Press Releases
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Georgia Public Service Commission approves astonishing amount of fossil fuel energy capacity, on pledge data center boom will come
ATLANTA—This morning, the Georgia Public Service Commission voted to approve Georgia Power’s long-term energy plan that threatens to roll back promised relief for billpayers and allows the utility to build or buy an extraordinary amount of new capacity to meet the demand of data centers the company pledges are headed to the state. Fossil fuels, including keeping coal plants online indefinitely, will drive much of the new capacity.
Congress Passes Bill That Cuts Critical Funding for Congregational Solar Projects
ATLANTA—Yesterday, Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill that will have devastating impacts on faithful Georgians and the environment. Among cuts to many community assistance programs, the bill notably guts clean energy tax credits that have led to a more than 50 percent increase in congregational solar installations over the last four years through Georgia Interfaith Power and Light’s (GIPL) Solar-Wise program.

Georgia Public Service Commission approves Georgia Power’s request to bypass bill transparency hearings
ATLANTA—Today, the Georgia Public Service Commission voted to approve a request by Georgia Power to bypass a monthslong legal process that would have given the public and advocates the opportunity to examine the financials behind a historic request for new fossil fuel capacity that will cost billions.

As Clean Energy Incentives Face Rollback, Dunwoody United Methodist Church Invests in Solar to Safeguard Future
Dunwoody, Ga—With federal clean energy tax credits under threat, Dunwoody United Methodist Church is demonstrating what climate resilience can look like. Through Georgia Interfaith Power & Light’s (GIPL) Solar-Wise program, the congregation recently installed a 152-kilowatt solar energy system—a bold investment in sustainability, stewardship, and long-term savings.

GIPL Scales Up ReWilding Program with Plans to Plant Nearly 2,000 Trees Across Georgia
ATLANTA—Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL) is proud to announce a major expansion of their ReWilding Program to advance tree equity across Georgia. In partnership with Trees Atlanta, Food Well Alliance, and local congregations throughout the state, GIPL plans to distribute and help plant 1,850 trees over the next three years in neighborhoods that currently lack adequate tree canopy.

Georgia Power, Public Service Commission staff agree to cut the public out of bill-making process
ATLANTA—Today, Georgia Power and the Georgia Public Service Commission Public Interest Advocacy Staff announced an agreement reached behind closed doors to settle how much Georgia’s data center boom will cost customers, shutting residents, small-business owners, and advocates out of the traditionally public process of deciding bill hikes.

Trinity Episcopal, Statesboro, Plants Food Forest to Boost Climate Resilience and Access to Fresh Produce
Statesboro, Ga. — With support from Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL), Trinity Episcopal Church in Statesboro, Georgia, has planted a new food forest on its campus, expanding its community garden and deepening its commitment to environmental sustainability. Funded by generous donors and a grant from GIPL’s Four Directions Fund, the project aims to provide fresh produce to the local community, particularly those served by the Statesboro Food Bank, while modeling regenerative land use and climate resilience.
North Decatur United Methodist Church Powers Up with Solar Energy
Decatur, Ga. —This Earth Month, North Decatur United Methodist Church (NDUMC) is celebrating a major step toward sustainability with the recent interconnection of its 56 kW solar energy system to Georgia Power’s grid. Made possible through Georgia Interfaith Power and Light’s (GIPL) Solar-Wise program, this project underscores the church’s commitment to environmental stewardship and energy independence while significantly reducing long-term utility costs.

Over 300 Faith Leaders Gather in Atlanta to Discuss Climate Solutions at GIPL’s 2025 Green Team Summit
ATLANTA — In the wake of recent cuts to federal environmental funding, over 300 faith leaders from more than 100 congregations across Georgia gathered at Northside United Methodist Church on Sunday, February 23, 2025, for Georgia Interfaith Power & Light’s (GIPL) annual Green Team Summit. The event, themed “Seeding Life,” focused on empowering faith communities to continue to take action on climate change and advocate for sustainable practices in Georgia.

Georgia Power asks to burn more risky, polluting fossil fuels
ATLANTA— Today, Georgia Power asked the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) for an extraordinary increase in fossil fuels to supply power-hungry facilities, like data centers, swarming to the state.

Georgia Interfaith Power & Light Announces Inaugural ReWilding Grant Recipients
Decatur, Ga. — Faith-based environmental nonprofit, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL), has awarded over $11,000 to twelve congregations across Georgia to pilot a new ReWilding program for sacred grounds. Sustainable land use is a pivotal and often overlooked climate solution. Projects across these congregations include invasive species removal, vegetable gardens that will supplement food pantries, native plants and pollinators, and rain gardens.

Second Congregation in Georgia Goes Solar with GIPL and Georgia BRIGHT
Statesboro, Ga. — Last week, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Statesboro (UUFS) became the second faith community in Georgia to complete a solar installation with Georgia BRIGHT—a first-of-its-kind solar leasing program designed to help low to moderate-income communities cut power bills and carbon emissions. UUFS follows Trinity Episcopal Church, also in Statesboro, which completed a solar installation with Georgia BRIGHT in August 2024.

Georgia revokes biomass facility’s unlawful air permit after conservation groups’ legal challenge
ATLANTA —The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has revoked the permit amendment of a biomass wood pellet facility after the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), on behalf of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) and Sierra Club, mounted a legal challenge arguing the amendment violated the Clean Air Act.

Georgia Public Service Commission approves shockingly high contract price for biomass energy
ATLANTA — Today the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) voted to approve three contracts to burn woody biomass for energy that will result in several billions of dollars in cost overruns, impacting Georgia Power Customers’ bills for decades.

In honor of World River Day, over 200 faithful Georgians to pick trash out of Atlanta waterways
ATLANTA — This weekend on Sunday, Sept. 15, in celebration of World River Day, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL), the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, Ismaili CIVIC, and over 200 local faith leaders have teamed up to act upon a shared ethic of environmental stewardship and cleanup sites at seven major waterways in metro Atlanta: three in DeKalb County, two in Fulton County, one in Fayette County, and one in Gwinnett County.

Warnock’s Office To Mark IRA Anniversary with GIPL and Georgia BRIGHT in Statesboro
ATLANTA — In honor of the second anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL) is hosting a press conference with Senator Warnock’s office on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, at Trinity Episcopal Church, Statesboro, to celebrate the congregation’s new solar project made possible by the historic legislation.

Groups challenge Georgia biomass facility’s unlawful air permit
ATLANTA — Today the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), on behalf of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) and Sierra Club, is challenging a move by Georgia regulators to allow a biomass wood pellet plant to double its pollution limits without complying with Clean Air Act requirements.

Conservation Groups Petition EPA to Revoke Georgia’s CCR Permit Program
ATLANTA — Today the Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of Coosa River Basin Initiative, Altamaha Riverkeeper, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, the Sierra Club, and others, petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revoke Georgia’s Partial Coal Ash Permit Program because it allows coal ash pollution of Georgia’s water resources by authorizing disposal of toxic coal ash in the groundwater, in violation of national safety standards.
GIPL helps Oakhurst Presbyterian Church Secure Solar
Decatur, Ga. — As of Wednesday, July 10, 2024, with the help of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL), Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur now has the capacity to produce 20.6 kW of its own power thanks to 51 newly installed solar panels on the congregation’s roof. Visible from the street, these panels are a witness to the church’s work as stewards of Sacred Earth.

Nonprofit Helps Church in Statesboro Secure Solar Through Georgia BRIGHT Program
Statesboro, Ga.—Last month, with the help of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL), Trinity Episcopal Church in Statesboro, Georgia became the first faith community in the state to sign a solar energy procurement agreement (SEPA) with Georgia BRIGHT—a first-of-its-kind solar program designed to help low to moderate-income communities cut power bills and carbon emissions.