Louisiana's new utility regulator wants to reduce rates, introduce renewable mandates
Updated: 2 days ago
Davante Lewis defeated Lambert Bossier III in a Dec. 10, 2022, runoff for the District 3 seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission. [Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator]
By Terry L. Jones for Floodlight and Louisiana Illuminator
After defying the odds to become the first openly LGBTQ person elected to a statewide office, Davante Lewis intends to use the momentum to take on utility giants such as Entergy and move the state toward more renewable energy in his first six-year term on Louisiana’s Public Service Commission.
Many see Lewis’ victory as a sign of shifting politics around renewable energy in a state where, traditionally, fossil fuels have ruled.
“If you were to look on the surface, someone like Davante Lewis shouldn’t have had a prayer of a chance because he was taking on a long-term incumbent who had not demonstrated any electoral weakness in the past,” said John Couvillion, a Baton Rouge-based political pollster and president of JMC Analytics and Polling.
All eyes are now on Lewis to prove whether he can follow through on campaign promises to lower customer utility bills and push the state toward greener energy sources on the conservative-leaning, five-member commission.