Over the course of a career spent in the Alabama Legislature, in the leadership of the Business Council of Alabama, and as the President of Manufacture Alabama, I have learned one enduring truth about economic development: nothing happens without affordable, reliable energy.
Not a single factory opens its doors, not a single production line turns on, and not a single job is created without it. Energy is the foundation upon which Alabama’s industrial economy is built. That is why I am compelled to speak out in strong support of Senate Bill 360 — legislation that I believe represents the most consequential energy reform in our state’s modern history.
Alabama’s manufacturers compete in a global marketplace where margins are thin and input costs are everything. When a company is deciding where to locate or expand a plant, energy cost and reliability sit at the very top of the ledger.
I have spent decades in rooms where those decisions are made, and I can tell you without reservation that Alabama’s ability to offer competitive, stable energy rates has been one of our most powerful recruiting tools. Senate Bill 360 protects and strengthens that advantage at a moment when we can least afford to lose it.
The legislation delivers three reforms that, taken together, position Alabama for a generation of economic growth.
First, Senate Bill 360 freezes Alabama Power’s rates for three years. I cannot emphasize enough what this means for manufacturers operating in this state. Across the Southeast and the nation, energy costs are rising.
Every manufacturer in every competing state is watching utility bills climb and adjusting their projections accordingly. Alabama’s manufacturers will not have to. For three years, their energy costs will be locked in — a level of predictability that is almost unheard of in today’s environment.
While rates increase across the nation over the next three years, the retail base rate in Alabama will not change. That stability does not just help existing businesses plan and invest with confidence. It gives Alabama a talking point that no other state in the region can match.
Second, the bill creates a cabinet-level Secretary of Energy appointed by the governor. This is a signal — and in economic development, signals matter enormously.
When a Fortune 500 company evaluates Alabama, they want to know that energy policy is a priority at the highest levels of state government. A cabinet-level energy position tells them exactly that. The Secretary will provide strategic leadership and direction for the regulatory agency, ensuring that Alabama’s energy policy is proactive and forward-looking rather than purely reactive.
And for those who worry this concentrates too much authority in a single office, the legislation is clear: the elected commissioners can overrule the Secretary with a vote of five members, and no regulatory action can take place without a vote of the full commission. The checks are real and meaningful.
Third, and most fundamentally, Senate Bill 360 reforms the Public Service Commission itself, expanding it from three statewide commissioners to seven commissioners elected by congressional district.
I spent years in the Legislature, and I understand the power of local representation. When a commissioner is elected by the people of a specific district, that commissioner knows the industries in that district, knows the workforce challenges, knows whether reliable power is reaching the rural areas where many of our manufacturers operate.
A seven-member commission rooted in local communities will be more informed, more responsive, and more accountable than the current structure allows. The transition is thoughtfully designed — staggered appointments give way to full elections by 2030, with all commissioners serving six-year terms that promote continuity and expertise.
I helped create Manufacture Alabama because I believe that manufacturing is the backbone of this state’s economy. Our manufacturers employ hundreds of thousands of Alabamians in jobs that support families and sustain communities from the Tennessee Valley to the Gulf Coast.
Those jobs exist in part because Alabama has historically offered an energy environment that allows manufacturers to compete. But the landscape is changing.
Energy demand is surging, driven by industrial growth. States across the South are racing to position themselves as energy-friendly destinations for investment. Alabama cannot afford to stand still while the competition moves forward.
Senate Bill 360 is not a partisan proposal. It is a pragmatic, pro-growth reform that freezes rates for consumers, modernizes our regulatory structure, and elevates energy to the strategic priority it must be if Alabama is going to win the economic battles ahead.
In all my years in public policy and economic development, I have rarely seen a single piece of legislation that so directly and meaningfully strengthens Alabama’s competitive position.
I urge the Legislature to pass Senate Bill 360. Alabama’s manufacturers, their workers, and the communities that depend on them are counting on it.
George Clark is a former member of the Alabama Legislature, former Chief Operating Officer of the Business Council of Alabama, and the former President of Manufacture Alabama.
