Report: Federal energy policies could cost Georgia jobs, raise bills

A new analysis found that Georgia families could lose thousands of jobs while they pay hundreds more a year for energy due to federal energy policies enacted since January 2025.

The nonpartisan think tank Energy Innovation released the report that says Georgia’s economy could lose up to 11,000 jobs and $2.4 billion in GDP by 2030.

Robbie Orvis is the senior director for modeling and analysis for Energy Innovation. He said the affordability crisis could get worse.

“People in Georgia are facing an affordability crisis in their utility bills, at the gas pump and with healthcare costs. The policies put in place by this administration and Congress will make all three far worse,” Orvis said.

The analysis shows that Georgia households could face $34 billion in total costs, which equates to about $710 a year per household by 2035. That number could rise to $870 by 2040.

The report argued that reliance on fossil fuels is part of the problem, with Georgia getting about 40% of its electricity from natural gas.

Orvis said more pollution from burning fossil fuels will negatively impact public health.

“Burning more fossil fuels also dramatically increases air pollution, making people sicker and causing premature death. In Georgia, that’s expected to cost Georgians about $1.5 billion in higher healthcare costs over the next 15 years,” Orvis said.

The report predicted that Georgia will lose more than 20 gigawatts of potential onshore wind, battery storage and utility-scale solar projects by 2040.