When a company fails spectacularly — Bud Light, for instance — it's difficult not to notice. When a company fails spectacularly in a way that hurts people — Southwest Airlines — policymakers should notice. And when a company is a public utility with a government-granted monopoly — Entergy, for example — policymakers should not only take notice but do something about it. Mistakes and bad weather happen, but the loss of power for tens of thousands of people in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and other states — not once, but twice within almost a week — suggests something is wrong.
As I sit here in the Mississippi heat, again without power, it seems to me Entergy is having a Southwest moment. Recall that Southwest canceled almost 17,000 flights during the 2022 Christmas holidays. My family and I were supposed to be on one of these flights. Our flight — and subsequent rebooked flights — was canceled so many times I lost count. Each of those cancellations represents a failure to deliver what was promised. After so many cancellations, I lost confidence in Southwest. I also lost trust in their customer service, which was slow to acknowledge and respond to the systemwide disruption.
In my experience, Entergy has likewise been slow to respond to a large-scale breakdown in services. Here in Jackson, my family and I lost power on June 16 after a severe thunderstorm. (Not a hurricane, I might add.) In spite of there being a live, downed wire in my yard, Entergy did not show up until June 22. That's almost seven full days without power – not including the past three days, June 25 to June 27. During that time, Entergy repeatedly stated they would send a team to investigate … remember, we had a live wire in our yard. Day after day passed with no help. After multiple phone calls, we realized we couldn't trust what customer service was telling us. So, we gave up and hoped for the best.
Hoping for the best has resulted in contemplating another week without power. Instead of just hoping, we all — beginning with the Mississippi Legislature — need to start asking questions. After Southwest cancelled one-third of its flights, the U.S. Senate held hearings.
Punctuating its lack of transparency, Southwest's response to Congress was uninspiring: “In hindsight, we did not have enough winter operations resiliency.” That much was obvious, but it's more of an apology than Entergy has offered. In a self-congratulatory press release following the first round of storms, the company said: “Entergy Mississippi's response was good. However, we always want to work hard to try to make it perfect next time.”
No one is asking for perfection. And, like me, many customers were probably willing to put the first, long round of power outages behind them. After a second round of outages — and, at least here in Jackson, repeated outages over the years — it's time to start asking questions.
Here are a few to get lawmakers started:
How much has Entergy increased its rates over the years? … According to Bigger Pie Forum, the answer is 32 percent in three years. … How does this increase compare to public utilities in other states, factoring in population size and other variables?
Do Mississippi (and other state) taxpayers subsidize Entergy, either directly or indirectly? If so, how much and for what, exactly?
How did Entergy obtain the legal monopoly it currently enjoys? … When is that monopoly up for reconsideration and what does the bidding process look like?
How much has Entergy invested in less reliable power sources, such as windmills and solar panels? … According to Bigger Pie, the answer is $1.2 billion. … What investments in more reliable power, like natural gas, have been displaced by these gambles? … A related question is whether Entergy is implementing ESG initiatives that compromise reliability or increase consumer costs?
How much, compared to other grid operators, has the company invested in maintenance and upkeep for existing plants and equipment? … From where I sit, as a mere customer and complete non-expert, it seems to me that this is the key question. … Is the company investing in new-fangled projects and ideas while neglecting its meat-and-potatoes operations?
Finally, how resilient and reliable are Entergy's operations? No doubt, more people are affected when the grid goes down in large states, like California or Texas. But how do we compare to similarly situated states? … According to U.S. News rankings, based on U.S. Department of Energy data, Mississippi is almost last — No. 45 — among all states. Arkansas is No. 44 while Louisiana fares even worse at No. 47.
It's obvious that having reliable access to electricity is absolutely necessary for a state's economy to function, much less grow. It's also vital to protecting public safety, improving health outcomes, and advancing nearly every other quality-of-life measure. Entergy may be doing an almost-perfect job under challenging circumstances. Then, again, they may not. Given the stakes — and the number of people affected — it's time for lawmakers to take a look.
Jameson Taylor, Ph.D., has a 20-year track record of advancing pro-family and pro-liberty policies in multiple states, including Mississippi's ban on late-term abortions that overturned Roe v. Wade. He is the director of legislative affairs for American Family Association Action and president of the Center for Political Renewal
