MONTGOMERY, Ala.—For some incumbents, politics have turned sour in sweet home Alabama. In the May 26 primary election for two seats on the Public Service Commission, the state’s utility regulator, voters rejected one incumbent and sent another to a runoff. The electoral shakeup comes as Alabamians are increasingly concerned about economic issues, including utility prices. […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala—Sheila McNeil thought she knew the race ahead of her. Without a primary challenger, McNeil knew she was slated to be the Democratic nominee for a seat on the Public Service Commission, the state agency charged with regulating utilities like Alabama Power. Then, after the conclusion of the Republican primary process, McNeil would compete […]

A yearslong court battle over the 21.7 million tons of coal ash sitting in one of Alabama’s most ecologically sensitive areas will continue after an appeals court ruling handed down Monday. The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a lawsuit by Alabama-based environmental group Mobile Baykeeper challenging Alabama Power’s plans to leave the […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala.—Despite setbacks and some significant legislative defeats, Alabama environmentalists’ biggest takeaway from the 2026 legislative session is that growing citizen opposition to weak regulation and high energy prices has put real pressure on elected officials and begun to change the political landscape, slowly but surely. “This legislative session was one of the most intense […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Alabama Power customers aren’t giving up yet. On Monday, around two dozen of them marched from Birmingham’s Kelly Ingram Park to the nearby headquarters of the investor-owned utility company to make that much clear. “Public utilities should be for the public,” one protestor’s sign said. “No more guaranteed profits.” “Power to the people,” another […]

In Alabama, a years-long battle over one of the nation’s highest backup fees for residential solar customers may have finally come to an end. A federal judge ruled last week that Alabama Power can continue charging its small solar customers one of the highest standby charges in the nation, dismissing a lawsuit that argued the […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala.—High electricity costs have been the talk of the session in the Alabama Legislature, and the state seems poised to totally revamp its utility regulatory process. But which changes will be made and how effective those changes will be are very much in question, as the session winds down with multiple utility bills still […]