The ALJ affirmed the previous decision that Meta must turn over critical information about Entergy Louisiana’s proposal to build seven additional gas power plants to power Meta’s Hyperion data center campus in Richland Parish. The ruling rejects Meta and Entergy’s attempt to continue hiding information regulators and the public need to verify claims about economic investment, job creation, and the amount of electricity the data center will need.
We applaud the ALJ for standing with Louisiana ratepayers and the public. The matter may now go to a vote at the Louisiana Public Service Commission’s (PSC) next monthly meeting on August 12, and if Meta does file an appeal to the Commission we strongly urge Commissioners to reject Meta’s claims, just as the ALJ did. Transparency isn’t a formality, it’s the foundation of good decision-making. Good regulatory decisions and good business aren’t built on trust alone, they’re built on evidence and accountability.
When a private project could raise utility bills, reshape the grid, and lock ratepayers into billions of dollars and decades of new fossil fuel infrastructure, the public deserves more than a corporation’s word. Particularly since Entergy Corporation has a documented history of misleading the public — from paying actors to testify in support of a gas plant in New Orleans East, to abandoning their plan at Little Gypsy that left ratepayers with a $200M bill. Entergy’s track record is exactly why Louisianans and regulators cannot simply take Entergy and Meta at their word now.
Regulators and the public need real evidence to determine whether Meta’s promises about benefits and risks will hold up for years to come. Tuesday’s ruling affirms that the application process at the PSC should move forward with transparency and accountability.
“We’re grateful the judge recognized what was at stake here: the public’s right to know the facts before billions of dollars in costs and risks are locked in,” said Logan Burke, Executive Director of AAE. “Meta doesn’t get to decide for itself what information the public deserves to see.”
“For too long, Meta has exploited its power to persuade Louisiana regulators and legislators to take the company at its word while withholding the information needed to hold it accountable,” said Susan Stevens Miller, senior attorney at Earthjustice. “The ALJ was right to reaffirm its decision compelling Meta to provide information justifying saddling Louisianans with higher utility bills and seven new gas plants for a project that may or may not produce promised permanent jobs and economic development. Transparency can no longer remain optional when the public is paying the price. If Meta appeals the decision to the Commission, I strongly urge the PSC to uphold the ALJ’s determination.”
“This new ruling affirms Meta’s obligation to back up its claims when making the case for adding multiple cities worth of electricity demand to Louisiana’s power system,” said Paul Arbaje, senior analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “With the unprecedented level of financial, environmental, and grid-reliability impact this proposal could have, a crucial part of the Commission’s job is to hold Entergy and Meta accountable.”
Media Contact: Emma Meyerkopf, Communications Manager, 504-229-4643, emma@all4energy.org
