ATLANTA – Rep. Jason Shaw will take over the South Georgia post on the state Public Service Commission once longtime commissioner Doug Everett steps down at the end of the year.

Everett, an 81-year-old who has held the position since 2003, announced his retirement this month. Gov. Nathan Deal said Tuesday he has appointed Shaw to finish the rest of Everett’s term, which runs through 2020. Shaw will be sworn in Jan. 1.

A special election will be held some time early next year to replace the Lakeland Republican, who has held the House seat for eight years.

“I’m proud of my record and what we’ve been able to do and where things are still headed,” Shaw said Tuesday. “This is a new challenge, and I’ll have a lot to learn — and I look forward to that challenge.”

The commission is a five-member board that regulates electricity, natural gas and telecommunications and determines what rates Georgians pay for these services.

Members serve six-year terms and run for office statewide.

Shaw pledged to take a critical look at the controversial Plant Vogtle expansion project, which is now billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. The project will add two nuclear reactors to the Burke County plant.

“From what I know, the project is in a lot better shape than it was when the original contractor went bankrupt and caused a lot of issues,” Shaw said, referring to Westinghouse.

“At the same time, I will be someone who will be quick to scrutinize and make sure that anything that’s approved is reasonable and prudent,” he said.

Southern Nuclear – a subsidiary of Southern Company, which is the parent company of Georgia Power – took over the Vogtle project after Westinghouse went bankrupt last year.

Shaw said Vogtle is an important part in Georgia’s plan to provide safe and reliable energy for a growing state, but he said he also sees solar energy as a key component.

And even though the commission does not regulate broadband, Shaw said he will continue to champion the need for high-speed Internet connections in rural Georgia.

Shaw was first elected to the House in 2010, when he ran for the seat his father, the late Jay Shaw, had held since 1994 before serving on the state Department of Transportation Board.

As chair of the House Transportation Appropriations Committee, the South Georgia olive farmer and insurance agency owner is part of the leadership in the House.

 

Jill Nolin covers the Georgia Statehouse for The Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI’s newspapers and websites.