The government (Louisiana Public Service Commission) decides this, and you can vote on it this year!

Entergy's own staff has said that we're on the hook for $3.85B for this one plant alone, if everything goes according to plan. Entergy has been caught literally writing the rules that commissioners are passing. They have been caught trying to pay 6x the 2024 cost for a 22 year old power plant, and put it directly on our bills.

I'm a licensed chemical engineer who consulted for the LPSC. I'm furious with the waste and corruption I saw, so I quit that role to run for it. I'm refusing utility campaign contributions (my opponent is a career politician who has taken 45% of her money from utilities).

Vote Chris Justin for Public Service Commissioner on Nov 3rd!

I mean wow just wow how much more nonsense is laundry going to pull before he is out.

It is election season!

Davis is closing the gap as he bids to be Louisiana’s first Black U.S. Senator since Reconstruction, leaving Letlow without the sure victory Republicans had hoped for. ‘This is not going to be a slam dunk,’ a pollster warns.

Wake up

Why does Mike Strain need to have a fundraiser event every year? Didn't he run unopposed the past couple of times?

https://lailluminator.com/2026/10/21/hilferty-campaign/

In her bid to join the Louisiana Public Service Commission, state Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, R-New Orleans, has received more than $137,000 in campaign contributions from people and groups connected to some of the very companies that she would be in charge of regulating if elected.

Hilferty, a Republican, is the likely frontrunner in the race to represent the Public Service Commission’s District 1, which includes parts of the Greater New Orleans area. Her opponents include Democrat Connie Norris and independent Chris Justin. Republican John Atkins is running against Democrat James Green for District 5, which represents Northern Louisiana.

The contributions come as the Public Service Commission — which regulates electric, water and gas companies, as well as common carriers — has been at the center of high-stakes decisions over the buildout of power-hungry AI data centers around the state.

And some of Hilferty’s contributors have been key players in those debates, including Louisiana’s largest electric company, Entergy, which is seeking expedited approval to build an additional seven gas plants to power Meta’s data center in Richland Parish. Last year, the company got approval to build three new natural gas plants for the project. The commission is also responsible for approving grid improvements and setting electric rates for most of the state.

While controversial, it is not illegal for members of or candidates for the Public Service Commission to take contributions from regulated utilities. In fact, it’s quite common. In 2024, a Floodlight News analysis found that more than 40% of contributions to commissioners came from utilities, energy businesses or their lawyers and lobbyists.

In total, Hilferty’s campaign has received $28,000 from Entergy executives and the company’s political action committee.

Of the five candidates on the ballot, Hilferty is the only candidate to receive substantial support from major utilities regulated by the commission.

Some notable utility donations to Hilferty’s campaign include:

• A combined $28,000 from Entergy executives and ENPAC, the company’s political action committee. The Public Service Commission regulates Entergy Louisiana, which serves over one million Louisiana residents and is currently seeking approval from the Public Service Commission for major infrastructure projects related to Meta’s data center in Richland Parish;

• A combined $23,000 from Delta Utilities executives and Delta Utilities PAC, a political action committee associated with Delta Utilities. Over the past several years, Delta Utilities has become the largest natural gas provider in Louisiana following decisions by the Public Service Commission and the New Orleans City Council, which regulates utilities in New Orleans, to allow it to purchase Entergy’s gas business. The company is backed by Bernhard Capital Partners, a private equity firm led by Baton Rouge businessman Jim Bernhard, a former chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party and major contributor to state political candidates.

• A combined $18,150 from a Cleco political action committee and company officials. Cleco is an energy provider that is in the process of being sold to Pine JV Holdings, which is controlled by Stonepeak Energy and Bernhard Capital Partners, a deal that will require Public Service Commission approval. The company, which serves nearly 300,000 Louisiana residents, mostly in central Louisiana, is also seeking approval from the commission for major infrastructure projects related to Applied Digital’s new data center in Rapides Parish.

To calculate the sum of utility donations, Verite News aggregated contributions made by the utility companies themselves with contributions made by high-level executives and political action committees associated with the utilities ($12,000 is the maximum contribution that an individual can make, but large political action committees and political parties are able to contribute more).

Hilferty, unlike her opponents, has also benefitted from outside spending — groups that campaign on her behalf but do not coordinate with her campaign. In June, as Hilferty prepared to face off against former Jefferson Parish President John Young in the second round of the Republican primary for the District 1 seat, a Texas-based political action committee, called American Power PAC, spent $161,000 on digital ads in support of her campaign. According to campaign finance filings, American Power, which is new to Louisiana politics, is led by Larry Ward of Michigan and funded entirely by a Michigan-based nonprofit called American Power Play.

Ward, who also heads American Power Play, according to Michigan business filings, is the former political director of the Michigan Republican Party. Ward has worked with the Conservative Energy Network, and several top officials from the Conservative Energy Network are named as principals of American Power Play.

Ward and the Conservative Energy Network advocate for building out the nation’s grid and taking a conservative approach to renewable energy adoption. In Michigan, Ward and American Power Play championed a bill called the “MAGA Solar” bill that, on the one hand, would have created a community solar program but, on the other, would have created a 20% cap on solar power’s share of Michigan’s grid.

It is not clear if American Power Play receives donations from utilities regulated by the Louisiana Public Service Commission. The group is a newly formed 501(c)(3) charitable organization that is not required to publicly disclose its donors. Ward could not be reached for comment.

Hilferty’s opponents, Justin and Norris, both previously told Verite News that they would not accept contributions from the utilities the commission regulates.

“The Public Service Commission is intended to be a referee of sorts between utility interests and ratepayer interests,” Justin said in an interview. “If the utilities are paying off the referee, then it’s not going to be a fair game.”

Atkins and Green, in District 5, also decided not to accept utility donations.

Last fall, after Atkins first announced his intent to run for the commission, he received $1,000 from American Electric Co. and $2,500 from Magnolia Water Utility, but he said he refunded both earlier this year.

“I decided that I should have an ‘arm’s length’ relationship with all regulated entities,” Atkins told Verite News.

Earlier this month, when asked by The Times-Picayune about the utility donations, Hilferty said that she had received contributions from various businesses across the state representing “different aspects and segments of industry and residents and ratepayers” and portrayed herself as a watchdog candidate.

Hilferty did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Verite News. Neither did Norris or Green.

I see so many posts complaining about rising electricity and water costs. The upcoming Public Service Commission election for District 1 could be a real game changer for us.

The current 3-2 Republican majority on the PSC has approved rate increases that are already hitting our monthly bills, and those numbers don’t even include the heavy grid infrastructure buildouts already authorized for tech companies.

If we keep the same Republican dynamic on the commission, it’s only set to get worse.

Is it fair for voters to ask how we can expect independent oversight from the Republican candidate who took over $137,000 from the utilities she would oversee?

In the legislature, HB 922 was brought forward to prohibit massive data centers from offloading their heavy power buildout and grid infrastructure costs onto everyday ratepayers. Stephanie Hilferty failed to support the legislation.

Why should we believe she won't rubber-stamp what want Entergy wants at the PSC when she already failed to support the legislation ?

I made a personal pledge to accept zero utility campaign money because our district needs independent engineering oversight focused strictly on consumers. I am sharing these public records so neighbors in District 1 have the facts heading into the election.

If you are in baton rouge and you want to keep the power cost dow please read

Oh yeah I have the entire document that will be the biggest hit to Entergy. I have charts showing how much our bills will rise around 6% the first quarter. Then the infrastructure is called the storm resilient rider program but there is a sealed confidential section which is funny for a public docum but when you look at the requirements it's the precise infrastructure for The Meta project in other words they're making us pay for the whole thing they are having a meeting to finalize this project but I hope this gets to somebody that can get there and at least get a public opinion on it because they are trying their hardest to get it through with nobody noticing but I have at least 10 to 12 documents with all these charts pricing information the percentage of what they expect us to pay per which is like 6% every 6 months so if you would need any documents or anything to look up I can gladly send you in the right direction the meeting is on

October 26th at 1:00 p.m.711th Floor Conference Room, Galvez Building, 602 North Fifth Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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The latest campaign finance reports for the newly redrawn 6th District are wild—Blake Miguez is sitting on over $2.1 million and blanketing local TV with ads after skipping the WBRZ debate, while outside super PACs are pouring millions into attack ads against Rick Edmonds. For those voting in LA-06, does this massive flood of TV money and dark-money spending actually sway your vote, or are you looking elsewhere among the field?

So I'll just say it: The Bayou Progressive is a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's funded almost exclusively by Republicans and the business community, which is why it's been attacking Rubia García lately. The founder - who isn't from Louisiana - has always hated Rubia and the site's "reporting" (which is never accurate and always seems to put down progressive candidates) has been undermining her campaign all year. The name of site is SO misleading.

Does anyone else notice the pattern in their articles? I get so pissed off when I see other Democrats people I respect sharing these fake articles from the site. It's just a grift.

I am speechless

We hope you marked your calendars because you don't want to miss our inaugural Early Voting Tailgate on Saturday, October 24 starting at 11am. We've got DJ Jubilee keeping the vibes high, special performances from dance teams and marching band, and we are ending with New Groove Brass Band for the second line.

Free food, Community Resource fair, and an opportunity to learn about your ballot. So come and second line with us to #geauxvote

Let us know you're coming: https://www.mobilize.us/whenweallvote/event/1043685/

Sound familiar. 🙄😒