One public service commissioner says there could be more blackouts like the one in New Orleans Sunday; and if there are, you could blame President Trump and Elon Musk.
More than 100,000 people in and around New Orleans were thrust into darkness in a series of rolling blackouts Sunday.
Commissioner Davante Lewis says this was not the first time this year that a part of Louisiana was subject to rolling blackouts.
“We had two in the southwest power pool that affected Bossier, Haughton, Shreveport one day in April and a second day in April,” Commissioner Lewis told LRN affiliate WWL in New Orleans.
Lewis says utilities anticipate how much electrical load they need for a particular day based on that day’s weather forecast; and one day last month, the forecast from the National Weather Service was significantly off.
“In one of the load-shed events in Shreveport just last month, the challenge was that the forecast had it six degrees cooler than what it was,” says Lewis. “The question is, why was the forecast so wrong to ensure that we had enough generation which would be enough power to meet the demand?”
Lewis implied that the answer to that question could boil down to two people — Trump and Musk.
“This could be related to some of the DOGE at the federal government of those who are predicting the weather patterns, which utilities in the (regional transmission organizations) use to make their load forecasting as well,” says Lewis. “(Perhaps this) has this been a direct effect of some of the national federal cuts we’ve seen to services that we utilize to ensure that the power stays on.”
Lewis says he will be fully investigating the blackout in New Orleans and will work to ensure that it does not happen in the future.
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