This story was provided by WABE content partner Georgia Recorder.
Georgia Power’s plan to saddle its customers with a 12% electricity rate hike over the next three years will be decided by a Public Service Commission that’s the focus of a federal trial this week that claims Black residents suffer disproportionately from higher utility bills and are disenfranchised by the state regulator’s candidacy rules.
On Monday, lawyers delivered opening statements and the first witnesses took the stand in an Atlanta U.S. District courtroom as the Rose vs. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger lawsuit got its first hearing. Four Black Fulton and DeKalb county residents allege that the voting strength of Black people is eroded by a statewide election process used to elect the Public Service Commission.
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