New Orleans Gains Ground on Renewable Energy

May 21, 2021

New Orleans is now on the map as a city that requires renewable energy. The Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard, passed by the New Orleans City Council, mandates that all electricity Entergy supplies to New Orleans comes from renewable and carbon-free energy by 2050, with maximum allowance of 10 percent offsets. The law forces Entergy to take action now to eliminate oil, gas and coal as sources for electricity supplied to our city. Unfortunately, the law allows Entergy to continue supplying nuclear energy, which is not “renewable” or “clean,” and disproportionately harms Black and Indigenous communities.

The progress achieved by the Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard moves our city forward on avoiding power plant pollution, cutting electric bills, and growing local jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency. This is the result of a more than two-year campaign by the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and partners in Energy Future New Orleans – Alliance for Affordable Energy, Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, 350 New Orleans, Audubon Louisiana, PosiGen, Sunrise Movement New Orleans, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, Vote Solar, and sheroes Ms. Dawn Hebert and Ms. Katherine Prevost.

We thank residents across the city who participated in educational symposia, attended town hall meetings, signed petitions, joined virtual Energy & You conversations on Zoom, and made their voices heard this week at the meetings of the City Council and the Council Utility Committee. We appreciate the City Council for taking this step with us.