The Latest News and Updates
Mar 26, 2018
What's Council-Member elect Cyndi Nguyen's position on Entergy Plant?
While the vote is out of Nguyen's hands, she says it's not too late to take concerns to the president of Entergy in New Orleans. Allowing Entergy to rebuild a plant in a place without doing health disparity studies or anything, just because it was there before makes absolutely no sense," Beverly Wright said. The debate over allowing Entergy to build a new gas fire power plant in New Orleans East is not over for some like Wright. As a resident in the East and director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, she questions why the vote for a new plant was not delayed until new incoming City Council members were sworn in. Click here for more information....
Mar 2, 2018
What Entergy Wants Versus What New Orleans Needs
The City Council has the responsibility to decide whether Entergy's application for a gas plant in New Orleans East is in the public interest. What Entergy wants may not be in the public interest, but what New Orleans needs defines the public interest. There is no independent utility authority declaring that a new gas plant is needed in New Orleans. Entergy simply wants one. It is clear that Entergy wants a gas plant that would cost at least $210 million to construct. Entergy also wants the City Council to shift all the financial risks to residents and businesses in New Orleans. If approved, Entergy would receive an 11 percent profit on the construction cost -- called a "return on equity" -- of at least $23 million. Click here for more information....
Feb 27, 2018
Entergy Gas Plant Bad Deal for New Orleans
Record of Evidence on Entergy Gas Plant Confirms It Would Be a Bad Deal for New Orleans - City Council Decision on This Record Expected Soon NEW ORLEANS, LA – As the City Council draws near to making a decision on whether Entergy’s application to build a new gas plant would be in the public interest, the evidentiary record confirms major problems with Entergy’s proposal. Entergy makes public claims promoting the gas plant that do not match the admissions of Entergy CEO Charles Rice and others under oath during the recent evidentiary hearing on the gas plant. The transcript of this evidentiary hearing can be viewed on the Energy Future New Orleans Coalition’s website at: https://www.nogasplant.com/news. “We have said all along that Entergy’s gas plant would be a bad deal for New Orleans and now we have the record to prove it,” said Dawn Hebert, a resident of New Orleans East who attended the evidentiary hearing. “I hope City Councilmembers read the transcript of the evidentiary hearing before they vote,” she said. The City Council Utility Committee will meet on Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at 10:00 am to consider a resolution and order on the Entergy gas plant application. At this meeting, the Council will hear closing arguments from the parties and intervenors in the docket proceeding and comments from the public. This meeting will take place in the Pan American Building at 601 Poydras Street in the 11th floor auditorium. Click here for the full PDF ...
Jan 25, 2018
Vote No to Dumping in New Orleans East
City Council should vote "No!" on three plans to make New Orleans East an industrial dumping ground! Make your voice heard! Thursday, January 25th 2018 3520 Gen. Degaulle Blvd.
Dec 15, 2017
Community-Based Organizations and HBCU Professors Join Forces!
The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and Texas Southern University have launched a unique collaboration -- the HBCU-CBO Gulf Coast Equity Consortium. The Consortium unites dedicated leaders of community-based organizations in five states with accomplished professors at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The aim of this collaboration is to improve the lives of children and families in the Gulf Region. Community leaders and HBCU professors work together on a research-to-action model designed by DSCEJ and TSU to build community capacity and bring about systemic change. The Consortium is under the direction of Dr. Beverly Wright, DSCEJ Executive Director, and Dr. Robert Bullard, TSU Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy. The W. K. Kellogg Foundation supports the Consortium with a five-year grant in the amount of $3.3 million. ...