by Kenneth Cooper

  “Let’s try this again, without the actors!” Thus says the judge. The City Council says, “OK” as it sits on a cool $5 million – the fine payment from Entergy (quite the come-up). Soon there will be do-over vote (a mulligan, a formality, a performance?). “To be or not to be,” that will once again be the question. But unlike Hamlet, the Council won’t be contemplating suicide, just a power plant.

Entergy, like SW&B, apparently has a pumping problem. But their problem isn’t pumping water out of the city. It’s pumping electricity into it. The dilemma (according to Entergy): if Entergy is not allowed to build a new power plant then it can’t guarantee that parts of the city won’t have to deal with occasional power outages. These outages may affect certain areas around the times when they mostly need power, like during or after a hurricane, or when it rains hard, or when too many neighbors are broiling steaks, running the hairdryer, or blasting the AC at the same time. The new plant will eliminate such concerns (apparently) while producing a mild amount pollution and toxicity. But fear not, if all goes wrong, the plant will be stationed way out in Michoud where mostly Vietnamese and black people live.

By now you know the story. Entergy paid people to flood a Council hearing and support its proposal. These supporters overcrowded the council’s chambers and prevented power plant protesters from voicing their oppositon directly to the council. The Council subsequently approved the proposal, only to discover it’d been astroturfed. Even so, the council stood by their approval based on the proposal’s merits, but fined Entergy $5 million for acting bad. Last week, Judge Piper Griffin essentially said, “UMM.. Let’s do it again”

So,  there will be another vote. A new City Council will now consider the merits of Entergy’s proposal while hearing the concerns of all those who are against it. This time they’ll do so without the paid actors. That will not change a thing. Expect nothing new! In the immortal words of Smokey (see the movie Friday), write it down, take a picture, The Council will re-approve the power plant without a hitch. The question is what will become of the $5 million?

 When the Council first announced that it would be fining Entergy $5 million for astroturfing their hearings it was said the money would go to the SW&B. You know the SW&B, the agency that has all kinds of problems pumping water out of the city, but never seems to have a problem coming up with reasons why it needs to suck in more money.  And Mayor LaToya Cantrell insisted the SW&B should get all of the fine money to pay for upgrading its ancient pumps and narcoleptic employees. Come on guys – how will we ever see the pot-holes in the streets if they’re flooded? Meanwhile, the Council has reconsidered. But with new fair share money set to flow into the city for the S&WB, should the money be spent elsewhere?

Actually, the Council would rather pull an Edwin Edwards and spread the loot around. Will the mayor and S&WB still seek the fine money? It’s hard to tell who’s Peter and who’s Paul is this robbing scenario. The Council wants to take money from Entergy and spread it around its districts. The mayor wants to take the money the Council is taking from Entergy and give it to the SW&B.

Speaking of things biblical, in the beginning men burned bulls and other animals to curry favor from their god. It was written that their god deemed it a pleasing odor. Apparently, their neighbors did not, because the practice came to a halt (have you ever smelled a live or dead animal being burned? Anyway…). Today we burn coal, oil, and natural gas not just because it’s still the most practical form of energy we know, but because those who profit from it deem the smell of new money a pleasing odor; however, their neighboring environmentalists do not. But like it or not, the fact still remains that Entergy has an energy monopoly in NOLA, and the prospects of putting up windmills or a giant solar plant in Michoud just aren’t practical.

Turns out that our only real option is to hope that Entergy keeps its’ word, that it’ll deliver us more energy with less pollution. Or there’s the other option: when the power goes out, you can walk up the street, knock on your neighbors’ doors and kindly ask them to have their wives turn off the hairdryers and turn up their AC’s. That will likely result in another “To be or not to be” dilemma, one involving whether a foot should be placed up a certain part of your body or whether extra police should be hired to patrol your part of town.

3 thoughts on “Not So Fast, Entergy. Not So Fast”
  1. Mr. Cooper,
    You said something about “What’s Practical”?
    a. Google the “IVANPAH” Project in California. Also, examine the record of “Bright Source Energy” integrated “Pollution Free” energy and Solar Projects “Internationally”! Bright Source is only 1 Vendor! Please provide proof why Solar Projects in NOE are impractical? *NOTE- The IVANPAH project wouldn’t cost nearly what a similiar project in NOLA would, for several reasons we won’t exppound at this time!
    b. Have you ever heard the name “Tesla”, The Physist, not Elon’s area or Era? Tesla discovered “Scalar Waves”! There are models in 2019 tranmitting “Scalar” underground like what Tesla did 1st, also above ground devices using “Amplification” to make Scalar suitable for houses!!
    “ELECTRICITY CAN BE TRANSMITTED WIRELESSLY”!!!
    1st a recommendation- Visit Dillard’s Physics Lab and request a “Demonstration” after Summer Break Re: Scalar., or visit Tulane, Xavier, SUNO, Loyola and request the same.
    c. “Electricity” can be transmitted “Wirelessly”! What!!! So…, why is the US so dependent on “Hydrocarbons”? Ans. It’s called control, greed and “War” aka “Project for a New American Century”! READ IT!!!
    Hydrocarbon Industries not only monopolize communities via their “Products”, but they break “Back Water Cities” and their Banana Republic so- called Politicos like NOLA! Make them dependent on their products, then charge way above “Any” 2019 Index Fund, slap 11% on The Saps, not the “Give Ourself a Raise” Politicos, but The Service Industry $7 an Hour Citizen!
    Let’s stop there! Sorry to say, but NOLA City Council is a Sham! What is the added value of “Energy Out of Town Consultants” (Mostly Attorneys), who depend on ENTERGY biased info and data to draw conclusions? NOLA elects too many Attorneys and not enough Scientist! Torts vary from State to State, Gravity does not!
    Finally, you didn’t need to be clairvoyant to predict “The Fix Appears to be in, again”! Moreno, Banks et al practically makes this clear! The People are not who “Regulate The Regulators”, money and Stupidity obviously does!
    btw- Which TRI picked up by a THC Monitor and reported was a negotiated matter. Never Synergisms at all! Not “All” VOC’s via a THC Monitor are revealed! When you talk about “Pollution Released” by The Giant Gas Oven, remember- Which ones aren’t being reported AND- New Orleans East has no “Pollution Monitor”!!! DEQ says the one for NOE is located in Chalmette, ‘Dats right, LOOK IT UP, CHALMETTE! So…, How do you NOW or EVER measure Pollution in NOE with a Monitor located in Chalmette, and to add insult/assult to Ignorance- “A Water Barrier Separates NOE from Chalmette”!
    Peace Out…

  2. All of these people have forgot that this is a very small market. No large company is coming here. We
    need Entergy bad to the workers of New Orleans. Prey that they stay here, we all.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.