Yesterday, Entergy New Orleans submitted its latest proposal to build a gas power plant in New Orleans East despite ongoing opposition from residents, businesses and organizations. Today, the Alliance for Affordable Energy, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, and the Sierra Club commend Mayor Mitch Landrieu for developing a Climate Action Strategy for the City of New Orleans. The Mayor’s ‘Climate Action for a Resilient New Orleans’ calls for 255 megawatts of locally generated solar energy by 2030 and promotes a transition to 100% “low-carbon power.”
“It is important that Entergy join the effort to make our city sustainable,” said Logan Burke, Executive Director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy. “Building a gas power plant is not only in conflict with the City’s climate action strategy, it would also put all New Orleans ratepayers on the hook for more than $200 million in construction costs alone and create serious environmental concerns for residents in New Orleans East,” she said. “Across the country, efficient and renewable energy systems are proving to be cheaper and more resilient than carbon-emitting traditional fuels.”