Careful scrutiny of the terms, however, reveals the truth that this deal is simply a nuclear shell game whereby the companies are swapping power from a fossil gas plant for power from one of Entergy Louisiana’s nuclear plants and calling it ‘clean.’
Not only is this dishonest on the part of the NFL, it highlights ENO’s continuing failure to invest in the transmission and renewable energy infrastructure necessary to power a truly clean Super Bowl and city.
The New Orleans City Council has unique regulatory authority to keep ENO honest, and they should exercise it, such as by demanding that any clean energy deal for powering the Super Bowl be verified and certified by an independent not-for-profit organization with experience in validating clean and green power claims. In addition, ENO and the NFL should provide transparent substantiation of all “clean” or “green” claims on a publicly-accessible website and as part of any advertisements or promotional statements.
