Transparency for power companies?

Danny Orrock writes an op-ed in the AJC, Pro & Con: Do Georgia’s electric co-ops need better oversight?
Fundamental determinations like power rates and capital expenditures should not be made in the dark — if Georgia Power customers can participate, there’s no reason EMC customers shouldn’t have the same opportunity. Transparency benefits members and the utility. The situation at Cobb EMC would likely not be so contentious if members had been allowed to meaningfully engage with the board and management several years ago.
Sounds like a good idea, especially considering Cobb EMC is the one that wants to build a coal plant in Ben Hill County.

On the same page, Paul Wood argues that

EMCs already face scrutiny from a myriad of government agencies.
Maybe so, but that’s not the same as citizen scrutiny. And he manages to take offense:
Any effort to tarnish the exceptional reputation of the honorable women and men of Georgia’s electric cooperatives should be dismissed.
I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of tired of people who serve the public taking offense at the slightest criticism.

-jsq