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NEW ORLEANS - On Monday, October 25, Council President Helena Moreno will hold a special Utilities Committee Meeting to consider instruments to end the threat of electricity bill increases while beginning the essential effort to harden our grid for the climate challenges to come.
"These are two important measures," Council President Moreno stated. "First, we need to act now to prevent bill increases for the winter months. Our ratepayers have been through enough, and I’m prepared to immediately move to prevent electricity bill increases during these challenging times. Additionally, we must have a plan to draw federal dollars for climate resilience, and that plan must be developed with input from all stakeholders. Storms like Ida have shown us the risks to our people aren't just economic but are also matters of survival. I have been working aggressively to win federal support for grid restoration and enhancement, and I want to move as quickly as possible to identify the investments we can make to give us better resiliency and security into the future."
The Utilities Committee will consider two instruments — one to freeze electric bills over the winter months and another directing Entergy and stakeholders to identify projects or upgrades poised to strengthen our grid. Prepping this list of shovel-ready projects will put New Orleans on firm footing as federal policymakers finalize significant legislation in Congress. Potential federal investments in grid upgrades under President Biden's Build Back Better and infrastructure plans exceed $30 billion dollars.
The Utilities Committee is set to meet at 10 am on Monday, October 25. Watch the meeting live here.
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