By David Pendered – Saporta Report Paycheck-to-paycheck workers may be especially vulnerable to higher-than-standard power bills after a new rate program for Georgia Power takes effect Jan. 1, 2021, according to the consumer advocacy group Georgia...
More infoA win for energy equity
On July 16, the Georgia Public Service Commission approved a long-range plan for Georgia Power to meet the state’s energy needs over the next 20 years. Every three years, the utility is required to file an Integrated Resource (IRP) and Demand Side...
More infoCFPB Payday Rule Rollback Puts Georgians at Risk
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) moved to gut the agency’s own consumer protections against predatory payday and car-title lenders, leaving people exposed to the harms of these predatory products. Georgia thankfully already has a...
More infoCourt Holds First Hearing in Challenge to Georgia Public Service Commission’s Approval of Plant Vogtle Cost Increases
Atlanta, GA, October 31, 2018—Today Georgia groups argued before the Fulton County Superior Court in their challenge to the Georgia Public Service Commission’s (PSC) decision to approve a revised price tag amounting to billions of dollars in cost overruns...
More infoLiz Coyle joins CFPB Advisory Board
Later this month, Georgia Watch Executive Director Liz Coyle will be joining the Consumer Advisory Board and offering her perspective as a consumer advocate on issues before the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. “I look forward to engaging...
More infoGeorgia Watch releases: “Making Small-Dollar Lending Safer for Georgians”
In 2011, Shelby B. from Rockdale, Georgia pawned her car title in exchange for $1,700. Four years and $5,400 later, she finally made the last payment to get her title back. Shelby, like many Georgians, took out a small-dollar loan and suffered financial...
More infoRecession fears fueled cash concerns for Vogtle minority owner
Kristi E. Swartz, E&E News reporter Published: Friday, April 13, 2018 Photo courtesy of E&E News Dalton Utilities Inc.’s CEO was concerned that an economic recession could hamper his company’s ability to pay for its share of a nuclear...
More infoDOE zeroed out millions in fees for Vogtle loan guarantee
By Hannah Northey and Kristi E. Swartz, E&E News reporters Published: Thursday, April 12, 2018 Utilities developing the nation’s first nuclear reactors in decades didn’t have to pay fees designed to prevent taxpayer risk when they secured a...
More infoSouthern Co. defends role in Vogtle setbacks
By Kristi E. Swartz, E&E News reporter ATLANTA – Emotions ran high at yesterday’s Georgia Public Service Commission hearing, where the future of the nation’s lone nuclear project remains in the balance. Executives from Southern...
More infoConsumer Financial Protection Bureau releases federal regulations that protect against abusive predatory lending
ATLANTA, GA, October 5, 2017 – Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule designed to protect consumers from payday and title pawn lending. The rule stems from over five years of research, as the CFPB recognized the devastating...
More infoNACA, Georgia Watch Call on Rep. Loudermilk of Georgia to Withdraw His Bill That Favors Equifax, Credit Bureaus Over Harmed Consumers
ATLANTA- In light of the astonishing announcement of credit reporting agency Equifax’s security breach which impacts the personal information of more than 140 million consumers, National Association of Consumer Advocates and Georgia Watch call on...
More infoCourt to Hear Wells Fargo’s Bid to Block Georgians From Overdraft Fee Class Action
New CFPB rule would ban clauses that keep these cases out of court unless Congress vetoes it ATLANTA- On Thursday, a federal appeals court in Atlanta will hear arguments in Wells Fargo’s ongoing quest to stop consumers in 49 states, including...
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