A progressive Democrat who supports actions to curb climate change, expand renewable energy and strengthen the cap on how much investor-owned utilities can extract from ratepayers was elected to Louisiana’s Public Service Commission this month.
But the Dec. 10 election of 30-year-old Davante Lewis over another Democrat, longtime incumbent Lambert Boissiere III, isn’t expected to have much effect on public policies governing utilities in the state. Republicans continue to have a 3-2 majority on the panel.
“I don’t think that Mr. Lewis' election will have much of an impact on climate policy in the state,” Brian Snyder, an associate professor of environmental sciences at Louisiana State University, said in an email to the Louisiana Record. “As one vote on a five-member commission and one of two Democrats, I don't think the Public Service Commission will see any significant shift in climate policy.”
Snyder noted that a number of outside groups spent money on the race, with environmental political action committees supporting Lewis and the state’s largest electricity utility, Entergy, contributing to Boissiere’s campaign.
“Maybe there could be some changes in terms of the costs of prison phone calls (which are also regulated by the PSC) or utility bills, but in terms of climate change, I expect exactly zero change in carbon dioxide emissions to be caused by replacing Mr. Boissierre with Mr. Lewis,” Snyder said.
Lewis offered a platform of multiple campaign pledges: work to implement a ratepayers’ bill of rights to help senior-citizen ratepayers, repeal excessive late fees, speed up the transition to clean, renewable energy and ensure that the panel will stand by the state Climate Action Plan’s call for Louisiana to have a power grid that uses 100% renewable energy by 2035.
Public Service Commission members serve staggered six-year terms. This month in District 3, which runs from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, Lewis defeated Boissiere 59.2% (49,958 votes) to 40.8% (34,368 votes).