Josh Tolbert

Tolbert obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 2009, master's degrees in mechanical engineering and in engineering science and mechanics in 2012, and a doctorate in mechanical engineering in 2015, all from the University of Alabama. He worked as a residential contractor, automotive technician, and instructor before obtaining his doctorate.

Tolbert spent four years as chief technology officer and head of research & development at Practical Steam, Inc. and was the owner and chief technology officer for five years at Analytics Cubed. He later served as director of technology at the Energy Impact Center and as chief technology officer and vice president of engineering at Last Energy. As of the 2026 election, Tolbert was a consultant at Atlanta Experts, an engineering consulting firm he founded.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a licensed Professional Engineer and the Republican nominee for the Georgia Public Service Commission. I hold four engineering degrees, including a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, and I have spent my career designing and developing power plants and energy technologies across the United States and internationally.

I believe the complex, multibillion-dollar decisions before the Public Service Commission require strong technical expertise, rigorous oversight, and a relentless focus on affordability and reliability. I am running to bring an engineer’s perspective to the PSC by asking hard questions, digging into the details, and making decisions based on facts, engineering, and economics rather than politics or ideology.

I live in Cobb County with my wife, Mary, and our five children. I am running to help ensure every Georgian has access to affordable, reliable energy and that the decisions made today strengthen Georgia’s economy and energy system for decades to come.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Technical Expertise and Ratepayer Protection:

The Public Service Commission makes highly technical decisions about power generation, grid infrastructure, and billions of dollars in utility investment. I am a Professional Engineer with four engineering degrees, including a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, and 15 years of experience designing and developing power plants. I will bring independent engineering analysis to the Commission, scrutinize utility spending, and work to ensure Georgians receive reliable power at the lowest reasonable cost.Making Data Centers Pay Their Own Way:

Georgia’s rapid data center growth creates enormous new electricity demand. Growth can benefit our state, but existing families and businesses should not subsidize the infrastructure required to serve new large-load customers. I support strong cost-causation principles so data centers are responsible for the generation, transmission, distribution, and other system costs their demand creates, while protecting existing ratepayers from stranded costs if projected demand does not materialize.Reliable, Affordable and Pragmatic Energy Policy:

Georgia needs an energy system that is reliable, affordable, and capable of supporting continued economic growth. I believe every energy source should be evaluated as a tool and used where its engineering and economics make sense. I support investments in generation, transmission, efficiency, and new technologies when they provide measurable benefits to consumers. Decisions at the PSC should be driven by engineering, economics, and evidence—not political ideology.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am particularly passionate about energy affordability, grid reliability, infrastructure, and ensuring that government decisions are grounded in sound engineering and economics.

As a Professional Engineer who has spent my career in power generation, I care deeply about building an energy system that can support Georgia’s continued growth without placing unnecessary costs on families and small businesses. That includes rigorous review of utility investments, maintaining adequate and reliable generation, modernizing the grid, responsibly integrating new technologies and renewable resources, and ensuring that large new customers such as data centers pay the costs they impose on the system.

Campaign websiteTolbert's campaign website stated the following:My Priorities & Key IssuesGeorgia 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 OversightDeliver Reliable & Resilient Utility SystemsImprove Environmental Performance Through Engineering, Not MandatesI’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.Protect Ratepayers With Real Technical OversightGeorgia’s utility rates — electric, natural gas, and telecommunications — have increased significantly in recent years, placing growing pressure on families, small businesses, and rural communities. Every major utility decision ultimately appears on monthly bills, and when investments are based on optimistic assumptions, weak cost controls, or misallocated responsibility, ratepayers absorb the risk.Georgia should welcome economic growth and critical infrastructure investment. But growth must be matched with disciplined engineering review and clear cost causation. This principle applies across electric power, natural gas systems, and telecommunications infrastructure — from power plants and pipelines to transmission lines, substations, and broadband networks.Today, the most visible example is electric system expansion driven by large new loads such as data centers. Data centers bring economic opportunity, but they also create highly concentrated demand that can drive new generation, transmission, and distribution investments. While data centers should pay their incremental costs, that alone does not protect ratepayers if broader system costs tied to speculative or unproven load forecasts are shifted onto existing customers.Recently, the Public Service Commission certified approximately 10 gigawatts of new generation, much of it in anticipation of forecasted data center growth. If that load does not materialize at the expected scale or pace, the cost of excess capacity will fall on ratepayers — regardless of any temporary rate freeze. Financial risk does not disappear; it is deferred.The same risk exists with infrastructure upgrades. Transmission expansions, pipeline reinforcements, and network improvements that primarily serve large new customers can be justified as “system benefits” unless rigorously reviewed. Without strong technical oversight, ratepayers end up funding infrastructure built to serve a small number of high-demand users.As a professional engineer who has worked inside industrial facilities — including manufacturing plants, chemical operations, pulp and paper mills, steel facilities, and multiple forms of power generation — I understand how utility costs are created, allocated, and recovered in practice.As commissioner, I will:Scrutinize electric, natural gas, and telecommunications proposals using engineering standardsEvaluate load forecasts and infrastructure plans for realism and riskEnsure costs are allocated to those who cause them — not shifted onto ratepayersChallenge speculative investments and unsupported assumptionsDemand transparent cost estimates and competitive procurementProtect residential, rural, and small-business customers from disproportionate impactsThe General Assembly is considering legislation aimed at preventing data center-driven costs from being passed on to ratepayers. That is an important step — but laws alone are not enough. Without a technically competent Public Service Commission capable of enforcing cost causation and challenging flawed assumptions, statutory protections are meaningless.I am pro-growth, pro-business, and pro-data center. But I am equally committed to protecting Georgia’s ratepayers across all utility services. Strong infrastructure requires strong engineering — and strong, independent oversightDeliver Reliable & Resilient Utility SystemsReliability is the foundation of safety, economic growth, and quality of life. It means more than keeping the lights on — it includes:A dependable electric gridStable and secure natural gas deliveryTelecommunications systems that function when people need them mostI 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 marginsSupport necessary investments in transmission and distributionStrengthen natural gas pipeline reliability and system resiliencePromote durable telecommunications infrastructure across the stateEvaluate new or emerging technologies based on realistic engineering analysisGeorgia’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.Improve Engineering Performance Through Engineering, Not MandatesGeorgia 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 costsSupporting cleaner or more efficient technologies only when benefits are measurable and verifiableAligning risks with those who create them — not shifting them to ratepayersRejecting costly mandates that burden families without delivering real performance improvementsEnvironmental 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.— Josh Tolbert's campaign website (August 10, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

Campaign ads

"Meet Josh Tolbert – Engineer, Dad, Candidate for Georgia PSC" – Tolbert campaign ad, released February 23, 2026

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