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The Watchdog

A blog on energy matters in Louisiana!

Louisiana needs a People Powered Climate Plan

2/24/2021

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As we've reported in the past, in 2020 Louisiana's Governor kicked off a Climate Initiatives Task Force along with clear goals for reducing emissions to "net zero" across Louisiana over the coming three decades. The 23 full Task Force members represent the decision-making body; their work is divided across 6 Committees and 4 Advisory Groups, each composed of both task force members and additional relevant expertise. A full list of all Task Force Committee, and Advisory group members can be found here.

Much of the Task Force represents the interests of the "incumbent" power: oil and gas trade groups, manufacturing and business interests, and utilities, while a smaller portion of members represent environmental justice advocates, clean energy experts, and equity-focused allies.  In order to ensure the work of this Task Force and climate efforts to come  are informed by real Louisianans, we are working with organizations across the state to support public input and engagement. We know that climate action must be equitable, otherwise we will only double down on Louisiana's social and environmental injustices.

The Alliance is part of the region-wide people-powered effort called "Gulf South for A Green New Deal", which is a collaborative of grassroots organizations across the five states across the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana's efforts are focusing on the Climate Task Force, and also improving fair housing and the development of renewable energy across the state.

Over the next year, we are meeting regularly with anyone who is interested in building a people-centered set of recommendations to the task force and various agencies. Join us won't you!?

Let us know if you want in.


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Distributed Energy Resources are Poised to Revolutionize the Power System by Duncan Campbell

2/18/2021

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Article by Duncan Campbell
Originally published on Scale Microgrid Solutions
​February 17, 2021
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Our infrastructure was not designed for the new world we face.
In six months we’ve seen two black swan weather events cause an energy crisis. As we reckon with the systems engineering impact of extreme weather, energy resilience will undoubtedly emerge as an essential underpinning of our future grid. 

The first of these events was in August of 2020. A multi-state heat wave led to blackouts in California when the power system operator couldn’t secure adequate generation to meet immense air conditioning loads.

The second event is happening as we speak. A massive winter storm is delivering crushingly low temperatures across much of the US. Texas, most of which currently does not have power, is being hit the hardest, not necessarily in absolute temperature, but relative to their typical winters. ​

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US conservatives falsely blame renewables for Texas storm outages by Martin Farrer

2/17/2021

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Article by Martin Farrer and agencies 
Originally published on The Guardian
February 17, 2021

​Lawmakers and the Murdoch media target wind and solar but grid operator says fossil fuel generators suffered biggest problems
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The electricity outages suffered by millions of Texans amid frigid temperatures sweeping across the United States have been seized upon by conservative commentators presenting a false narrative that renewable power was to blame.

“We should never build another wind turbine in Texas,” read a Facebook post on Tuesday by the state’s agriculture commissioner, Sid Miller. “The experiment failed big time.”

Fox News also joined in with one of its presenters, Tucker Carlson, claiming that renewables were to blame and that Texas was “totally reliant on windfarms”. 

The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial that “the power grid is becoming less reliable due to growing reliance on wind and solar, which can’t provide power 24 hours a day, seven days a week”.
​

While some wind turbines did freeze, failures in natural gas, coal and nuclear energy systems were responsible for nearly twice as many outages as renewables, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot), which operates the state’s power grid, said in a press conference on Tuesday.
​


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Big money, nuclear subsidies, and systemic corruption by Cassandra Jeffery & M. V. Ramana

2/17/2021

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Article by Cassandra Jeffery, M. V. Ramana
Originally published on the Bulletin
February 12, 2021
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The Davis–Besse Nuclear Power Station, northeast of Oak Harbor, Ohio
The “largest bribery, money-laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people and the state of Ohio” came to light during an unexpected press conference in July 2020 in Columbus. 

FirstEnergy, 
now called Energy Harbour, is one of Ohio’s largest utility corporations. For years, the firm lobbied to get a subsidy to continue operating its unprofitable nuclear plants and maintain its revenue flow. When lobbying efforts failed to produce subsidies, it resorted to bribery to gain legislative support for House Bill 6, 2019 legislation that forces state consumers to pay into something called “the Ohio Clean Air Fund.” The green language is a smoke screen for the real purpose: to siphon nearly $150 million annually to FirstEnergy to keep its Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear power plants and two coal-fired power plants operating, while simultaneously gutting Ohio’s renewable energy standards.

​Also gone were the state’s energy efficiency programs, which had saved consumers and corporations millions of dollars. When citizens tried to organize a referendum to repeal the bill, FirstEnergy indulged in various dirty tactics to thwart this democratic opposition.

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A memorial tribute to one of our founders Karen Wimpelberg

2/11/2021

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Obituary from Nola.com Obituaries
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​Karen Wimpelberg, age 77, passed away on January 25, 2021 in St. Augustine, FL. She is preceded in death by life partner Gary Groesch and survived by her children Alex Wimpelberg and his wife Ashley, Avery Anna Wimpelberg, grandchildren Ella and Davis, and by her former husband, Bob Wimpelberg. Karen was raised in St. Louis Missouri where she graduated from Southwest High School, followed by George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville.

She had a passion for teaching, organizing a trip for high school students to Greece to learn about ancient Greek culture and mythology. Karen moved to New Orleans in 1980 where she quickly became part of the uptown community. She was employed for 20 years as personal assistant to native New Orleanian and philanthropist, Betty Wisdom. Karen found a kindred spirit in Betty. Their avid involvement in the community and love of travel became the backdrop of a long friendship.

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How many Louisianans work in the oil and gas industry, anyways?

2/9/2021

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With all of this hubbub about the potential loss of oil and gas jobs in Louisiana due to new Federal policy, it makes sense to dig a bit deeper into the actual job numbers. The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association (LMOGA) claims 48,000 jobs will be lost, yet the most recent report by the Louisiana Workforce Commission claims only 1.5% of Louisiana’s jobs are in oil and gas. So what gives??
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First, it’s important to note that the LMOGA report is from September 2020, which is outdated considering the data from the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the “Mining & Logging” sector (i.e. oil & gas) has seen cascading job losses month after month, even prior to COVID. From December 2019 - December 2020, the sector lost 8,100 jobs and has consistently lost jobs in 15 of the last 16 months. So, although September 2020 doesn’t seem too long ago, that data needs to be updated. BUT, digging deeper, it depends on how you count the oil and gas jobs, which is imperative when talking about transitioning away from our traditional extractive economy.

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UPDATE Position Filled - We're hiring! AAE is looking for a Climate Coordinator

2/9/2021

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The Alliance is hiring a full time Climate Coordinator to support organization-wide efforts to combat climate change through organizing, regulatory policy, and litigation.  Commitment of a minimum of 40 hours per week is required.  Due to the nature of the Alliance’s work, it is understood that additional hours may be required and that some flexibility in daily hours may be required. This position reports directly to the Executive Director.

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UPDATE Position Filled - We're hiring! AAE is looking for a New Orleans Policy Manager

2/9/2021

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The Alliance is hiring a full time New Orleans Policy Manager to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, and consumer protection, within the New Orleans regulatory environment.  Commitment of a minimum of 40 hours per week is required.  Due to the nature of the Alliance’s work, it is understood that additional hours may be required and that some flexibility in daily hours may be required. This position reports directly to the Executive Director. 

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Why Are Your Energy Bills Through The Roof This Month!? PLUS What You Can Do

2/8/2021

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Updated March 4, February 8, 2021
Originally Posted January 29, 2021​
People all over the state have been reaching out in disbelief at their Entergy bill, and even we got sticker shock when we opened our bills too!

Some bills have doubled, nearly tripled- is it a mistake?! Well, it might be, and you should call your energy provider if you think there has been a billing error, but we also wanted to break down a few other elements that could be to blame for the spike.

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​In New Orleans,  at least part of the bill spike is due to the Fuel Adjustment Charge more than doubling, plus the charge for the new gas plant, all on top of the higher usage from the cold and being home due to Covid. Entergy sent a letter to the City Council back on December 18th (attached), to let them know about some of these changes, as they are required to alert the Council if the fuel charge has a significant increase. 

The Fuel Adjustment Charge gives us insight into the bill impact when power plants are down and gas costs spike. This charge (also called a Fuel and Purchased Power rider on bills) is based on what was happening in energy markets two months prior and it is always on this two month lag. 

Back in November 2020 (think way back!) three things happened that all impact this one line item. 

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Sierra Club Report Exposes ‘Dirty Truth’ about Electric Utilities’ Climate Pledges: Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana Receive Worst Ratings in State

2/3/2021

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The Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledges
​Report by Sierra Club, John Romankiewicz, Cara Bottorff, Leah C. Stokes
January 25, 2021 ​
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NEW ORLEANS, LA -- The Sierra Club released a groundbreaking report and research tool today that grades utilities based on their plans to retire coal plants, stop building new gas plants, and invest in clean energy. The tool gives the public the power to judge each utility’s climate progress based on its stated carbon reduction goals and how that compares to what science actually demands. Sierra Club will update the scores in this analysis on a regular basis.

“Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana each received the worst possible grade because the utilities plan to invest in new fracked gas power plants while making very little investments in proven and affordable options like energy efficiency, wind, and solar power,” said Dave Stets, Delta Chapter Chair from New Orleans. “Utilities could save $1.1 billion annually if Louisiana’s remaining coal plants retire by 2030 and replaced with energy efficiency and renewable energy.”    

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  • Home
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  • How
    • New Orleans City Council >
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