Louisiana’s major electric utilities are still pushing state regulators to allow them to charge customers for the costs of a new statewide energy efficiency program and for the electricity customers will no longer need because of that program.
While the idea might seem like a straightforward solution to cut back on waste, utility company executives aren’t very happy with it. In general, utility companies earn more profit when homes and businesses waste electricity. Less waste leads to lower electric bills, which could mean lower profits for the utilities.
Entergy Louisiana and Cleco vehemently opposed the idea and successfully delayed its adoption for years. A consultant the commission hired to write the basic guidelines for the program spent 13 years and over a half-million dollars trying to appease utility companies with agreeable rules.
Fed up with the delays, Commissioner Craig Greene, R-Baton Rouge, ended the stalemate in January and joined with the two Democrats on the commission in adopting what they say is a more consumer-friendly program than the one the utilities wanted.
That’s not how any of this works.
Fuck them and fuck anyone who thinks this makes sense. Paying for energy you don’t use because ‘boo-hoo company profits’ is probably the most blatant late stage capitalism bullshit I’ve seen all month, and probably up there with a handful for the year.
Paying for energy you don’t use because ‘boo-hoo company profits’ is probably the most blatant late stage capitalism bullshit I’ve seen all month, and probably up there with a handful for the year.
I agree, and considering some of the other contenders (like Musk suing an ad industry group for choosing not to buy ad space from Twitter), that’s saying a lot!
In nearly every single example I can think of i fully agree.
The only way I could see this being possibly justified is transmission costs - repairs and maintenance regardless of actual power use, especially if they are selling power back using the grid. I would say its a pricing change rather that suing someone… but again, only possibly I can think of.
i think a good analog for what youre thinking is the ‘911 tax’. it used to be that landlines had a line tax to pay for emergency services, but when everyone dumped their land lines the 911 tax bottomed out and small communities could no longer cover their emergency services costs.
its since been supplanted with other tax streams, but having to pay for the infrastructure makes sense.
but this shit? profits? sit and spin on a cactus you fucking fucks.
Again, only way I could think of. If you (company) are paying for infrastructure and that comes from your profits then it makes sense.
I’d say scrap the % for infrastructure, fixed costs to be connected to grid (for household or companies in a set area) then pay for use only.
You’re spot on with the comparison.
courts that make decisions like this should have all their decisions and laws made a deliberate mockery of. this shit needs to get much broader hate.
My lamp oil business has the same problem, ever since that darn Edison came along my deserved profits have been dwindling! And my cousin has a limestone tablet store, you can’t imagine what it’s like!
It’s what happens when you calculate with infinite growth. Eventually you’ll be surprised by the fact that it isn’t. The only reason why they’re thinking they’re OWED that money is because someone wrote down a number.
Brb, making a company, projecting 10b revenue in 2 years, complain how sales are being suppressed, maybe sue the government for one thing or another. No I don’t have a product yet. That’s how it works, right?
I mean, the market is centrally planned and controlled by the state, so it isn’t capitalist.
You don’t need to ask the state permission to raise prices under capitalism.
I’m struggling to understand why utility companies can’t just put up energy prices? Why chase individual customers for this difference in power saving?
because nobody’s going to break in and fucking kill them if they do. but they might if you don’t pay. so they can.
The rates are limited by the state…
Wow, really? Louisiana has some of the cheapest electricity in the US and the world. No wonder this problem exists when the Government forces unprofitable pricing without socialising the utility
Got a source?
its not how it works, but is how it’s happening.
you can have courts or you can have justice. not both.
“Lower profits for the utilities” is a nonsensical phrase.
should be. isn’t. needs fixing.
i’m happy to pay for some things i don’t directly benefit from: public school, school meals, abortions, etc. but if someone thinks i’m going to pay for a product i never received, for no other reason than their for-profit ‘line always go up’ corporate bottom lines, then they can go fuck themselves
corporate profits should be made an example of. like, deliberately ruined whenever possible, because if this is what happens when they’re up…
So, if the corporation can’t be profitable, it’s probably time for the state to take over.
Absolutely shameless.
Tell me it’s an Onion article.
That’s insane that they have so much power to begin with
Fed up with the delays, Commissioner Craig Greene, R-Baton Rouge, ended the stalemate in January and joined with the two Democrats on the commission in adopting what they say is a more consumer-friendly program than the one the utilities wanted.
That’s what happens when one party’s entire purpose in life is to just be bought and paid for. The reason they got to drag their feet for years to come up with nothing meaningful is because 3/5 members of the commission let them. I’m just glad Commissioner Greene finally came around, even if it’s only because he’s not running for reelection
Friendly reminder that those tiny elections down ballot are still inedibly important.
only ones that are.
They literally MAKE power
how dare you steal money from the billionaires, they are hardly making ends meet
Capitalism is the most efficient economic system 😎👌
Power companies need the welfare now?
Woke liberal transgender marxists who hate America try to destroy Entergy Louisiana and put hapless shareholders into the poorhouse!
Won’t somebody help the poor poor shareholders crying in their yachts?
they won’t. everybody’s been bought by big orphan. cowards.
At that point id recommend burning down their stuff, you already pay for the damages, might as well do them.
really its your stuff.
See this is where we should apply tar and feathers. If your argument literally nis that you want to earn more money, so you want to just force people to pay you, you’re just a mob boss wannabe. Tar and feathers, publicly.
