Two open seats on the Louisiana Public Service Commission, the board that regulates the state’s utilities – including some of its largest corporations, like Entergy – are now filled after victories by Republican State Rep. Stephanie Hilferty in District 1 and Republican John Atkins in District 5 — a hotspot for the ongoing wave of data center buildouts, which are regulated by the PSC.
Both Hilferty and Atkins won by nearly 20% or more over their Democratic opponents.
Louisiana is one of only 10 states to choose public utility regulators by partisan election. The results mean state Republicans now hold a two-seat advantage on the commission after heading into the general election with a one-seat advantage.
They also follow two of the commission’s longest-serving members, Republican Eric Skrmetta of the first district and Democrat Foster Campbell of the fifth district, as they reach their term limits. Both Skrmetta and Campbell have been steadfast supporters of recent data center and connected energy projects brought before the commission, including Meta’s ‘Hyperion’ project — on which they’re partnering with Entergy — in rural Richland Parish.
Because commissioners agreed to consider that project on an expedited timeline earlier this year, requested by the companies, a final vote is expected to occur during the monthly PSC meeting on Nov. 18, after both open seats are filled — but before the new commissioners are sworn into office — making it Skrmetta’s and Campbell’s last action on the commission.
The two candidates replacing them will inherit relatively new territory for the PSC, and a delicate balancing act between state policy shifts targeting more industrial investment and rising public sentiment against data centers and limiting increases for ratepayers.
District 1
First elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2015, Hilferty previously served on the lower chamber’s Natural Resources and Environment committee and spent much of her career as a commercial real estate agent in Metairie. District 1 covers much of metro New Orleans and neighboring parishes.
She entered the general election as the likely frontrunner, carrying a slew of political endorsements, mostly from fellow Republicans in and around the New Orleans Metro area, and rising as high as Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.
Her campaign website emphasizes her conservative Republican bona fides and a desire to “put ratepayers first, hold utility providers accountable, and demand transparency and reliability from the companies that power” Louisiana.
But according to reporting from Verite News, Hilferty has received more than $137,000 in campaign contributions from people and groups connected to some of the very companies that she’s now charged with regulating — including Entergy, Delta Utilities and Cleco — both from the companies’ high-ranking executives and their political action committees. She also received outside funding from influential, energy-focused PACs both in Texas and connected to national Republican politics.
According to that same analysis, Hilferty was the only candidate of the five total on the ballot to receive significant financial support from major utilities regulated by the PSC.
She defeated Democratic candidate Connie Norris, a retired educator from Slidell, and independent candidate Chris Justin, a professional engineer who previously advised the PSC on energy efficiency programs and stricter utility oversight.
District 5
Covering 24 parishes across North Louisiana, Louisiana’s fifth district has become a hub of data centers and related power buildouts — Amazon is building three data centers in the Shreveport-Bossier area, and Meta’s Richland Parish project is slated to possibly be the largest in the world.
Also the likely frontrunner in his race, Atkins is a Shreveport businessman whose company, Atco Investment Company LLC, invests in oil & gas, timber and agriculture. He’s currently serving his third term on the Caddo Parish Commission and is also a member of Speaker Mike Johnson’s finance committee.
His campaign website lists him as a proud supporter of President Donald Trump and says his time on the PSC will focus on replacing aging water systems, improving the grid, and providing low-cost electricity to North Louisianans. Atkins also said he wants to minimize regulation on residents and businesses and cut government waste.
According to reporting by the Louisiana Illuminator, Atkins also said he believes most Louisianans support data centers as long as they don’t impact rates or the environment.
He defeated Democratic Shreveport city councilmember James Green, pastor and leader of Union Mission Baptist Church No. 1 in west Shreveport, who ran on a campaign to upgrade the grid, improve utility access for low-income and rural communities and boost energy efficiency.
