Most people don’t spend their mornings watching Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) meetings, but maybe more people should. In Louisiana, the PSC is a five-member elected body that decides some of the most important questions about our daily lives: how much we pay for electricity, whether utilities invest in new power plants, and how renewable energy grows in Louisiana.
They don’t always make headlines, but their decisions ripple across every home and business in the state. Their most recent six-hour meeting was no exception.
The biggest item on the August meeting agenda was Entergy Louisiana’s proposal to build new generation and transmission lines to serve a new hyperscale data center owned by Meta (the parent company of Facebook) in Richland Parish. The PSC ultimately approved a settlement during the meeting between Entergy, Commission staff, Walmart, Sierra Club, and the Southern Renewable Energy Association (SREA). That broad agreement says a lot on its own: environmental groups, large businesses, and renewable advocates all supported the settlement. The settlement ensures Meta pays for the power it needs, while also requiring safeguards so other customers aren’t stuck with higher bills.
The settlement includes commitments to update the renewable energy request for proposals (RFP) process to include wind; and expedited procurement and certification of 1,500 MW of solar/and hybrid resources as an initial renewable subscription amount to help meet Meta’s clean energy commitments.
This is a huge deal. Billions of dollars in private investment and thousands of jobs are already reshaping one of the poorest parts of Louisiana.
Commissioner Foster Campbell, who represents North Louisiana, made an emotional case for why this project matters. He’s served in public office for nearly 50 years, and he described how communities like Lake Providence and Tallulah have been left behind. He framed the data center as a rare chance to bring good-paying jobs to places where opportunity has been scarce.
Commissioner Davante Lewis pressed Entergy to make sure renewable energy is part of the solution, ensuring the project isn’t just about more natural gas plants but also about moving Louisiana toward cleaner resources. Together, their perspectives highlight the LPSC’s balancing act — economic development, affordability, and a cleaner energy future.
For those of us who follow the LPSC closely, this shows how the Commission can leverage its authority not just to attract economic development but to also secure long-term renewable energy benefits and consumer protections.
While the LPSC can seem like an obscure agency to most people, here’s the bottom line: this is where the big energy decisions are made. The Commission’s choices shape your utility bill, the jobs available in your community, and the kind of energy future Louisiana will have.
Commissioners are elected officials, but their work is often highly technical and easy to overlook. That doesn’t make it any less important. In fact, it makes it even more important that voters — and everyday citizens — keep an eye on what happens in these meetings.
Bottom line: the August LPSC meeting approved a transformative data center project with real renewable energy wins baked in. If you care about affordable energy, jobs, and Louisiana’s future, you should care about the PSC.
