Useful Information
There are a lot of topics that the PSC will be dealing with, and it's important you understand what their votes mean for you!
What is the PSC or Public Service Commission?
Let's break down what I'm actually running for so you understand how important this race is!
So what is the Public Service Commission?
The Public Service Commission or the PSC is the state-wide body that regulates and oversees the public utility monopolies across the state. Commissioners work with cities and municipalities to regulate your water, electricity, gas and more. It is made up of 5 districts that span across the state. I'm running for District 5, which covers all of North Louisiana, from Shreveport to Vidalia. While the PSC is meant to act as one of the major regulators against utility monopolies like Entergy or SWEPCO, it has instead become a revolving door of corporate lobbyists and backroom deals. The Public Service Commission can be a body that works for the people, not the powerful!
Why should you care about the PSC?
Some folks might look at what's at stake this year and ask, "Why should I care about this race?" and while this is a valid question, let me tell y’all, we cannot afford to lose this race! Big Tech has already begun a huge buildout of unregulated data centers in North Louisiana, and these billionaires plan to use up your water and raise your power rates. With all of our so-called "leaders" ready to sell us out without a second thought, the PSC is the main body that can put the brakes on these projects, making sure they benefit the people. On top of this, even just a single member of the PSC has large oversight authorities which I pledge to use as a weapon on behalf of all working people.
What's the big deal with data centers?
You've likely heard a lot of back and fourth about this, so let me give you the rundown so you get what's going on!
Before we talk about the data centers coming here, let's talk about what a data center is. The term data center refers to a type of building or place that holds IT infrastructure that typically serves to store, process, and retrieve data for different services. Data centers have been a needed part of digital infrastructure as technology has grown. That doesn't sound all that bad, so why are folks against them? Are they misinformed?
Well..... no.
In recent years, there has been a new kind of data center project that has rapidly expanded across the country, and that's AI data centers. Generally, data centers need a large amount of power to run their servers and water to keep them cool. With AI data centers, the problem is one hundred times worse. AI centers need way more power than previous centers because of the sheer amount of data they process, and this is the same with water. When unregulated, these centers can raise power bills across the state, strain our grid, use up too much water, and even worsen air quality by running diesel generators.
I think the way we've taken these shady deals is a problem. I'm not anti-progress, but I am anti-bad deals that only serve the rich. These data centers, like AI as a whole, need to be regulated to the benefit of the working class. As of right now, most of these data center deals are happening behind closed doors, and we're expected to foot the bill. I say no way! If trillion dollar big tech companies want to come to Louisiana, then they should come to the table with all of us, not just businessmen and corrupt politicians.
Green Energy: We're being left behind!
Now as someone who grew up here, I know we're an oil state, but we gotta catch up with the times!