Since 1985, AAE has been working to ensure equitable, affordable, and environmentally responsible energy policy for ALL Louisiana energy consumers. We are Louisiana's only dedicated Watchdog working to protect consumer rights at the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and New Orleans City Council. Most states have organizations like ours that are supported by state allocated funds. We do not receive any funding from the city or state, and rely on our members, corporate sponsors, and foundations to keep our "lights on". We appreciate all support and we look forward to at least another 30 years of making sure your energy is economically and environmentally sustainable.
|
Latest stories from
THE WATCHDOGWe Cannot Be Silent: A letter to all allies against White Supremacy
|
Invest in an affordable and clean energy future,
become a member! Make Your Voice Heard!
Receive regular updates and breaking energy news. |
Our Work
Hurricane Ida Update: How did the grid fail so dramatically in our city and throughout Louisiana?
Consumer Protection
|
Clean EnergyThe Alliance’s Clean Energy Program seeks to identify opportunities for and support the growth of clean energy resources in Louisiana. Our commitment to transforming the utility and energy regulatory environment at the most fundamental levels ensures Louisiana will not stand idly by as the effects of climate change ravage our communities and our coastline. |
Energy EfficiencyThrough our Energy Efficiency Program we advocate for energy regulatory policy and programming that maximize our energy resources and minimize demand on energy infrastructure. By reducing our consumption of resources we are not only helping utility customers save on their bills, we are protecting our environment by establishing policy objectives for the responsible use of those energy resources and infrastructure. |
Learning Resources
Through our work, we have amassed a large collection of legal reports and documents. We have compiled New Orleans dockets, Louisiana Public Service Commission dockets, and Reports for public use.
Reports for Public Use
|
Energy Matters Blog
|
AAE's Tuesday radio show with
experts from around the globe |
|
|
|
|
Watch Now
With Louisiana's vast wealth of natural resources and industry, why do we stay so poor?
Learn about the beginnings of the Alliance for Affordable Energy.
One of our first battles: NOPSI and their $4 billion mistake, the Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Plant.
One of our first battles: NOPSI and their $4 billion mistake, the Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Plant.
How to Get Involved
Learn more about how to engage with these two important local and state regulatory bodies.
And read about our current dockets and issues below.
And read about our current dockets and issues below.
Current Dockets & Issues
Find out what AAE is currently working on and how it affects you!
New OrleansStorm ReserveEntergy New Orleans (ENO) and the Louisiana Utilities Restoration Corporation (LURC) filed an application to fund and finance storm recovery reserves. In the past few years "because of the economic hardships brought on by the pandemic," the Council allowed ENO to recover storm costs through the storm reserve rather than through customer bill increases. Now that the storm reserve fund is depleted, Entergy is "seeking authorization to replenish the storm reserve" with $150 million. The Alliance has intervened in the interest of ensuring stringent regulatory oversight of this emergency fund. Resilience & Storm HardeningThe Council opened this docket to improve resilience and storm hardening on Entergy's system, with a particular focus on reducing weather-related power outages. Hurricanes during the 2020-2021 season alone have caused $4.4 billion worth of damages, much of which will show up on Louisianans' bills. This new resilience docket is a great start to plan for a safer more climate-ready New Orleans. Winter Storm Uri Prudence InvestigationThe New Orleans City Council will conduct a prudence investigation of Entergy New Orleans' decision-making during Winter Storm Uri. The winter storm caused a Maximum Generation (or Max Gen) event within our electric market, MISO, and lead to rolling blackouts for Louisianans. Max Gen events should be unusual and fully investigated to make sure that all of the costs passed along to the customer are incurred prudently. Preliminary findings have indicated that ENO's mismanagement caused it to shed more than double the required load during the event. Triennial Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) of Entergy New Orleans (ENO)This is Entergy's public planning process by which they assess New Orleans' projected power supply needs for the next 20 years and then model the most cost effective energy solutions. The Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) process is a powerful tool for ensuring that New Orleans energy consumers receive affordable and reliable electricity service that does not compromise the health of their communities or the environment. The Alliance is intervening in Entergy's Triennial IRP to ensure that the needs and interests of communities across New Orleans are represented and protected. We are advocating for the most cost effective energy solutions: Energy Efficiency and other demand side solutions. We are also watching to ensure clean and renewable energy is being modeled on a fair playing field against the utility’s preferred fossil fueled plants. Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS)In response to a groundswell led by the Alliance, the New Orleans City Council has created a rulemaking process to develop the first Renewable Portfolio standard in the region. An RPS is a regulatory requirement that utilities meet a specified percentage (or wattage) of their power supply using qualified renewable resources. The Alliance is part of a coalition of local and national advocates working together to drive action on a standard that ensures equitable outcomes and centers resilience as a goal. On May 20, 2021 the full New Orleans City Council unanimously voted to adopt R-21-182, establishing a Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard (RCPS) for the city of New Orleans. |
Louisiana State
Evaluation & Assessment of Louisiana's Electric InfrastructureFollowing recent extreme weather events in Louisiana, Commission staff was directed to open two rulemakings, including R-36226, to evaluate the status of our electric infrastructure including maintenance and whether more could have been done for Louisiana customers. Similarly, R-36227 will look into resiliency and the possibility of hardening our grid for future storms. Energy Efficiency Phase II Rule MakingThe Louisiana Public Service Commission is finally firming up rules for mature energy efficiency programs across the state. Louisiana residents currently use 30% more electricity per household than the average American. We are advocating for the state to adopt rules that would dramatically cut our energy waste for all customers, which would mitigate the need for new gas-fired power plants. Read our Energy Efficiency 1-pager and the highlights of Louisiana's EE Quick Start Program Year 3 Customer Centered OptionsYes, 2020 might be the year to really shake things up at the Commission. With a fleet of aging power plants in the state, the LPSC needs to put all options on the table to mitigate significant bill increases that could result from a whole new fleet of power plants. It’s time to evaluate all of our existing resources, and think outside of the box. This rulemaking docket was opened in January to research and evaluate Customer-Centered Options. The phrase customer-centered options implies customer choice, and while the LPSC is addressing specific customer-centered options like energy efficiency and green tariffs in concurrent dockets, this docket serves as an opportunity to have a more robust conversation regarding energy regulation. As an intervenor in this docket The Alliance is pushing to:
Green Tariff OptionsGreen Tariffs can work really well and have multiple benefits including incorporating more renewable energy into the grid and attracting more commercial businesses, all while keeping costs low. Some folks are willing to spend a couple dollars more a month for the right to clean energy’s attributes, some aren’t. A renewable option allows for folks to choose. Here's the thing though. Just because Green Tariffs can have multiple benefits, does not mean that all Green Tariff policies are inherently good, and just because they are in place does not mean that they are useful. So, here’s our opportunity to push for renewable energy options that work for us! The Alliance is intervening in this docket to ensure the LPSC considers the best practices in Green Tariff development and that they implement them with an inclusive and attractive policy.
Entergy Louisiana (ELL) Application for Approval of Solar PortfolioApplication for certification and approval of the 2021 solar portfolio, rider geaux green option, cost recovery and related relief. Entergy Louisiana is seeking approval of their 2021 solar portfolio - including the addition of four new solar resources with 475 megawatt capacity. Entergy is also requesting authorization to implement a new green tariff, the Geaux Green Option. This tariff will allow eligible customers to choose to get some or all of their electricity from renewable resources by being able to receive value from both the energy from renewable energy projects along with the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) generated by such projects. Entergy will also seek cost recovery and related relief. |
