Last month, the New Orleans City Council approved a temporary agreement between Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana—a move initiated by the NFL, which is keen to promote the Super Bowl as a “clean energy” event. However, a closer look at the deal reveals it to be little more than a nuclear shell game: swapping fossil gas power for power from a nuclear plant and rebranding it as clean.
This approach not only misleads the public but also underscores ENO’s ongoing failure to invest in the robust transmission and renewable energy infrastructure needed to deliver genuinely clean energy for both the Super Bowl and our city. Affordable, clean energy in a city as vulnerable to climate disasters as New Orleans should be a daily standard, not a one-off marketing stunt.
The City Council has the regulatory authority to hold ENO accountable. They should require that any clean energy deal associated with the Super Bowl be independently verified and certified by a reputable non-profit experienced in authenticating clean and green power claims. Furthermore, ENO and the NFL must provide clear, transparent evidence supporting all “clean” or “green” assertions on public platforms and in their promotional materials.
The Council must strive to be more than a rubber stamp for deals that obscure the urgent need for real clean energy investments in our community.
From Pastor Manning: “Not only is this dishonest on the part of the NFL, it highlights ENO’s continuing failure to invest in the transmission and renewable energy infrastructure necessary to power a truly clean Super Bowl and city. Affordable, clean energy for a city as vulnerable to climate disaster as New Orleans should not be a one-football-game-per-year sleight-of-hand act, but a daily reality. The New Orleans City Council has unique regulatory authority to keep ENO honest, and they should exercise it, such as by demanding that any clean energy deal for powering the Super Bowl be verified and certified by an independent not-for-profit organization with experience in validating clean and green power claims. In addition, ENO and the NFL should provide transparent substantiation of all “clean” or “green” claims on a publicly-accessible website and as part of any advertisements or promotional statements. The Council can and should strive to be more than a rubber stamp for bogus deals such as this one.”
Read about it on the EFNO website.
Update: It took a while, but the newspaper finally published this letter!
