The City of New Orleans Home Rule Charter gives the City Council this role in deciding the costs that Entergy and Delta Utilities charges to customers, the utilities’ profits, the quality of services they provide, and the kind of energy that powers our city. How councilmembers choose to exercise their utility regulatory authority affects the everyday lives of New Orleans residents.
For years, the Energy Future New Orleans Coalition has advocated for strong regulatory oversight of Entergy in order to lower costs to residents, increase the reliability of electric service in New Orleans, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are the cause of the changing climate threatening the future of our city.
Though the Council has a designated Utility, Cable, Telecommunications and Technology Committee (UCTTC), and the Climate and Sustainability Committee, each consisting of five members, all regulatory decisions are brought to the full Council for votes. Thus, all New Orleans City Council members are both legislators and regulators of major electric and gas utilities. Following town halls and discussions with New Orleanians across the city, we have prepared this platform to highlight what a new Council must address.
New Orleanians carry some of the highest energy burdens in the country. This means many residents are making hard decisions between paying utilities and buying medications or paying rent. In 2023 roughly 20% of New Orleanians were disconnected for inability to pay. Utility bills are compounding the housing affordability crisis in our city. The Council has the authority to develop solutions to tackle these burdens, ranging from more targeted efficiency programs and percentage of income programs. With the recent congressional action which ended the federally-funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, the crisis has reached an even greater level of urgency.
Too much of New Orleans’ housing stock is not prepared for the extreme heat (and now extreme cold) we experience each year, leading to energy rationing, unhealthy living conditions, and even higher bills. The Council’s Energy Smart program is in its 15th year, and has saved New Orleanians millions of dollars by reducing energy waste..
Sunny day outages in New Orleans impact health, safety, and our economy. Long blackouts following storms threaten life and our ability to rebuild.
Thanks to prior work by this Council, New Orleans has the first Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard in the region, directing Entergy to shift all power generation away from fossil fuels by 2040, but there is still more the Council can do to bring the benefits of renewable energy to New Orleans.
Too often following a storm or an embarrassing response from Entergy, the Council finds itself reacting and scrambling for information. As regulator, the Council can and should demand increased accountability and transparency from Entergy and Delta.
