![Preston Thomas, a lawyer for the Georgia Public Service Commission, recommends to state regulators during a hearing Sept. 15, 2022, that 25 applicants who wanted to become official parties in the Georgia Power rate case should either work under the umbrella of an environmental justice agency or speak during the public comment periods. Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Power](https://www.gpb.org/sites/default/files/styles/flexheight/public/2022-09/preston_thomas_psc_img-2304-768x426.jpg?itok=UxbPucBP)
Caption
On Sept. 15, Preston Thomas, a lawyer for the Georgia Public Service Commission, speaks to state regulators. The first hearings on Georgia Power’s request to raise electricity rates by 12% are scheduled for Sept. 27-29, 2022.
Credit: Stanley Dunlap / Georgia Power