Our Year in Review: Standing Up for Power & People

Fighting Against Costly and Risky Gas Expansion

• Stopped Entergy’s dangerous proposal to build a gas plant on a floating barge in the wetlands near Leeville
• Fought against three new gas plants that are being built to power Meta’s massive new data center near Monroe and advocated for customer protections to ensure Louisianans aren’t subsidizing big tech. While the final deal does not go nearly far enough to protect Louisiana ratepayers, our opposition is on the record and we’ll continue to fight as new data centers eye our state. 
• Hosted and participated in dozens of webinars and calls with local and national allies to bring awareness to the economic and environmental threats associated with AI and data centers and strategized about how to better protect community members. 

Expanding Energy Efficiency

• Secured expanded, long-term energy efficiency programs at the Louisiana Public Service Commission for Entergy Louisiana, SWEPCO, and Cleco customers 
• Secured funding for another three years of energy efficiency programming in New Orleans
• Ensured 15% of funding in both programs is dedicated to low-income households

Building Community & Coalition Power

• Hosted Community Gatherings, Bill Clinics and webinars to provide information to consumers. 
• Worked with the Energy Future New Orleans (EFNO) Coalition to launch our Light is Your Right Campaign, urging the New Orleans City Council to declare access to electricity a human right. 
• Hosted a Candidate Forum to provide New Orleanians an opportunity to hear from the City Council Candidates about their plans for our energy bills. 
• Stood with EFNO on the steps of City Hall and hosted a press conference to call on the Council to temporarily suspend power disconnections for inability to pay as we go into these winter months. 
• Worked with the Louisiana Against False Solutions (LAFS) Coalition to educate communities about the dangers of carbon capture and sequestration and empower them to fight against developments in Lake Maurepas and across the state. 
• Hosted weekly Legislative briefings community during the Legislative Regular Session.
• Participated in weekly and monthly calls with coalitions across the state and Gulf South from EFNO to LAFS and the Louisiana for Offshore Wind Coalition to advance shared goals. 
• Supported the March 29 “No To Them All” campaign, helping defeat four harmful constitutional amendments
• Increased public visibility of utility regulators through interviews, radio, digital ads, and outreach

Advocating for Residents & Helping Keep the Lights On

• Helped connect over 40 residents to resources to prevent their power from being disconnected 
• In partnership with EFNO, held a press conference and action on the steps of New Orleans City Hall calling on the Council to temporarily suspend electricity and gas disconnections for inability to pay as we go into the cold winter months

Holding Utilities Accountable

• Engaged in 20+ regulatory dockets at the LPSC and New Orleans City Council to ensure Louisiana residents are represented at the decision making table 
• Filed hundreds of comments, letters, and testimonies to local, state, and federal agencies 
• Filed hundreds of comments, letters, and testimonies at the local, state, and federal levels
• Urged the New Orleans City Council to strengthen utility reliability standards, prompting a second investigation into Entergy New Orleans’ frequent outages and unreliable service
• Defended against utility efforts to strip value from rooftop and community solar customers

Advancing Clean Energy & Smart Planning

• Successfully worked with the New Orleans City Council to launch a new program that will provide battery storage systems to residents and businesses across the city to help keep the lights on during when the grid goes down.
• Advocated at the State Legislature to reduce barriers to renewable energy development 
• Educated communities and our regulators on the need for transmission planning and investment to prevent outages like the Memorial Day weekend blackout and load shed.
• Worked with the Office of Resilience and Sustainability to pass a Benchmarking Ordinance for New Orleans, that will require large buildings to report their energy usage, resulting in greater transparency. 
• Participated in regional transmission planning meetings at MISO and facilitated significant growth in Louisiana participation in the MISO stakeholder process
• Served as a MISO Advisory Committee member, elevating Louisiana voices in regional grid planning. 

Building Capacity for the Work Ahead

• Welcomed three new full-time staff members: Alaina, Fred, and Alyx
• Presented on dozens of panels nationwide on issues including affordability, efficiency, AI and data centers, renewable energy, regulatory governance, renewable energy, and climate action plans.