No White House Bailout for New Orleans Utility

[Thom Little]

The White House has declined to bail out New Orleans' bankrupt utility company, prompting dismay among local officials who see the decision as an indication that the Bush administration is not committed to rebuilding the city after Hurricane Katrina.

There was still a chance, officials here said, that assistance could come through congressional action or federal grants. But because Entergy Corp. is a regulated monopoly, they said, the decision makes it likely that the utility will be forced to pass on to the public the $350-million bill for its recovery.

Residents could see their bills soar by 140% at a time when few can afford it, said Clint Vince, who advises the City Council on energy matters. He acknowledged that utilities frequently passed natural-disaster losses on to their customers, but said the scope of the calamity in New Orleans made that impossible.

"You can't place this on their backs," he said. "We have met with the White House and articulated that. And not only have we not gotten support, we have gotten opposition. It's inconceivable."



http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-utility14dec14,0,6011234.story?coll=la-home-nation

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. This goes beyond criminal

This is one of the big reasons NO recovery is going nowhere.

Utility companies from all over the country sent down crews only to have them turned back because the city of NO has no money to pay them. The city only has about 100 utility workers trying to fix the electric system for the whole city. For the WH to refuse to help out here shows exactly where they are coming from. Let the people of NO drown and let their city die with them. Then the Repugs can come in and grab up all the cheap land and turn the place into Disneyland.

[Maddy McCall]

4. It ain't just NOLA.

All of us South Mississippians are on Entergy, too, except those who are on rural electric company lines. Remember, South Mississippi received much damage. Hell, DUer merh even lost her house.

So, on top of the grief that we have all directly experienced as a result of Katrina, now we are faced with paying $500 electic bills each month.

[Pirate Smile]

15. I hope Lott and Barbour start screaming because the WH

certainly doesn't care when the Democrats do it.

This is unbelievable.

I'm shocked at their ability to continue to shock me.

[chelsea0011]

2. Why the fuc% does this country have money to pay for Iraqi

citizens living in the USA country to go to polls in three US cities but sticks it to NOLA? Maybe a Bahgdad company could buy a utility company in NOLA. There seems to be one giant sinkhole for Iraq when it comes to $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

[acmavm]

3. See, that's exactly the point. They want (and need) all the money to

foot the bills for their foray into Iraq. They have no intention of using any of it for this country and our people. That's not profitable for them.

[Lost4words]

10. Their war and lack of financial oversight lets them funnel cash

to their supporters, its the most shameful example of treason I have ever seen in my life.
Most $ comes back into their campaign and vote steeling war chests.

[Maddy McCall]

5. This will affect victims of both Katrina AND Rita, because Entergy's ...

service area includes much of Mississippi north of NOLA, south and coastal Louisiana, and coastal Texas. So residents of Port Arthur, Lafayette, NOLA, and Mississippi who experienced all of the expenses of the hurricanes' aftermath, get ready for more reaming.

[Ian David]

6. "Operation: Drown The Negroes" is a success! I bet we bail-out Ford Motors

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. They sure were quick to bail out the airlines after 9-11

but of course that was more like hush money.

[Maddy McCall]

8. ...to the tune of 20 Billion $$$$$$$

[saigon68]

17. It's operation "Cleanse the darkies from the Streets"

They can sit in the dark as far as the CHIMPANZEE cares.

He only cares for his chosen people as he believes he is the "SON OF GOD"

[KamaAina]

18. unless GM goes belly-up first, that is.

:grr:

[leesa]

9. But that tax cut sails through...

[DELUSIONAL]

11. Infrastructure is a nation wide problem -- without a natural disaster

without a natural disaster to help the process like New Orleans got thinks to the hurricane.

If Seattle or S.F. get hit by "THE" big earthquake -- or any other major natural disaster hits anywhere in the US -- expect the same sort of dismissal from the "compassionate conservatives".

[uppityperson]

12. "We will do whatever it takes" to, um, what was I talking about?

[ninkasi]

13. After reading this,

I was ready to respond to Bush's treacherous neglect of the Gulf Coast. I will do that later, but by the time I finished reading the article, and thinking about what our abandoned brothers and sisters in New Orleans and the rest of the areas affected, I felt my blood pressure rise, and will post my own thread later. I will tell you all, though, that after reading of Laura Bush's chirpy little advise yesterday, telling hurricane victims to try and not be too sad, I have never felt so much disgust in my own country as now. More later, when I've calmed down.

[ourbluenation]

14. I am using my 1000th post to say FUCK YOU to the

rethuglican led congress and whitehouse. Have these people no shame? We can pay our corporate cronies to reconstruct Iraq after we bilk the national treasury to bomb the shit out of it, but we can't bail out a small local utililty that serves people here at home.

Fuck You and the pig you rode in on. Jesuschristonacracker - I am really trying not to hate these people.

[KamaAina]

16. What's the matter? Didn't they donate enough to the RNC?

"All corporations are equal, but some are more equal than others." :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

A large part of the problem here is that Entergy New Orleans is a separate utility from Entergy Louisianaand others; thus, they can't spread the cost around their system. In my day, what is now Entergy New Orleans, though owned by Entergy, was known as "NOPSI", because Entergy had bought out a public utility, New Orleans Public Service, Inc., which also ran the world-famous streetcars (transit now falls under a "Regional" Transit Authority which has only one route outside N.O.).

It might be time to bring back NOPSI, which would also have the salutary effect of displacing RTA chairman Jimmy Reiss, one of the chief advocates of keeping the poor people of color from returning.