Website: DavanteForLA.com

Ranked Choice:

Companies should be allowed to build larger plants, even if that will cause rate increases for individual residents in the short term.
Disagree

We should invest more in sustainable energy (i.e. wind and solar power).
Strongly Agree

Individuals should have more choices in their utilities, rather than getting stuck with a company because of a monopoly.
Agree

The Public Service Commission adequately educates consumers on issues relating to public utility, common carrier, and “Do Not Call” regulations.
Disagree

Louisiana’s utility infrastructure is ready to handle major weather disasters, like hurricanes and flooding.
Strongly Disagree

Short Answer:

How should the Public Service Commission balance protecting consumers and protecting the profits of utility companies?
The PSC obviously has many stakeholders across its jurisdiction. But above all, as a Public Service Commissioner, I will put the needs of people, both in my district and across the State of Louisiana, first. There is no excuse for utilities like Entergy to be making record profits while failing to keep the power on for residents across the state. There is no excuse for utilities to tell residents, after years of hardening fee increases, that their infrastructure can’t withstand even moderately strong hurricanes.
Our state allows utilities to maintain monopolies over vast stretches of the state with the understanding that they would provide reliable, affordable services. They have failed to uphold their end of the bargain, and I will not accept excuses – either they start meeting the needs of ratepayers, or the PSC should change our policies so that someone else can.
District 3 includes much of the area deemed “Cancer Alley.” How do you view the Public Service Commissions responsibility to residents of this area?
These dynamics require the District 3 Commissioner to be a voice & advocate for action on climate change, for Black and Brown people all over the state, and for our people. It means the person who should be occupying this seat is thinking more about the people and less about industry and power.
Embracing renewable energy – particularly solar and wind – would not only help to combat further climate change, but would also bring down costs for ratepayers and reduce pollution in our air and water. Incentivizing these energy sources would give Louisiana the opportunity to create a New Energy Economy, with high-paying, union jobs. As such, the PSC should be taking steps towards adopting a statewide renewable portfolio standard for all Louisiana utilities. This standard should set goals for the state to eliminate utility-based carbon emissions by 2035, in line with Louisiana’s Climate Action Plan.

What should voters consider when choosing their Public Service Commissioner?
The PSC can do two critically important things to help families endure and recover from natural disasters more quickly. First, the Commission should begin the work of restoring net metering and educate the public about the many tax incentives and funds that are or will soon be available to make installation of rooftop solar and home battery systems more affordable thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act passed this year. These technologies can help ensure that families keep the lights on if and when the grid fails.
Secondly, the Commission must also start holding for-profit utilities accountable to the needs of ratepayers. It seems clear that, despite raising our electricity bills with “hardening” fees, that utilities have failed to uphold their obligations. The PSC must be aggressive in ensuring that all utility infrastructure can withstand our intensifying weather and larger, more powerful storms that scientists have warned us to expect more often.

Would you like to clarify any of your ranked choice responses.
I’m both a policy expert and someone who has personally experienced many of the struggles my district neighbors and potential constituents face every day. Month to month, far too many of us lack the means to reliably and affordably keep our homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Far too many of us have to worry about having clean water to drink and clean air to breathe.

Website: ManningForChange.com

Ranked Choice:

Companies should be allowed to build larger plants, even if that will cause rate increases for individual residents in the short term.
Strongly Disagree

We should invest more in sustainable energy (i.e. wind and solar power).
Strongly Agree

Individuals should have more choices in their utilities, rather than getting stuck with a company because of a monopoly.
Strongly Agree

The Public Service Commission adequately educates consumers on issues relating to public utility, common carrier, and “Do Not Call” regulations.
Strongly Disagree

Louisiana’s utility infrastructure is ready to handle major weather disasters, like hurricanes and flooding.
Strongly Disagree

Short Answer:

How should the Public Service Commission balance protecting consumers and protecting the profits of utility companies?
Because regulatory processes typically are dominated by businesses with deep pockets and the lobbyists and attorneys they hire, I believe a regulator’s first priority must be to represent the interests of the people and communities who don’t have attorneys and lobbyists. By “represent,” to be clear, I don’t mean merely speaking on behalf of those interests from the dais, but reaching out proactively to communities affected by some approaching decision, months before it’s made, to engage them around what’s at stake and how they can take part in helping to determine its outcome. Healthy regulation involves patient, long-term education inside communities about the regulatory process and how to engage in it, which I think is essential to addressing the imbalances in resources and access that too often transform regulatory processes into tools for the powerful to wield against the public.
District 3 includes much of the area deemed “Cancer Alley.” How do you view the Public Service Commissions responsibility to residents of this area?
I work closely with many organizations advocating for environmental justice alongside majority-Black, frontline communities, including the Coalition Against Death Alley, Rise St. James, Inclusive Louisiana, and the Greater New Orleans Interfaith Climate Coalition.
I am working with the Coalition against Death Alley to ensure no new petrochemical facilities are built in the River Parishes, industrial emissions are banned within 5 miles of public spaces, and that healthcare costs are covered for communities most impacted. The PSC has the authority and responsibility to support this reform.
I also see an environmental justice opportunity by launching Project Open Docket (POD), to provide clear, easy-to-understand descriptions of every open docket before the PSC, accessible through a user-friendly website. POD docket analyses will specialize in explaining clearly how policy decisions would affect communities, bills, and service.

What should voters consider when choosing their Public Service Commissioner?
I’d like constituents to understand fully the extraordinary potential that lies in the hands of the PSC to bring about changes most of us want: it isn’t a pipe dream to have access to affordable solar power, on your own roof or across town, to dramatically lower your electricity bills. It’s attainable. And the PSC can make it happen.
That it’s not normal for electrical grids to go down as much as ours does. The PSC can mandate investments that bring about a more reliable system.
For every family member of someone who is incarcerated, that it’s not the sheriff or the jail that’s charging the outrageous rates for phone calls. The PSC set the policy to allow those rates and the PSC can change them.
I’d like every resident to know that the incumbent Commissioner in this race has gotten most of his campaign funding from the companies he’s regulating. That needs to stop forever. I’d like every resident to know that there is power in the PSC, so that they start to demand we use it.

Would you like to clarify any of your ranked choice responses.
The needs in PSC 3 distinguish it from other areas. The district includes some of the poorest communities in the state, areas deeply affected by climate change and extreme weather events and communities increasingly likely to face long-duration power outages, now the leading cause of death from hurricanes.

The PSC has the authority to:

Establish grid reliability standards for Entergy, backed by stiff, enforceable penalties.

Adopt solar and storage resilience strategies such as Community Lighthouse and Get Lit Stay Lit so communities can function when the grid goes down.

Aggressively pursue federal funds under the Infrastructure Bill and Inflation Reduction Act to pay for resilience upgrades.

District 3 is the most progressive PSC district in the State. It’s majority Black; strongly Democratic; deeply supportive of affordable energy, aggressive regulation, renewable energy and ending mass incarceration. The Commissioner from District 3 should be leading the charge on these issues.

Website: JesseTThompson.com

Ranked Choice:

Companies should be allowed to build larger plants, even if that will cause rate increases for individual residents in the short term.
Neutral

We should invest more in sustainable energy (i.e. wind and solar power).
Strongly Agree

Individuals should have more choices in their utilities, rather than getting stuck with a company because of a monopoly.
Strongly Agree

The Public Service Commission adequately educates consumers on issues relating to public utility, common carrier, and “Do Not Call” regulations.
Strongly Disagree

Louisiana’s utility infrastructure is ready to handle major weather disasters, like hurricanes and flooding.
Strongly Disagree

Short Answer:

How should the Public Service Commission balance protecting consumers and protecting the profits of utility companies?
Balancing the needs of utility companies should be something the PSC should try to do. The utility companies are certainly needed and should be fairly and reasonably (fiscally) protected, but not at the expense of overburdening the ratepayer. Bigger is not always better and the PSC should keep its focus on what is best for consumers instead of fostering larger profits for regulated monopoly utilities just because the utility says so. The PSC should balance consumer protection by creating a fair, competitive environment, while relaxing regulation when appropriate. The PSC was created to look after the interests of the public and consumers should always be more important than any profit of the utility company. “Just & Fair” should be determined by the public, not only by the private utilities. Self-generation of residential solar with net metering is one of several customer centered options which should be allowed.
District 3 includes much of the area deemed “Cancer Alley.”

How do you view the Public Service Commissions responsibility to residents of this area?
The PSC has absolute authority and the responsibility when it comes to the welfare of the public in matters related to public water & wastewater, certain electrical intrastate transmission & generation, pipelines and material transports, and many things our industrial neighbors rely on to receive and convert materials to product then transport its products out. The PSC has the responsibility to look after the public’s interests and what is best for the welfare of the public -especially for health & safety on matters within its authority. This is one of the biggest can kickings of the interpreters of our government over the last 50 years or so. I live in Cancer Alley in Iberville; I have a backyard water well I can no longer drink from & recently had to shelter in place (34 hrs) due to a chlorine release; industry made contaminants are in our community’s public drinking water source. My view is clear on responsibility of the health, safety, and the welfare of our community public.

What should voters consider when choosing their Public Service Commissioner?
Qualifications & Moral Philosophy: As a self-employed LA Professional Civil Engineer with relevant education and 20+ years relevant work experience with essential public utilities much of what the PSC is tasked to regulate, I have the relevant background and problem solver skillsets to best serve the public as our next Commissioner. Engineer Creed: To protect the public welfare and do what is in betterment of the community public. I have 50 years of life experience to know that everybody is someone and we should do what’s right simply because its the right thing to do. It is important that we elect someone who understands the role of the PSC and the responsibility of protecting the public welfare, one that has the necessary background and can effectively regulate for the betterment of our community. Someone who aligns well with most people and is for what is “just & fair” for the public, one that will look after the public’s interest and holds the welfare of the public most important.

Would you like to clarify any of your ranked choice responses.
Simple Engineering Economics: Economies of scale & affordability should be considered; a bigger plant may be more cost-effective but may not be affordable for the ratepayer …as well as the opposite. Build the best bang for the (affordable) public buck.
Sustainable Energy: We need a Plan B readily available that includes diversity in our energy sources.
Customer Options: Net-metering solar for starters; relax regulation at times when its good for consumers.
Utility Infrastructure: It took months to get permanent power & safe drinking water restored to Grand Isle after IDA. The PSC may not regulate municipally owned utilities, but our public utilities of water, sewer, gas, telecom, and electric are not sustainable to storms in many areas & need improvement. Many drainage utility systems are non-existent, inadequate, or do not work as intended. Still today, electrical outages are routine, our homes flood, and pipelines & utility systems are damaged by major weather.

Ranked Choice:

Companies should be allowed to build larger plants, even if that will cause rate increases for individual residents in the short term.
Strongly Disagree

We should invest more in sustainable energy (i.e. wind and solar power).
Strongly Agree

Individuals should have more choices in their utilities, rather than getting stuck with a company because of a monopoly.
Strongly Agree

The Public Service Commission adequately educates consumers on issues relating to public utility, common carrier, and “Do Not Call” regulations.
Disagree

Louisiana’s utility infrastructure is ready to handle major weather disasters, like hurricanes and flooding.
Strongly Disagree

Short Answer:

How should the Public Service Commission balance protecting consumers and protecting the profits of utility companies?
The PSC should balance the best interests of consumers against reasonable profits allowed by law.

District 3 includes much of the area deemed “Cancer Alley.” How do you view the Public Service Commissions responsibility to residents of this area?
The PSC has limited, if any, jurisdiction over many of the entities causing health issues in “Cancer Alley”.

What should voters consider when choosing their Public Service Commissioner?
Voters should look for candidates with knowledge of the utility industry. Voters should also consider the records of the candidates in fighting for consumer interests and advocating for the use of solar and other renewable energy sources.

Would you like to clarify any of your ranked choice responses.
See above answers