Where the Candidates Stand: Josh Tolbert on Climate & Energy

Josh Tolbert, a Republican candidate for the Georgia Public Service Commission's District 5 seat, has laid out his positions ahead of the November 3 election. Georgia voters statewide can vote in this race regardless of where they live. Tolbert, an engineer with experience across nuclear, coal, gas, and renewable power facilities, says he supports Georgians having access to distributed power like rooftop or plug-in solar, framing it as one way to bring down electricity prices through competition.

On climate policy, Tolbert has said stricter environmental laws often cost jobs and raise prices, and he favors innovation and market solutions over new regulations. He does not view climate change as requiring urgent policy action. On energy costs, he has pledged to keep expenses tied to whoever causes them, rather than shifting costs from big users, like data centers, onto household ratepayers. He calls himself "pro-data center" for the economic benefits they bring, but has also warned regulators against building excess power infrastructure for data centers at residents' expense.

On nuclear power, Tolbert says he likes the technology but thinks it's overregulated and too expensive, pointing to the high cost of Georgia's Plant Vogtle reactor project. He says he'd only back future nuclear projects if cost overruns fell on private investors, not utility customers. In the meantime, he considers natural gas the most reliable and affordable option for meeting rising electricity demand. His positions on electric vehicles and on energy costs burdening lower-income households were not available.