Dive Summary:
- Louisiana utility regulators have stopped the implementation of a statewide energy efficiency program, which has raised the ire of environmentalists and commissioners who wanted to keep the program.
- The initiative would have given utilities a year to develop programs that would offer customers incentives for lowering their electricity use, but regulators feel that the specifics of the plan need to be reevaluated.
- The newly elected chair of the state's Public Service Commission Eric Skrmetta said that the program was approved to quickly in December without proper research.
From the article:
Supporters of the statewide initiative said it would benefit businesses and ratepayers in the long-term by cutting cut down on power consumption and energy costs, as Energy Smart, a similar program in New Orleans, has since 2011. ...