Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund (GCVEF) is the Georgia state affiliate of the left-leaning League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (LCVEF), a national advocacy organization for left-leaning environmentalist policy. It is the charitable nonprofit arm of the lobbying group Georgia Conservation Voters. The organization opposes nuclear energy ¹ and its executive director is a plaintiff in a lawsuit arguing that at-large election of public utility commissioners in Georgia violates the Voting Rights Act. ²

Recent Activities

Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund advocates against the development of nuclear energy in Georgia. ³ The group advocates for banning nuclear energy ⁴ and supports the election of anti-nuclear members of the Georgia Public Service Commission. It has advocated against the building of two new units for Plant Vogtle, a nuclear power facility in Georgia, calling the plant as a “financial burden” on the state. ⁵ The group’s “Ratepayer Robbery” press release argues that Georgia should focus on weather-dependent energy sources such as solar energy. ⁶  

Redistricting Advocacy

In 2020, Brionte McCorkle, executive director of the Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund, became a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit that sought to change the framework under which commissioners who regulate Georgia’s public utilities are elected. The lawsuit claimed that “the statewide campaign system is stacked against Black voters, leaving their interests unprotected.” It condemned the statewide method of electing members to Georgia’s Public Service Commission, arguing that the method dilutes the voting strength of Black voters and is a violation of the Voting Rights Act. ⁷

Donations to PAC Affiliate

Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund’s affiliated political action committee, the Georgia Conservation Voters Action Fund, received $80,000 from Communications Workers of America Working Voices, the super PAC of the left-wing labor union that represents employees in the telecommunications, airline, journalism and other industries Communications Workers of America, in 2020. GCV Action Fund also received $25,000 from Sunrise PAC in 2020, the political action committee of the left-of-center Sunrise Movement that supports radical environmentalist legislation such as the “Green New Deal.” ⁸

Leadership

Jason Rooks is the president of the Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. ⁹ He has lobbied the Georgia General Assembly and consulted on political campaigns in Georgia. He also directed Taxpayers for Energy Efficiency, a campaign that succeeded in advocating for the passage of a ballot initiative that expanded public funding for weather-dependent energy in Georgia. ¹⁰

Board member Ontario Smith is co-founder of S2 Partners, an advisory service.

Communications coordinator Alexis Greenblatt emphasizes the “intersection of voting rights and environmental advocacy.” ¹¹

1. “Ratepayer Robbery – The True Cost of Plant Vogtle.” Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. December 2021. Accessed August 8, 2022. https://www.gcvedfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GCV-Votgle-2.8.22.pdf.
2. “Georgia’s Redistricting Map Marches Into Court.” Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. March 29, 2022. https://www.gcvedfund.org/georgias-redistricting-maps-march-into-court/.
3. ^[1] “Ratepayer Robbery: Plant Vogtle’s Units 3 & 4.” Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. Accessed August 8, 2022. https://www.gcvedfund.org/plant-vogtle/.
4. “Ratepayer Robbery – The True Cost of Plant Vogtle.” Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. December 2021. Accessed August 8, 2022. https://www.gcvedfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GCV-Votgle-2.8.22.pdf.
5. “Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund Releases Comprehensive Report on Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4.” Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. January 3, 2022. https://www.gcvedfund.org/georgia-conservation-voters-education-fund-releases-comprehensive-report-on-plant-vogtle-units-3-and-4/.
6. “Ratepayer Robbery – The True Cost of Plant Vogtle.” Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. December 2021. Accessed August 8, 2022. https://www.gcvedfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GCV-Votgle-2.8.22.pdf.
7. “Georgia’s Redistricting Map Marches Into Court.” Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. March 29, 2022. https://www.gcvedfund.org/georgias-redistricting-maps-march-into-court/.
8.  “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Georgia Conservation Voters Action Fund.” OpenSecrets. Accessed August 8, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?cycle=2020&vendor=Georgia+Conservation+Voters+Action+Fund
9. ^[1] “Meet the Board.” Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. Accessed August 8, 2022. https://www.gcvedfund.org/board/.
10. “Proposed Constitutional Amendments.” Georgia Secretary of State. Accessed August 8, 2022. https://www.augustaga.gov/Archive/ViewFile/Item/2291.
11. “Who We Are.” Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. Accessed August 8, 2022. https://www.gcvedfund.org/team/.