If you can’t make it in person you can tune in to the livestream or watch the recording at tinyurl.com/lpscyoutube.
Here are some items we’re watching:
Keep reading for a full rundown on these agenda items how they might affect you.
The Commission is hiring a consultant to assist with utilities’ Integrated Resource Plans. Entergy and Cleco have both recently filed to begin their Integrated Resource Planning, which is their proposal for how they plan to provide us with electricity for the next 15-20 years. They will determine how much power is needed, and explore different options for providing it to us. The utilities will decide whether to invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency, or new gas plants—choices that directly affect the cost of your energy bills and the reliability of our energy system. The Commission is hiring a consultant to help them in the process of determining whether their plan is prudent and in the best interest of customers.
The Commission will be voting on whether to increase the budget of the Public Entities program, which allocates funds to each commission office to provide energy efficiency upgrades to public buildings of their choosing — at schools, government buildings, or police departments, for example.
Historically, the public entities program has operated as a slush fund for commissioners to do what they please with the money with little oversight. But under the new set of energy efficiency rules passed in August 2025, there is increased oversight and budget caps for the program. The new rules capped the program budget at 0.25% of the utility’s 2023 total revenue, which The Alliance supported.
Also part of the changes passed in August, industrial companies are no longer required to participate or contribute financially to the energy efficiency program, which means the overall funds allocated to the program has decreased. Many commissioners don’t want to see the dollar amount for projects decrease, which is why they now want to adjust the budget cap. Tomorrow, the Commission will vote on whether to increase that cap to 0.5% of the utility’s 2023 total revenue. If passed, that would mean residents will see a bill increase in the New Year.
The Alliance does not support the proposed increased budget allocation for public entities.
As part of the energy efficiency rule changes passed in August 2025, each commissioner can nominate an engineer to provide services to their district. Each engineer will assist the Commission in evaluating submitted applications. The allowed budget for hiring the engineer is not to exceed 1% of the total budget of the Public Entities program.
Additionally, the Commission will hire a contractor to do evaluation, measurement, and verification of the energy efficiency program as a whole to make sure the program is effective and providing measurable savings to residents and businesses.
The Commission will consider two directives aimed at addressing electricity demand from data centers.
CM Lewis’ Directive: Directs staff to open a docket to develop a framework to give guidance to utilities and large customers, like data centers, on the consumer protections the Commission would use to ensure new (or expanding) large customers (and utilities) do not harm residents and other businesses. It calls for a transparent policy making process, developed with insight from experts and intended to balance the interests of residents, utilities, and other stakeholders.
CM Coussan’s Directive: Immediately removes guardrails and gives utilities and data centers “certainty” that they can build what they want with little scrutiny to serve resource intensive industries. It skips past any formal process and creates policy with no input from the public or any stakeholders and without weighing any possible unintended consequences. His directive waives the “market based mechanism” policy the Commission designed to ensure utilities source the lowest cost energy possible. Allowing utilities to bypass this process means we won’t know if the option they put forward is the cheapest available. Remember, the utility business model incentivizes them to spend more, not less, on investments like power plants, as those investments drive profits. The directive also dramatically speeds up the approval process for the investments, moving from a typical 10-12 month decision-making timeline to not more than seven months, which will hobble efforts to protect residents against bad deals.
As a regulator of electric utilities, the LPSC’s role is to set policy that weighs and balances the interests of all kinds of customers. Their job is not to find the “fastest” way to give a utility or single customer exactly what they want. Other regulators around the country are actually taking the time to consider how to balance the interests between residential customers whose bills are skyrocketing, and the companies that are promising unprecedented investments and jobs. States are doing this because people already can’t afford to keep the lights on, and are increasingly vocal about shutting these projects down, which, among other negative impacts, are raising household electricity costs.
The Alliance encourages you to attend the LPSC’s December meeting if you’re able and provide your input by submitting public comment at the meeting.
Where: Natchitoches Event Center, 750 Second St Natchitoches, LA 71457
When: Wednesday, December 17 at 10am
Agenda: Click here to view the regular agenda. Click here to view the supplemental agenda.
Can’t make it in person to Baton Rouge? Tune in via livestream at tinyurl.com/LPSCyoutube or follow our live coverage of the meeting on Twitter/X.
While you must attend the meeting in person to submit public comment, that’s why The Alliance exists. We know most people don’t have the time or energy to go to obscure meetings like these and, while it’s critical that your voice is heard, know that AAE will be advocating on your behalf and behalf of all Louisianans at LPSC meetings.
