Energy summit held in New Orleans to discuss strengthening the grid
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta discussed a $2 billion investment aimed at hardening the electrical grid, a joint effort between the state and utility provider Entergy. The initiative seeks not just to withstand major weather events, but also to recover from them quickly.
'Louisiana undertook a pathway to grid resilience and agreed to work with Entergy on a $2 billion investment in grid resilience for not only distribution mechanisms, but also for the transmission grid,' said Skrmetta. 'Recognizing that, the important thing is the ability to bounce back after critical weather events.'
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A key part of the grid resilience effort involves replacing aging, vulnerable infrastructure- starting with something as basic, but critical, as power poles.
Entergy CEO Drew Marsh emphasized that this isn't just about resilience, it's also about ensuring energy remains affordable and sustainable for customers across Louisiana.
'The customers come first,' Marsh said. 'And so, thinking about what it means for our customers from a reliability standpoint that we're just talking about, but also the sustainability and the cost effectiveness, the affordability elements of it, those are all going to be top of mind.'
Marsh noted that Louisiana's abundant energy infrastructure supports low electricity prices, helping the state remain competitive in the global economy.
'We have abundant infrastructure and that… all of that leads to low energy prices and that means that we can compete very effectively in the global economy,' Marsh said.
The summit also spotlighted the broader energy strategy needed for long term resilience. Congressman Troy Carter called for a comprehensive approach, including reinforced levees and solar-powered cooling centers in vulnerable neighborhoods.
'We still have work to do,' Carter said. 'But we have come a long way.'
With storms growing stronger and more frequent, state leaders say the time to act is now. The vision includes not just restoring power faster but also using smart grid technologies and clean energy solutions to protect communities, create jobs and keep the lights on.Energy summit held in New Orleans to discuss strengthening the grid
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Analysis: Trump's new warnings about mail-in voting are the most sinister yet
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With all this in mind, the possibility of an attempt by Trump to block or delegitimize the rights of states — including those that return mostly Democratic delegations — to run their own elections must be taken seriously. Trump vented about mail-in voting during an Oval Office appearance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday. 'Mail-in ballots are corrupt. Mail-in ballots, you can never have a real democracy with mail-in ballots,' the president said, firing off a torrent of falsehoods about voter fraud. His latest tirade against mail-in voting may have been sown by Putin, an enemy of the United States, during their summit meeting in Alaska last week. 'You know, Vladimir Putin said something — one of the most interesting things. He said, 'Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting.' He said, 'It's impossible to have mail-in voting and have honest elections,' Trump told Sean Hannity on Fox News immediately after the summit. 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