Louisianans are paying more to receive power from one of the least-reliable electric grids in the nation, according to a new report from the Legislative Auditor’s Office. State residents’ total monthly bills are 4% higher than the national average, while the number and duration of outages has increased over the past decade. The Times Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s David J. Mitchell reports:
But state auditors concluded other factors presented challenges too: high per-capita use of electricity, heavy reliance on natural gas despite state goals to diversify power sources, a regional grid in need of upgrades, the risk of cyber and physical attacks on the grid, and a chief utility regulator chronically in need of more staff. … “Louisiana faces challenges in grid reliability and resilience, particularly in the face of hurricanes and extreme weather. The state’s grid reliability is worse than most states in the southern region,” state auditors said in the report issued in mid-January.
Paying high prices for unreliable service can be especially problematic in a poor state like Louisiana:
[Alliance for Affordable Energy’s Jackson] Voss added that poor return on investment for ratepayers is “a major problem” in a state with one of the highest poverty rates in the nation. In 2023, more than 28% of Louisiana residents couldn’t fully pay their power bill at least once in the prior 12 months, he noted, citing census data.
FEMA in Trump’s crosshairs
President Donald Trump’s desire to shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency might be more than just idle musings. The president issued an executive order on Sunday to investigate, overhaul and potentially eliminate the federal emergency response agency, which is a familiar presence in hurricane-prone Louisiana. In its place, Trump calls for providing states with federal “block grants” that they could use for disaster recovery. The Times Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Mark Ballard reports:
“With Louisiana being highly susceptible to natural disasters, there’s always a need for federal intervention during the worst of times. We cannot take away this critical lifeline from the countless citizens who rely on FEMA to help restore their quality of life after such events,” (U.S. Rep. Cleo) Fields said. … “We should always review ways to make FEMA more effective,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge. “I agree with President Trump that FEMA needs to be improved to allow communities to recover more quickly.
The executive order creates a 20-member panel that will review the agency and its operations, which are currently being overseen by an interim administrator. Former U.S. Rep. Garret Graves has been touted as a possible administrator.
Revisiting college football’s tax exemptions
Since July 2021, college athletes have been able to receive cash payments through name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. Just last November, the top-rated high school player in the nation spurned LSU for a rumored $12 million NIL deal from the University of Michigan, which was partly financed by one of the richest men on the planet, Oracle founder Larry Ellison. Purdue University President and a former governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels, writing in a guest column for the Washington Post, explains why college football’s transformation to a de facto professional league should come with tax implications.
Shouldn’t an 18-year-old athlete have the same right to profit from his skill or fame as his musician classmate? Shouldn’t the performers drawing millions of customers to stadiums and TV channels share in the enormous proceeds? Hard to disagree. But changes so fundamental from the players’ standpoint imply equally big alterations in the status of their sponsors. Even as revenue has burgeoned into the billions — $3.55 billion in 2023 for the NCAA “Power Five” conferences alone — schools don’t pay taxes on that money, relying on the time-honored exemption offered because these activities further their educational purpose. That exemption no longer matches reality.
How to attract young teachers to classrooms
Negative factors, such as low pay, make teaching an unattractive profession for many college students and has contributed to a nationwide teaching shortage. Victoria Stockton, superintendent of Bellwood School District 88 in the Chicago suburbs, in a guest column for The 74, outlines ways that her district has attracted young teachers:
(B)ecause new teachers likely have significant financial challenges such as student debt, policymakers and district leaders can make the profession more attractive to young people by creating affordable pathways such as apprenticeships, loan forgiveness and other incentives. Bellwood’s on-the-job training program, created in partnership with BloomBoard, offers prospective educators a teaching degree paid for by the district.
Programming note: Invest in Louisiana’s staff is taking some time for planning and professional development this week. The Daily Dime will be back in your inbox on Friday, Jan. 31.
Number of the Day
92,000 – Number of Louisianans who would lose their health insurance if the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits are allowed to expire at the end of 2025. (Source: Urban Institute)