Many New Orleanians do not even realize that the Council adopted a Ratepayer Bill of Rights into the city code way back in 2007. Unfortunately, its provisions have not been properly enforced or updated in years.
For comparison, according to data from the United States Energy Information Administration, the national average is 9%. Though ENO has continually insisted that disconnections are only a last resort, these figures say otherwise.
New Orleans ratepayers face some of the highest energy burdens in the nation, and are also on the frontline of ongoing climate change which threatens vulnerable residents with extreme cold, heat, and more frequent and intense tornadoes and hurricanes. The Council has the authority to lead the nation in protecting their constituents from these threats, but Council members must have the courage to do what is necessary.
