Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh announced Monday that she would seek re-election as president of the Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC).
Cavanaugh was elected to her current term in 2020.
According to a news release, Cavanaugh’s “service on the PSC has been notable for her refusal to cave to the whims of out-of-state environmental lobbyists who have attempted to influence Alabama’s energy decisions during her tenure.”
“Sound energy policy is the foundation for all that we want to achieve as a state,” Cavanaugh said in a statement. “Our entire economy depends on access to reliable and affordable energy, and Alabama families depend on it for their quality of life.”
Cavanaugh said she’s “running again because I refuse to stand by and let Joe Biden and the liberals in Washington ruin our country with their unrealistic and unworkable ideas on energy and the environment,” Cavanaugh said. “Biden’s effort to deny Americans the use of oil, coal and natural gas has made energy far more expensive. That’s why I will continue fighting him and his liberal environmental supporters every step of the way until we get full use of the resources God provided for our benefit.”
A recent analysis by Opelika-Auburn News and the Dothan Eagle found Alabama’s average monthly residential electricity bills were the third-highest in the nation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The state falls behind Hawaii and Connecticut.
Alabama Power issued four rate hikes in 2022, approved by the Alabama Public Service Commission. Commissioners blamed the most recent increases on President Joe Biden, according to Opelika-Auburn News and the Dothan Eagle.
Cavanaugh said in a statement Monday that “despite Joe Biden’s best efforts to oppose us, our commitment to utilizing coal and natural gas for energy production kept the heat on for millions of Alabamians during some of the coldest weather on record.”
A graduate of Auburn University, she is married to local veterinarian Jeff Cavanaugh. They have three children and two grandchildren.
According to the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, Cavanaugh’s campaign has a leftover balance of $78,166.13 from her previous run.
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