My Priorities & Key Issues
Georgia needs Public Service Commissioners who rely on facts, engineering, and real-world experience — not politics.
The PSC’s decisions determine what families pay, how reliable our utilities are, and how well our state is positioned for the decades ahead.
While electric utility regulation is the Commission’s most visible responsibility, the PSC also oversees natural gas systems and telecommunications infrastructure across Georgia. Together, these systems directly affect affordability, safety, reliability, and economic development.
With deep experience across nuclear, coal, natural gas, biomass, geothermal, renewables, and industrial facilities, I bring the technical perspective Georgia ratepayers deserve.
Protect Ratepayers With Real Technical Oversight
Deliver Reliable & Resilient Utility Systems
Improve Environmental Performance Through Engineering, Not Mandates
I’ve built my career on solving complex problems through hard work, collaboration, and accountability. That same mindset is what’s missing in politics today — and it’s what I’ll bring to the Public Service Commission.
JOSH IS DEPENDING ON YOU
Will you contribute today to help us bring Josh’s solutions-focused voice to the Georgia Public Service Commission?
governance
Protect Ratepayers With Real Technical Oversight
Every major utility project — whether electric, gas, or telecom — ultimately appears on the monthly bills paid by families and small businesses. When proposals are built on optimistic assumptions, incomplete data, or poor cost estimates, ratepayers absorb the impact.
As a professional engineer who has worked inside pulp and paper mills, steel plants, manufacturing facilities, chemical operations, and multiple forms of power generation, I understand what drives utility costs in the real world.
As commissioner, I will:
Scrutinize proposals using engineering standards, not sales pitches
Guard against unnecessary or poorly justified investments
Demand accuracy in forecasting and cost estimation
Ensure competitive procurement and transparent evaluation
Protect rural and underserved communities from disproportionate rate impacts
Georgia’s utility customers should never be asked to finance speculative ideas or poorly justified projects. Cost discipline and accountability must come first.
Infrastructure
Deliver Reliable & Resilient Utility Systems
Reliability is the foundation of safety, economic growth, and quality of life. It means more than keeping the lights on — it includes:
A dependable electric grid
Stable and secure natural gas delivery
Telecommunications systems that function when people need them most
I have worked with nearly every major generation technology and inside the industries that depend on continuous, reliable service — including power plants, SMR development, industrial steam systems, and large manufacturing facilities.
As commissioner, I will:
Ensure Georgia maintains sufficient reserve margins
Support necessary investments in transmission and distribution
Strengthen natural gas pipeline reliability and system resilience
Promote durable telecommunications infrastructure across the state
Evaluate new or emerging technologies based on realistic engineering analysis
Georgia’s growing economy — including large data centers and new industrial development — demands utility systems that are resilient, well-planned, and engineered for real-world conditions. Reliability is not negotiable.
Environment
Improve Environmental Performance Through Engineering, Not Mandates
Georgia can reduce waste, improve efficiency, and strengthen environmental performance through sound engineering and responsible planning — not by shifting costs onto families and small businesses.
I have evaluated energy systems from nuclear to geothermal, worked with U.S. and international regulators, and overseen complex safety and performance analyses. I understand both the opportunities and limitations of different technologies.
Responsible environmental progress means:
Encouraging efficiency, modernization, and emissions reduction when they improve reliability or lower long-term costs
Supporting cleaner or more efficient technologies only when benefits are measurable and verifiable
Aligning risks with those who create them — not shifting them to ratepayers
Rejecting costly mandates that burden families without delivering real performance improvements
Environmental performance should be practical, disciplined, and grounded in engineering. My decisions will always prioritize affordability, reliability, and responsible environmental outcomes — when, and only when, they benefit Georgia ratepayers.
Join the Movement
Volunteer for Josh
Let’s bring practical leadership back to government, grounded in facts, guided by faith, and focused on people. Together, we can make Georgia stronger, more affordable, and full of opportunity for everyone who calls it home. Join Team Tolbert today!
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