These documents were supposed to stay secret.
Entergy sued local newspapers, trying to keep its deal with Google confidential. The suit failed; the news is out. Entergy plans to hike West Memphis ratepayers’ utility bills by ~$6 each month for the next 20 years, all to fund Google’s new datacenter.
Entergy is lying through their teeth about the whole ordeal. Claiming the data center would not impact rates while fighting like hell to suppress the details of their deal with Google.
At the same time, they are currently pitching a full rate restructuring to the Arkansas Public Service Commission which will absolutely increase rates. Especially for small businesses.
Sarah Sanders administration also bears some responsibility for this bullshit. After Ted Thomas resigned as PSC chairman in 2022, the governors office began working hard to make the PSC much more friendly to utilities and much less friendly to rate payers.
In some ways, this is Arkansas voters having the day they voted for. Ya’ll wanted a governor who was “pro business” (aka pro corruption) and now you’ve got a PSC – which is supposed to advocate for ratepayers – that just rubber stamps rate increase requests.
That is so fucked up. Why are WE paying for that??? Imagine having a grocery store open and they increase your utilities because there’s a store now using electricity. Or a tire shop opens up.
MFera need to pay their own bills! This is in-fucking-sane!
Because the country is now run like a business and you my friend are just a human resource ripe for extraction.
What a disturbing economic equation.
What else is valued around $6 USD:
SPOILER
By their logic I should be able to plug into my neighbor’s electric, right? I mean, why should I spend my own money?
