EFNO is a coalition of diverse people and organizations dedicated to making New Orleans an equitable and renewable energy city for present and future generations.

EFNO adheres to the Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing
and The Principles of Environmental Justice (EJ).

​EFNO stood in opposition to the Entergy gas plant based on well-researched data showing that it would not work on its own, as claimed by Entergy; and facts that Entergy did not evaluate the alternative energy options ordered by the Council, chose a site that would expose Black and Vietnamese-American residents to harmful toxins, and would increase climate pollution.

In 2018 the coalition moved forward with a proposal to make New Orleans a 100% renewable city by 2040. We asked the New Orleans City Council to open a Renewable Portfolio Standard rulemaking to respond to the realities of climate change; and in spring 2019 we got our docket.  

On May 20th, 2021 the full New Orleans City Council unanimously voted to adopt R-20-182, establishing a Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard (RCPS) for the city of New Orleans. This policy is a crucial step in the race to solve climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions for New Orleans to zero and transitioning energy to the lower cost resources. This policy prioritizes local solar and efficiency first. Learn more on our page dedicated to the RCPS.

Updates

EFNO Follow-Up Letter to Councilmember JP Morrell
August 2, 2023

​On August 2, 2023 EFNO sent a letter to Councilmember JP Morrell following up on their Thursday, July 20, 2023 meeting to discuss urgent utility matters facing New Orleanians.  

Key takeaways from the meeting include Councilmember Morrell's commitments to:
  • Convening the Arrearage Management Working Group established by Council resolution R-22-143 within 30 days of July 20, 2023.
  • Moving forward with a decision in docket UD-22-04 pertaining to energy efficiency and demand-side management within 60 days of July 20, 2023.
  • Holding a hearing regarding the Entergy New Orleans bill dispute process within 60 days of July 20, 2023. 

Together New Orleans Community Lighthouse Launch
Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Governor Edwards, Congressman Carter, Mayor Cantrell and other officials will join 800 faith & community leaders from more than 53 congregations and organizations across South Louisiana at a history-making event to launch the pilot phase of Together New Orleans' (TNO) Community Lighthouse project
In the fall of 2021 Together New Orleans "leaders realized the need for a sustainable solution following the catastrophic power outages caused by Hurricane Ida" (GNOF).  Dubbed The Community Lighthouse Project, TNO aims to "create a community-wide network of nonprofit resilience hubs, each powered by commercial-scale solar systems with back-up battery capacity, that will be able to better provide assistance to surrounding communities during power outages" (GNOF). 
The pilot program will start in the Greater New Orleans area. Over time, "as envisioned, every parish in Southeast Louisiana will have a resilience hub with the goal of eventually ensuring that every resident will eventually live within a 15-minute walk of a lighthouse" (GNOF). 

Town Hall with District C Councilmember Freddie King III
May 19th, 2022

Join Energy Future New Orleans for a virtual Town Hall New Orleans District C Councilmember, Freddie King III on Thursday, May 19, 2022 from 6-7:30pm CT. We will discuss utilities and energy related issues.

Town Hall with At-Large Councilmember J.P. Morrell
March 31st, 2022

Join Energy Future New Orleans for a Town Hall with At-Large Councilmember J.P. Morrell on Thursday, March 31, 2022 from 6-7:30pm. 

In person:
St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church
3501 N. Miro St.

Online via Zoom:

Upcoming Important Vote at the New Orleans City Council
March 23rd, 2022

New Orleans – March 11, 2022 - The Greater New Orleans Interfaith Climate Coalition, a group whose members are working diligently to establish climate justice and promote care of the Earth, calls your attention and your actions to a very important vote of the New Orleans City Council Utility Committee on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. 

You may already be aware of the GNOICC’s efforts to prohibit campaign contributions to Councilmembers from companies regulated by the City Council. The Council has the job of regulating Entergy and other companies, as well as contracting professional services. The GNOICC and its partners proposed an ordinance, a local law, to strengthen the City of New Orleans Code of Ethics to prohibit a campaign contribution or other financial benefit from a utility provider or other entity that is regulated or contracted by the New Orleans City Council. The passage of this ordinance is a necessary safeguard against the potential for undue influence on energy costs, climate policies, and numerous other matters handled by the Council that impact the daily lives of all New Orleanians. GNOICC thanks the Ethics Review Board for its unanimous vote in favor of this proposed ordinance and Councilmember Helena Moreno for sponsoring it.   
​
On Wednesday, March 23, 2022, the Utility, Cable, Telecommunications and Technology Committee of the City Council plans to hold a public meeting to hear comments and vote on the proposed ethics law. A vote in favor by the Committee moves the proposed ethics law to the full City Council for a vote.  

Attend the Utility Committee meeting and make comments in support of this ordinance. Learn more about what the proposed ethics law prohibits and how you can help below.
WHAT DOES THE PROPOSED ETHICS LAW PROHIBIT?
 “No Councilmember or candidate seeking the office of Councilmember shall accept or otherwise receive a campaign contribution or any other financial benefit of any value from:   
  • Any entity that provides an electric or gas utility, cable, telecommunications or technology service regulated by the City Council;   
  • Any political action committee, director or executive staff person of a corporation or entity regulated by the City Council;   
  • Any person, firm or entity with a professional service contract awarded by the City Council; or  
  • Any person, firm or entity with a professional service contract awarded by the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board."  
HOW CAN YOU HELP? MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!   
Attend the Utility Committee meeting and make comments in support of this ordinance. The meeting starts at 10:00 am on Wednesday, March 23, 2022 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1300 Perdido Street. Stay tuned for info on how you can submit comments online and view the meeting.  

Email your Councilmembers and tell them to vote “yes” on the proposed ethics ordinance. Please note that Councilmember Helena Moreno (At-Large) is sponsoring the proposed ethics law. Councilmembers on the Utility Committee have an asterisk next to their names. 

EFNO Urges the New Council to Act on Promised Management Audit​ of Entergy
February 17th, 2021

The Energy Future New Orleans Coalition sent a letter the New Orleans City Council today urging the new Council to fulfill its commitment to take up in earnest a management audit of Entergy New Orleans, LLC.
​
​In the wake of Hurricane Ida, which rendered much of the city powerless for a week-and-a-half, the Council voted on September 23, 2021 to adopt motion M-21-342. That motion directed the Council Utility Regulatory Office (“CURO”) to develop a request for qualifications (“RFQ”) for a firm to conduct the audit. CURO issued the RFQ on December 8, 2021, and it has now been two months with no further action. We understand now that the RFQ has failed to garner a single response, a worrisome confirmation that the audit services market does not believe the Council has shown serious commitment to this effort.

The record before the Council documents the multiple Entergy failures and misplaced priorities that warrant prompt action on the audit. Get up to date on the full story in our letter to the Council. 

RSVP for the Runoff City Council Candidate Forum
​December 2nd, 2021

Save the date! Energy Future New Orleans will host a forum featuring runoff candidates for the New Orleans City Council Race. The forum will allow candidates to discuss their positions, as well as answer questions about New Orleans' Energy Future.
Tune in Thursday, December 2nd @6:00 pm CST to hear first hand where the candidates stand on current & future energy regulation issues.
Get the rundown on which races are headed to a runoff this December:

Missed our Council Candidate Forum? Check out the recording!
​October 21st, 2021
EFNO hosted a forum featuring candidates for the New Orleans City Council Race on October 14th, 2021. The forum allowed candidates to discuss their positions, plus a Q&A.

​Couldn't make it to the forum? Check out the recording to hear first hand where the candidates stand on current and future energy regulation issues.
​Hear the candidates on the issues of Entergy's power failure in Hurricane Ida, high bills, and frequent outages. Find out if their plans for energy policy will work for you.

New Orleans City Council Candidates' Questionnaire
October 15th, 2021

​Energy Future New Orleans has prepared the New Orleans City Council Candidates' Questionnaire to help raise awareness about where each candidate stands on issues involving the regulation of Entergy, climate change, as well as equitable and just energy policies.​

Answers to the questionnaire were due on October 15th, 2021. All responses that were received are published here. Use can also use the link below to read the candidates' responses.  
​​The forum featuring candidates for the New Orleans City Council Race was held on October 14th. Learn more about it and check out the recording here!

Save the Date! New Orleans City Council Candidate Forum
October 14th, 2021

EFNO will host a forum featuring candidates for the New Orleans City Council Race. The forum will allow candidates to discuss their positions, plus a Q&A. Tune in @6pm CST to hear first hand where the candidates stand on current and future energy regulation issues. The forum was rescheduled due to Hurricane Ida. 
​Join us Thursday October 14th, @6pm!
​For info on how you can vote in the upcoming election, go to:
​https://www.nola.gov/registrar/

After Ida, a new direction on energy in New Orleans
September 28th, 2021

Across the city, people are taking action for a new energy direction in the aftermath of the Entergy disaster that contributed to the deaths of 11 residents. More people are now educated about rooftop solar with battery storage, which worked in Hurricane Ida when Entergy’s power failed. A growing number of residents are coming together to solarize places in neighborhoods that can serve as shelters and points of distribution in a disaster. New Orleanians also made their voices heard at the City Council utility meeting with demands that the City Council hold Entergy accountable for the catastrophic power failure with stronger regulations that ensure equity and safety. EFNO is inspired by the citywide movement in support of renewable energy and a regulated Entergy. We will use this space to collect news reports and the latest developments on the path toward making New Orleans a renewable and equitable city.
Latest Developments
9/9/14/21 EFNO announced that it filed a motion with the City Council seeking orders to hold Entergy accountable: 
  • A full investigation into what caused the Entergy power outage after Hurricane Ida
    • Update: This was unanimously adopted by the City Council in Resolution 21-343 on Sep. 23, 2021.
  • ​An independent management audit of Entergy corporations
    • Update: This was unanimously adopted by the City Council in Motion 21-342 on Sep. 23, 2021.
  • A prudence review to determine the fairness of the costs on Entergy bills for the new gas plant in New Orleans East 
New orleanians make their voices heard the Utility Committee Meeting
NEWS
9/26/21 The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com/TheAdvocate, Opinion by James Gill: “In rift with Entergy, New Orleans City Council outkicks its coverage”

9/24/21 NBC News: “Hurricane Ida power grid failulre forces a reckoning with Entergy’s monopoly in the South”

9/22/21 NPR News/ProPublica: “Entergy resisted upgrading New Orleans’ power grid. Residents paid the price” 

9/22/21 UtilityDive: “New Orleans City Council Votes to investigate Entergy’s Ida-related failures”

9/21/21 The Lens: “Hurricane Ida revealed Entergy’s misplaced investments, critics say”

9/20/21 The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com/TheAdvocate: “A group of consumers is suing Entergy for ‘negligence’ in Hurricane Ida blackout”

9/14/21 The Lens: “Councilwoman announces storm outages investigation, study on alternatives to Entergy monopoly power”

9/8/21 National Geographic: “To keep the lights on, New Orleans’ grid needs to change—here’s how”

9/4/21 Associated Press (KHQ News): “Hurricane Ida turns spotlight on Louisiana power grid issues”

9/1/21 NBC News: “Slow return of power raises questions about a New Orleans plant that was supposed to deliver electricity after hurricanes”

9/1/21 The Verge: “New Orleans needs a better backup plan for blackouts” 

8/31/21 Washington Post: “Louisiana power outages renew questions about utility giant’s preparedness for storms”
​
8/30/21 New York Times: “Hurricane Ida exposes grid weaknesses as New Orleans goes dark”

Let the City Council know what you think about Entergy
September 22nd, 2021

Speak your truth! Tell your story! Let the City council know what you think about Entergy.

Attend the: New Orleans City Council Utility Committee Meeting
Wednesday, September 22, 2021 | Starts at 10:30 am

Where: City Council Chambers at City Hall
1300 Perdido Street

EFNO Press Release: City Council must hold Entergy accountable
September 14th, 2021

The coalition Energy Future New Orleans (EFNO) is calling on the New Orleans City Council to hold Entergy accountable for its mismanagement and neglect of rusting and aging equipment which led to a city-wide power outage following Hurricane Ida, and follows a host of failures by the utility corporation.
​
Today, attorneys for EFNO members filed a motion with the City Council that seeks:
  • A full investigation into what caused the Entergy power outage after Hurricane Ida
  • ​An independent management audit of Entergy corporations
  • A prudence review to determine the fairness of the costs on Entergy bills for the new gas plant in New Orleans East 

City Council Action on Renewable Energy
May 19th, 2021

View the live stream of the May 19th New Orleans City Council UCTTC meeting in which councilmembers adopt R-21-182, establishing a Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard for the city of New Orleans. 
​
Read the Lens and the Advocate's reporting on the Council’s action.

One Thing You Can Do to Make Electricity Cost Less & and Do More in New Orleans
April 16th, 2021

New Orleans residents will soon have the opportunity to set a new direction for energy that lowers electric bills, creates jobs, and avoids the pollution that harms our neighborhoods and warms our planet. On April 29 at 10:00 am, City Councilmembers will hold a public meeting on a draft renewable portfolio standard or RPS. Below is a rundown on the Council’s draft RPS – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and one thing you can do before the Council utility committee meets.

Councilmember Helena Moreno agrees to move forward with a management audit of Entergy based on our recommendations
March 16th, 2021

City Councilmember Helena Moreno announced that she is in agreement with a management audit of Entergy based on recommendations by EFNO members and partner organizations. EFNO thanks Councilmember Moreno.
EFNO recommends the scope of the management audit include the following: 
  1. Leadership and staffing roles, responsibilities, and requirements
  2. Organizational structure, decision-making processes, internal controls, and external relations of all kinds
  3. Billing operations and verification method
  4. Emergency planning and response
  5. Salary and compensation levels
  6. Corporate culture and capacity to address the critical issues of climate change, a transition to a renewable energy system, advanced energy efficiency, and ensuring energy justice
​
EFNO also recommends the management audit include all Entergy companies that make decisions on service to New Orleans.

City Council, Entergy needs an Audit
March 15th, 2021

Sky-high bills. Unannounced power outages on Mardi Gras Day in excess of four times the required load shed in below-freezing temperatures that also shut off electric service to the city’s essential water services. Intentional safety violations at the Grand Gulf nuclear plant with exorbitant costs passed onto customers, which have triggered a $1B+ FERC case. And now an apparent data breach that gave criminals access to customers’ personal data. All of these management failures at Entergy have occurred in less than three months with great harm to the people of New Orleans.

“Over and over again Entergy messes up and the Council holds a meeting, but there is no solution. It feels like we’re in the movie ‘Groundhog Day.’ We don’t want to repeat this at the Council meeting tomorrow,” said Dawn Hebert, a New Orleans East resident and member of Energy Future New Orleans.

Months of sky-high bills and an unannounced blackout by Entergy on a freezing Mardi Gras night are among the “cascade of Entergy failures” described in the groups’ letter to City Councilmembers. According to the letter, Entergy has “evaded” presenting the facts of what caused these problems at special meetings before Council committees.

We cannot afford nor do we seek yet another special meeting that involves a presentation by Entergy in lieu of concrete regulatory action. As elected leaders responsible for the regulation of Entergy, we urge you to summon the courage to require Entergy to undergo an independent management audit.
Read the Press Release Here
​​Read the Letter to City Council Here or click the button below

​​News

​Our Latest Blog Entries

A look back at Entergy's promises to sell a gas plant to New Orleans

​Hurricane Ida left hundreds of thousands in southeast Louisiana without power despite years of promises by Entergy that our communities would not have a repeat of power grid failures if they could just build that plant in New Orleans East. We have already learned that the promise of power coming back without outside transmission was false.
Check out these clips from the City Council's July 26th, 2017 UCTTC meeting at which Entergy attorney Brian Guillot and former president & CEO Charles Rice sell the City Council on NOPS and its importance in an emergency situation, touting its ability to "keep the lights on."

Briefing Statement: Energy Regulation in New Orleans

The New Orleans City Council has an extraordinary power -- the regulation of Entergy as an investor-owned utility company. ​Though the Council has a designated Utility, Cable, Telecommunications and Technology Committee (“UCTTC”) consisting of five members, major regulatory decisions are brought to the full Council for voting. Thus, all New Orleans City Council members are both legislators and regulators of a major electric and gas utility.

​For years, the Energy Future New Orleans Coalition has advocated for strong regulatory oversight of Entergy in order to lower costs to ratepayers, increase the reliability of electric service in New Orleans, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are the cause of the changing climate threatening the future of our city.
We have prepared this simple informational sheet to highlight some of the regulatory issues currently pending before the Council:

Distributed Energy Resources are Poised to Revolutionize the Power System by Duncan Campbell

​Our infrastructure was not designed for the new world we face
In six months we’ve seen two black swan weather events cause an energy crisis. As we reckon with the systems engineering impact of extreme weather, energy resilience will undoubtedly emerge as an essential underpinning of our future grid. 
The first of these events was in August of 2020. A multi-state heat wave led to blackouts in California when the power system operator couldn’t secure adequate generation to meet immense air conditioning loads. The second event is happening as we speak. A massive winter storm is delivering crushingly low temperatures across much of the US. Texas, most of which currently does not have power, is being hit the hardest, not necessarily in absolute temperature, but relative to their typical winters. ​
Click to read more

We pay high Entergy bills when the City Council fails to pay attention.

On Tuesday, February 2, 2021, the New Orleans City Council will hold a virtual public meeting on the recent spike in Entergy bills. This spike may have been avoided with careful attention to cost factors. Energy Future New Orleans calls on Councilmembers to take five important steps to cut Entergy bills.
  1. Extend the moratorium on electric & gas service shut-offs.
    In this COVID-19 pandemic, New Orleans residents and businesses are facing tough financial times, which is now tougher as a result of the recent spike in Entergy bills across the city. Councilmembers should set a moratorium that prevents Entergy from shutting off electric and gas service in this pandemic.
Click to read more

What’s up with New Orleans Climate Action and Renewable Portfolio Standard?

Months ago the New Orleans City Council unanimously approved a resolution committing the City to 100% Net-Zero emissions by 2040, followed by actual zero emissions by 2050. Then the Council sent stakeholders back to the table to work out the details.

​Now the Council is expected to take up a final renewable resolution in January 2021. So, what does the rule on the Council’s desks look like, and does it meet those top four goals laid out by the Council earlier this year? Here is the breakdown.​

Click to read more

Letters: New Orleans should take lead in historic transition to renewables

Picture
ADVOCATE STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD
By Brent Newman, The Advocate

These are challenging times for New Orleans. COVID-19 has many of our neighbors out of work, struggling to pay rent, utilities, and other bills. As a people who traditionally combat the hard times by congregating, with a live band and a cold beverage, we now maintain our sense of community through Zoom calls, supporting first responders and donating to local relief efforts when we can. We respond to adversity through creativity and innovation, as the city of New Orleans has for over 300 years.
Click to read more

What’s up with New Orleans Climate Action and Renewable Portfolio Standard?

​Today the New Orleans City Council issued a resolution that calls on stakeholders to develop regulations on a “100% Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard” that will mandate that Entergy New Orleans reduce their net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2040 through the use of renewable energy resources, nuclear, and gas. The Council set forth a six month timeline directing stakeholders to outline cost management policy, set mandatory deadlines for emissions reductions, and phase out renewable “credits” by 2050. 
Click to read more

Economic Impact Analysis Shows R-RPS is best path forward.

The proposal, for an R-RPS submitted by the Energy Future New Orleans coalition, will establish a 100 percent Renewable Energy Standard by 2040 and result in more jobs, greater emissions reductions, and more local investment than alternatives...
​
Click to read more

Majority of New Orleanians support 100% Renewable Energy

According to an opinion poll commissioned by the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a clear majority of New Orleans residents are supportive of a transition to 100% renewable energy and away from fossil fuels. ​ [...]
Click to read more

The New Orleans City Council & Entergy vs. The People of New Orleans

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal to Decide Open Meetings Law Violations, Entergy Gas Plant After Hearing Oral Arguments Today
NEW ORLEANS, Monday, January 6, 2020 | Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal Honorable Judges James McKay, Paula Brown and Dale Atkins heard oral arguments on appeals of Judge Piper Griffin’s two judgments that included a decision to void the New Orleans City Council’s approval of Entergy’s gas plant for open meetings law violations. Entergy joined the City Council in arguing against New Orleans community and public interest organizations, who were represented by attorneys from the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Earthjustice, Green Justice Legal and Loyola Law School.

Entergy sues the City Council over lower profit rate & $1 million fine

Picture
Entergy New Orleans CEO David Ellis sits at a City Council utility committee meeting in October.
Entergy New Orleans, the city’s electric and gas utility, filed two lawsuits on Friday over recent decisions by the New Orleans City Council, which serves as the company’s regulator. 
​
By MICHAEL ISAAC STEIN
Article originally published by The Lens
DECEMBER 10, 2019
Click to read more

Electric Companies Like Entergy Are Using Affiliate Transactions to Block Renewable Energy, Here’s How

​Despite the environmental, economic, and reliability benefits of switching to  a renewables future, New Orleans, Louisiana is being blocked by local utility monopoly, Entergy.
​
By JOSEPH DANIEL, Senior Energy Analyst
Published by Union of Concerned Scientists
December 11, 2019, 12:38 PM EST
Click to read more

Groups call out Entergy CEO for gaslighting New Orleans

Leo Denault, Entergy CEO, under fire for "sustainability" summit used to promote expensive, hazardous nuclear energy and polluting gas plant over resident-controlled solar power.
​
Click to read more

This Crazy Trick Could Help New Orleans Utility Customers Save Money

Over the past year or so, a lot of states with renewable portfolio standards (RPS) have opted to double down on that policy mechanism to set a path to 100% clean electricity. However, most jurisdictions in the deep south have been reticent to pass such policies. That might change later this year, as the City of New Orleans considers passing an RPS. And that’s the crazy trick that could save customers money. Passing an RPS.  

I’m not saying that an RPS will guarantee more affordable energy; but, by passing a 100% renewable portfolio standard, the city of New Orleans has the opportunity not only to help reduce carbon emission but also make electricity more [...]
Click to read more

​​More Information

Visit our RCPS Information Page

​The Energy Future New Orleans Coalition used the input from the Symposium to create a Resilient-Renewable Portfolio Standard. ​
​Renewable Portfolio Standard 101: What is a renewable energy portfolio standard? How have other cities/states developed a RPS? 
​By Joe Daniel, Union of Concerned Scientists ​
​Breakdown of major differences between EFNO, Entergy, Advisor, and other proposals for New Orleans Energy Future

The Energy Future New Orleans Coalition is:

Nola Businesses and ORgs in support of R-RPS: Carrolton Riverbend Neighborhood Association - Frady's One Stop - Capulet - The Warehouse - Paloma Cafe - Fini Boutique - Tiffany Nails Spa - West Marine - Antiques on Jackson - Peony - Bambi DeVille Vintage - Tru Burger - Chateau Sew and Sew - Grandmother's Buttons - Jaci Blue - Goorin Brothers - Stein's Market and Deli - District Donuts  - Irpino, Avin, and Hawkins Law firm - Miette - Rhino - Mystic Blue Signs - Hell or High Water - Catalino's LLC - Swap Boutique - Maple St. Cafe - Chill Out Cafe - Chiba - Castellomi Pharmacy -  Mellow Mushroom - Yes, Yoga - Glue - Life City - Love's Music Therapy - Pepperonis Cafe - Emily Flagler Architect 

Copyright © 2023 · Energy Future New Orleans