Ratcliffe allowed Garrett to take his position knowing full well, and in spite of, the political sensitivities that existed in all three states He publicly denies favoring Georgia’s position, but most of Southern Company’s political playing pieces seem to be working on behalf of Georgia.

The Atlanta Metro area is Southern Company’s biggest and richest market. It also has the more potential for growth than any other area in Southern’s footprint. On the flip side, an adverse result for Atlanta in the water dispute would be disastrous to the Southern Company. Southern stands to lose more if Atlanta loses water sources than it will if Alabama and Florida lose.

So we now have Georgia Power’s President performing in a Governmental capacity on an issue that will directly affect his company’s bottom line. How can Ratcliffe ignore the obvious conflicts of interest created by that scenario and still say that Southern Company is somehow neutral?

Alabama Power and Gulf Power customers are still Southern Company customers. That fact alone should be enough for Ratcliffe to maintain at least the appearance of neutrality.