Three years ago, Angelia Pressley started tuning in to Georgia Public Service Commission meetings and learned how much power the little-known regulatory body had over the lives of the state’s residents.

The commission, which is made up of five elected officials, could approve or deny electricity rate hikes, create energy efficiency standards and determine what percentage of the state’s energy portfolio was made up of clean energy over fossil fuels. As the commission’s own website states, its decisions “affect the lives of every Georgian each time a landline telephone is picked up, a light is turned on or a gas burner is used.”

Despite that mighty responsibility, Pressley said she couldn’t help but feel like commissioners were making decisions that prioritized utility company profits over the needs of residents. In the last two years, the commission has approved historic rate increases requested by Georgia Power, the state’s largest electric utility. As a result, the average Georgian saw their utility bills rise by 33 percent, or around $500 a year per household.

She was also outraged to see the commission approving natural gas plants to power the influx of data centers coming to the area. So in 2024, the environmental sustainability consultant and Clark Atlanta University faculty member decided to run for one of the open commission seats.

This year, women of color — like Pressley — are running for these seats in places like Montana, Alabama, Georgia and Arizona. If they win, they’ll bring much needed representation for the people in their communities, who are disproportionately affected by the rising cost of living, data center development and environmental pollution.

As of 2022, just 35 percent of utility commissioners were women, and 82 percent of all commissioners were White, according to data compiled by the Chisholm Legacy Project, a nonprofit that advocates for climate justice. According to Ballotpedia, Republicans control all 10 commissions that have elected commissioners. Nine of those commissions have elections this year.

Read the full article about utility commissioners by Jessica Kutz at The 19th.