Latest news with #LouisianaPublicService
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
La. Public Service Commission might scrap new energy efficiency program
From left, Louisiana Public Service Commissioners Mike Francis, Jean-Paul Coussan and Eric Skrmetta during a Feb. 19, 2025, PSC meeting. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) In a surprise agenda change for Wednesday's meeting, the Louisiana Public Service Commission will consider terminating a statewide energy efficiency program it just recently hired a contractor to run after spending 14 years to create it. Commissioner Mike Francis, R-Crowley, added the agenda item Monday, two days before the LPSC meets at the Cypress Bend Resort in Many. Most of the commission's monthly meetings are held at its headquarters in Baton Rouge, but members periodically schedule hearings in different parts of the state. 'Commissioner Francis' decision to bring this vote with virtually no notice leaves little time for public input on an issue that directly impacts household budgets and statewide energy policy,' the Alliance for Affordable Energy said in a statement issued Tuesday. The proposal would end all energy efficiency programs in the state, except for municipal-owned utilities that don't fall under the LPSC's jurisdiction. The Alliance noted that residential electricity rates in Louisiana have increased roughly 45% since 2018, stressing the need for a greater emphasis on efficiency programs. 'This is the only program the commission has to help residents manage rising bills,' the group's news release said. In January 2024, the LPSC voted 3-2 on energy efficiency resources standards (EERC) that a consultant had worked on for over a decade at a cost of more than a half-million dollars. The policy requires utilities under the commission's jurisdiction — such as Entergy, Cleco and Swepco — to meet certain energy savings targets each year. For example, they can meet the standards through customer-focused upgrades such as adding new insulation to buildings or replacing inefficient heating and cooling systems. The utilities pay for it with little-noticed energy efficiency fees they've charged customers for years. Entergy Louisiana customers can find those fees on their monthly statements billed as 'Rider EECR-QS' and 'Rider EECR-PE.' Louisiana ushers in new energy efficiency policy with an uproar The energy efficiency program used in Louisiana for the past decade was voluntary, and utility companies managed them with their own staff. Energy efficiency presents a dilemma for utilities because they lead to customers using less of their product, an inherent conflict of interest for companies that profit from the sale of electricity or natural gas. The program adopted in 2024 is mandatory and uses a third-party administrator to manage and hold the utilities to the energy savings targets. The LPSC recently hired two companies, Aptim and TetraTech, to provide those services. Francis is proposing to terminate those contracts and establish a different energy efficiency policy. In a phone interview Tuesday, he said the current policy framework is too complex and believes it will cost too much money. 'You need a lawyer and a CPA to work through all of this,' Francis said. 'It's pretty complicated.' Francis initially opposed adopting the program in 2024 alongside Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, R-Metairie. Former Commissioner Craig Greene, R-Baton Rouge, provided the swing vote that passed the measure, which had support from the LPSC's two Democrats, Foster Campbell of Bossier City and Davanté Lewis of Baton Rouge. Debate on the matter at that time attracted ratepayers who filled the meeting room and chanted, demanding commissioners vote on the new program after hours of discussion. That memory wasn't lost on Francis, who admitted his latest proposal might not be popular with some members of the public. 'I'm probably making some enemies doing this,' he said. Commissioner Jean-Paul Coussan, R-Lafayette, who now sits on the commission in place of Greene, will likely be the deciding vote Wednesday. 'Sounds like there are several ideas being bandied about regarding the program,' Coussan said, offering few clues about how he intends to vote. 'I'm anxious to hear more about the proposals.' The program is the first of its kind in the Southeast run by a third-party administrator. It 'is especially important when it comes to both environmental protection and electricity system affordability,' said Joshua A. Basseches, an assistant professor of environmental studies and public policy at Tulane University. 'Scrapping it now would not only be bad public policy, but would also set a bad precedent in terms of process.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Governor would appoint two members to expanded La. Public Service Commission under proposal
From left, Louisiana Public Service Commissioners Mike Francis, Jean-Paul Coussan and Eric Skrmetta during a Feb. 19, 2025, PSC meeting. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) State lawmakers will consider a proposal this spring to let the governor add two at-large members to the Louisiana Public Service Commission, meaning voters would no longer elect all members of one of the state's most powerful political institutions. House Bill 364, sponsored by Rep. Daryl Deshotel, R-Marksville, is a proposed constitutional amendment to allow the governor to hand select two additional members to the commission that regulates utilities in Louisiana. LPSC currently has five members, each elected from their respective multi-parish districts. The two gubernatorial appointees would be able to serve two consecutive four-year terms. The five elected commissioners are currently limited to three consecutive six-year terms. The five LPSC districts are larger and more populous than Louisiana's six congressional districts, giving the commissioners significant influence on matters of everyday concern to residents, though an at-large commissioner would have far greater influence than the current five. The commission determines how much utilities can charge their customers for their services that include electricity, water, gas, cable television, phone and internet service. A utility provider needs LPSC approval before raising rates or adding any kinds of fees to customers' bills. The most important election in Louisiana that many don't even know about The commission oversees major investor-owned utilities such as Cleco and Entergy Louisiana, as well as smaller, member-owned power cooperatives such as DEMCO. Its regulatory umbrella covers the entire state, save for a handful of city-owned utilities and private service providers in New Orleans and other cities, which fall under the jurisdiction of local governments. LPSC members also have oversight of intrastate oil pipelines, tow truck services and moving companies. Each commissioner is also supposed to represent constituents in their districts in any disputes they have with utility companies. 'It only takes three members to control rates over the entire state,' Deshotel said, referring to the three-vote majority needed for a measure to pass on the five-member panel. 'I just think we need more representation.' Some are skeptical of the proposal. Commissioner Jean-Paul Coussan, a Republican and former state senator from Lafayette, said he has great respect for the legislative process and his former colleague but doesn't think the addition of two appointed members would accomplish Deshotel's stated intention of increasing representation. 'They wouldn't be answerable to a constituency, so it kinda defeats the purpose of his goal,' Coussan said. 'I don't see how two appointees who only answer to the governor would accomplish that.' Coussan said Deshotel's proposal would drastically overhaul an institution that works with companies and residents through regulatory processes that have been relatively consistent over the years. Such changes would send a discouraging message to the major stakeholders investing in Louisiana who are familiar with and rely on the LPSC's stable regulatory environment, he added. Commissioner Davante Lewis, D-Baton Rouge, questioned Dehotel's motives, saying the governor is the only person who would gain representation and power under the proposal. 'It truly dilutes the people's will by reducing their vote,' Lewis said. 'If it was truly about representation, wouldn't he just make the districts smaller by adding [elected] members?' Louisiana's largest industries tired of waiting for renewable energy During the most recent round of redistricting in 2022, the legislature chose to keep the number of LPSC members at five. There were no proposals to add elected members to the commission, but there were some that sought to redraw the map to include a second majority-Black district. Lawmakers ultimately rejected those measures. Deshotel said adding appointed rather than elected members would keep out the vast amounts of campaign cash that special interests have used to influence LPSC elections, though he hedged his statement by saying he doesn't think that it has affected any of the current commissioners. 'These are extremely expensive elections, and most of the donations come from the same people that they're regulating,' Deshotel said. He added that he plans to file a campaign finance reform bill targeting LSPC elections in the future if his constitutional amendment stalls at the Capitol this year. Constitutional amendments require two-thirds support from each chamber of the legislature and final approval from Louisiana voters during a statewide election. The 2025 legislative session starts Monday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Louisiana utility regulators sanction colleague who insulted Gov. Landry on social media
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis, left, sits next to Chairman Mike Francis during the Feb. 19 PSC meeting. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) Louisiana utility regulators sanctioned one of their colleagues Wednesday after he called Gov. Jeff Landry an 'a–hole' on social media. In a 3-2 vote along party lines, the Louisiana Public Service Commission removed Commissioner Davante Lewis, D-Baton Rouge, as vice chair of the panel and installed Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, R-Metairie, in his place. Defending himself at Wednesday's meeting, Lewis accused Republicans of creating double standards for free speech and decorum. 'If we're gonna talk about behavior, we're gonna be fair in here today,' Lewis said. 'Because I'm not gonna sit here and hold myself to a standard that you won't hold anybody else to, you won't hold yourself to, you won't hold the president to, you won't hold the governor to … It seems that if you're young, if you're Black, if you're outspoken, you've got to do whatever the white man tells you to do.' The commission's vote came after a crowd of Lewis' supporters took turns speaking in his defense, calling the sanction an erosion of free speech. Others pointed to the demographics of the commission as a factor, even shouting 'racist' as the votes were tallied against Lewis, a 32-year-old gay Black man and the only person of color on the five-member panel. Kenntonio Rosette, a U.S. Air Force reservist and graduate student at Southern University, told the commission that many young Black people and LGBTQ+ people look up to Lewis as a leader. It would be undemocratic to punish him over something he said on social media, he said, adding that he found it 'utterly disgusting' they would sanction a gay Black man during Black History Month. 'I thought that the United States was the land of the free and the home of the brave, am I correct?' Rosette asked. 'So are we running this state like an autocracy, or are we running it like a democracy?' Louisiana utility regulator could face reprisal for insulting Gov. Landry The controversy unfolded last week when the governor created a social media post with a side-by-side photo comparison between new U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Rachel Levine, a former assistant secretary under Kennedy's predecessor. Levine is the first openly transgender person to hold a federal government position that requires Senate confirmation. Remarking on his preference for Kennedy, Landry wrote: 'Major upgrade in the @HHSgov Secretary department.' In response, Lewis placed his own statement atop Landry's post, calling the governor an 'a–hole.' When Commission Chairman Mike Francis, R-Crowley, learned about the exchange, he added an item to Wednesday's meeting agenda to revisit the commission's vote in January when they chose Lewis as vice chair. In a phone interview Monday, Francis said he originally nominated Lewis to the role as a show of good faith bipartisanship on the commission and now feels embarrassed by his decision. He also said the governor had no involvement in his decision, a point which he repeated at Wednesday's meeting. Other than that reiteration, neither he nor the other two Republican commissioners, Skrmetta and J.P. Coussan of Lafayette, spoke on the matter. Commissioner Foster Campbell, D-Bossier City, defended Lewis by comparing the situation to similar acts that did not result in sanctions. 'I've seen other things happen here that were just as bad,' Campbell said, recounting an incident in which he alleges Francis once stood behind him with a poster that said 'Bull—t' while Campbell was speaking in front of a camera. Francis denied the allegation. Although Wednesday's vote attracted news media attention, the decision is unlikely to have much of an impact on Lewis' authority as a commissioner. The vice chair presides over meetings when the chairman is absent but doesn't wield any significant power over the other commissioners. Sensing the vote would not go his way, Lewis remained unapologetic and said he would be unmoved by the decision. 'If you attack somebody that I love, I'm gonna call you out. If you don't defend the poor, I'm gonna call you out. If you don't stand up for everybody's rights, I'm gonna call you out,' he said just before the vote. 'And if calling you out means you've got to shut me up, well then shut me up. But you will never stop the work or the progress that I'm here to do.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
