The Alliance has received calls on a weekly basis this summer from New Orleanians who cannot afford their record-high bills during a season that has seen numerous days of extreme heat. Meanwhile, the city continues to suffer from regular fair weather outages. While the Council has offered some relief through Total Community Action, that program is extremely limited (some people have even reported closed doors and unanswered calls), and does nothing to address the root causes of utility debt.
Since May 3, a docket pertaining to customer protections for Entergy ratepayers (UD-23-02) has sat dormant before the Council, simply waiting for the Council to take action. With ratepayers struggling to make ends meet and suffering in the heat, the Council has not acted with the urgency that the situation demands.
Under docket UD-23-02, The Alliance has called for an end to all residential utility disconnections and the establishment of a standing arrearage management program that pairs debt forgiveness with energy efficiency improvements that will help ratepayers to stay out of debt in the future.
With Entergy set this month to receive yet another rate increase on both the electric and gas sides, while still pursuing its $1B distribution hardening plan that would further increase rates, ratepayers need bold and decisive leadership from the Council.
Entergy’s August 30, 2024 filing in UD-18-07View Entergy's Full August 30, 2024 Filing Regarding Rate Adjustments
