of the event is $50 per person (or $45 each for two or more tickets) and includes complimentary canoe or kayak rentals courtesy of Euharlee Creek Outfitters and Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI), dinner, shuttle service and a chance to win a new kayak.

Dinner will be accompanied by Coopers Furnace Lager, a specialty brew created by Anheuser-Busch at its Cartersville brewery. Proceeds from the benefit will be used to assist local communities in promoting and building the Etowah River Water Trail.

The deadline to register for the rodeo is Sept. 16.

The event begins at 1 p.m. and continues until 8 p.m. at Euharlee’s Frankie Harris Park. To learn more and purchase tickets, visit the event’s website.

“During the past two years, Cartersville, Euharlee and Bartow County have seen an explosion in river recreation,” said Joe Cook of CRBI, a Rome-based nonprofit organization that is leading a group of stakeholders in facilitating creation of the trail. “This is a great opportunity for those who have never explored the river before to experience it in a safe and fun environment.”

The stakeholders group, consisting of representatives from local governments, convention and visitors bureaus, private businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals has worked for the past three years to create the water trail.

The trail would stretch from near Dahlonega to Rome, and would pass through Lumpkin, Dawson, Forsyth, Cherokee, Bartow and Floyd counties.

In the past year, Bartow County’s completion of the Neel’s Landing boat ramp and parking area near Kingston has made it easier for boaters and tubers to enjoy the river.

“Canoeing, kayaking and tubing the Etowah is the big thing right now,” said Sheri Henshaw with Bartow County’s Keep Bartow Beautiful. “River recreation is bringing people to our communities to enjoy our river and spend money. The river has become an economic calling card.”

Organizers hope to install a new Etowah River Water Trail information kiosk at the Euharlee Road boat ramp before the Sept. 20 event.

For more information about the event or the Coosa River Basin Initiative, contact Joe Cook at 706-409-0128 or jcook@coosa.org.

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Photo: Barbara Lamb of Kennesaw shoots through a shoal on the Etowah River near Euharlee. The Rodeo will feature an 8-mile paddle on the Etowah from the Leake Mound historic site to Euharlee. Credit: Coosa River Basin Initiative

Georgia Power drew heavy criticism Thursday night over plans to bury more than 20 million cubic yards of coal ash at its Plant Bowen in Bartow County.

“Please don’t gamble with our lives,” Vicki Freeman of Atlanta pleaded during an online public hearing on the proposal. “Mandate that Georgia Power move that coal ash to a safe landfill with a proper liner.”

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Environmental Protection Division held the online hearing as part of a public comment period that will last until Nov. 15.

>> Read the public comment announcement.

Plant Bowen is the nation’s ninth-largest power plant in net generation of electricity, according to Georgia Power. Nine miles southwest of Cartersville, it began operating in 1975 and is bordered by the Etowah River and Euharlee Creek.

Georgia Power wants to install a liner under the plant’s Ash Pond 1 and bury the residual coal ash over a 254-acre area, making it the largest single coal ash site in Georgia, according to the Sierra Club. Coal ash is the byproduct of burning coal for electricity.

>> Read about Plant Bowen from Georgia Power

Almost all of the commenters during the public hearing were concerned over sinkholes that could cause the toxic coal ash to leak into nearby rivers and creeks as well as groundwater supplies.

“I was astonished at its size,” said LaGrange resident Judy Lawrence. “My parents always said, ‘Do something right the first time and you won’t have to do it again.’ Georgia Power hasn’t gotten that message. The company knows the type of land they’re building this on, and they know the risks.”

In 2002, a four-acre-wide sinkhole opened up underneath Plant Bowen that released 2.25 million gallons of coal ash into Euharlee Creek. That spill caused arsenic levels in the creek to spike to levels 120 times higher than federal drinking water standards allow. More sinkholes developed in December 2008.

>> Read Georgia Power’s plan to close Plant Bowen’s ash pond

“Simply lining the coal ash dump will not prevent groundwater contamination,” said Dawn Cason of Powder Springs. “We know the plant rests on unstable terrain. Previous sinkholes have developed. It’s not a matter of speculation but only a matter of time.”

Coal ash contains contaminants including mercury, cadmium and arsenic that can pollute groundwater and drinking water.

“It’s like Georgia Power is playing Janga, waiting for this coal ash to topple into our water,” said Atlanta’s Neil Sardana. “It’s incomprehensible this plant is even being considered. It will poison people and put our lives and health at risk. It’s absolutely insane.”

The EPD’s permitting program for ash ponds due to be closed in place requires post-closure care for 30 years, including ongoing maintenance of the cover and groundwater monitoring. Results from monitoring must be reported at least twice a year and posted on Georgia Power’s website.

“What’s troubling is that nothing in either the EPD’s requirements or Georgia Power’s proposal address the instability of this terrain,” said Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman of the Coosa River Basin Initiative. “Thirty years of post-closure maintenance is also insufficient. Thirty years is the same time between the plant’s startup and the first appearance of sinkholes in the area.”

After the public comment period ends, the EPD will respond to comments in writing, post comments on its website and make changes to Georgia Power’s permit based on comments from the public.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

The Georgia Public Service Commission approved a $1.8 billion Georgia Power Co. rate increase Tuesday, raising rates by 12% over three years after tweaking an agreement between the company and commission staff to give the company more of what it wanted.

The all-Republican regulatory commission voted 4-1 for the plan, after agreeing to give the company more money to build charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, adopting a lower payment rate for electricity generated by rooftop solar panels than staff had recommended, and letting the company earn more on its capital than staff had recommended.

The company had originally proposed a $2.9 billion rate increase, compared to $529 million that staff said was justified. The unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. will get about as much as the $1.77 billion commissioners voted for in 2019.

Georgia Power says residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity will see their bills go up by $3.60 a month in January. That's an increase of 2.8% over the $128 such customers now pay. Increases of roughly 4.5% would follow in both 2024 and 2025, pushing bills to around $144 a month.

Those won't be the only increases for customers. Georgia Power is likely to ask the commission early next year to let it charge its 2.7 million customers more to cover higher natural gas costs. The commission has already approved an increase when the third nuclear reactor at Plant Vogtle begins generating electricity, also likely early next year. And a larger Vogtle-related increase would come when the fourth reactor is finished, possibly in 2024.

Commissioner Lauren "Bubba" McDonald was the lone dissenter. He attempted multiple times to lower the company's return on equity, which drives company profits. The staff-company settlement set rates to generate a return of 10.5%, which critics say is already too high. But Georgia allows the company to reap a higher return if it can do so without raising rates.

The company wanted to keep everything up to 12%, while the staff recommended 11.5%. A motion by Commissioner Tricia Pridemore, the body's chair, set the level at 11.9%. That means Georgia Power could earn an extra $200 million above what staff had proposed over three years.

Pridemore said a high return is needed to offset inflation and rising interest rates, saying a high return would "maintain the company's financial integrity and efficiency incentives to ultimately benefit customers."

McDonald, though, said Georgia Power should not need to be bribed with extra profits to run an efficient business.

"The earnings the company makes to supposedly incentivize them to run a good business, that doesn't sit particularly well with me," McDonald said in an interview after the vote. "They do run a good business and they should run it without being incentivized."

Pridemore's motion also changed how profits above the 12% level would be handled. Instead of using 70% of the money to pay for costs like decommissioned coal plants, the commission kept the current split of 40% for customer refunds, 40% for stranded assets and 20% for additional company profit. That might generate $40 million in customer refunds over three years.

Commissioners agreed that Georgia Power will pay 6.68 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity generated by owners of rooftop solar panels. But panel owners will only get a credit after paying retail rates for electricity taken from the grid.

That's different than a 5,000-unit net metering program that allows self-generated power to be subtracted from total usage, better financially for customers. Georgia Power says that plan, which will be grandfathered but not let in new customers, unfairly shifts costs to customers who don't have panels. Pro-solar forces disagree. They say the payment could make solar panels uneconomic for Georgia Power customers.

"It's too rich for Georgia Power and misses major opportunities to give customers more control over rising bills," said Jill Kysor, lawyer for a group that wants net metering expanded.

The deal makes optional a "smart usage" rate plan that includes a fixed monthly fee based on a customer's peak usage. The plan had become the default for customers in newly built houses and opponents say it unfairly drives up bills. All residential customers will go back to the traditional rate plan.

Commissioners raised spending on equipment and wiring to charge electric vehicles to 60% of the company's original proposal, compared to the 25% proposed in the staff-company deal. Commissioners also decided that spending to install chargers at auto dealers would get the same high priority as charging for transit and school buses.