The PSC District 2 election approaches, candidates talk utility prices and more

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – “Louisiana residents want safe communities, they want jobs and opportunity and they want affordable energy,” said District Two Public Service Commission candidate Jean Paul Coussan.

Republicans Jean Paul Coussan and Julie Quinn, along with Democrat Nick Laborde, said they believe progress can be made on Louisiana’s energy supplies, including utility rates.

“Our electricity prices in Louisiana are very reasonable because of the fees. This is a result of the hardening of the network.”

Laborde agrees that fees have been a burden on families for some time and believes utilities need to be more responsive to consumers.

“They have a list of hurricane recovery fees and stuff, but they don’t tell you how long you pay for it or where it goes. I would like to see these fees better explained to consumers.”

Renewable energies were also an issue. Coussan recognizes the opportunity of renewable resources but wants residents to consider the economic impact such a shift could have on the state’s agriculture.

“They will probably represent less than 10% of the grid, but there are also some economic issues such as loss of farmland. There are also cultural issues as sugarcane is very important to people across the district.”

Quinn recognizes the potential, but worries that taxpayer money could be wasted if too much emphasis is placed on renewable energy.

“I also have a serious problem with tax credits, which are your money and my money, being used for such deals. If a deal is viable, let it stand on its own two feet. If a solar farm or a wind farm wants to generate electricity, you do it on your own. But it absolutely has to be part of our makeup, we just can’t rely on it.”

Coussan and Quinn both said they received campaign contributions from utility companies. Laborde says he is determined not to take a dime from a utility company.

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