NEW ORLEANS, LA - Mayoral candidate Senator Royce Duplessis issued a detailed response to a misleading attack ad campaign falsely claiming he was responsible for utility rate increases. The ads, funded by a dark-money, out-of-state PAC closely aligned with the interests of Helena Moreno, distort Duplessis’ record while ignoring the clear public record: the New Orleans City Council regulates utility rates, and Moreno, as a former chair and current member of the Council’s Utility Committee, approved multiple rate increases.

“These ads are false, misleading, and desperate,” said Duplessis. “I never set Entergy’s rates, and I never voted to raise anyone’s utility bills. What I have done, throughout my public service, is fight for fairness, accountability, and to reduce costs for everyday New Orleanians. The people actually responsible for approving these rate increases sit on the City Council and Helena Moreno has chaired the utility committee and voted to approve multiple utility rate hikes.”

THE FACTS ABOUT SEN. ROYCE DUPLESSIS RECORD:

• He has never had authority to raise utility rates. Senator Duplessis has never held a position with the power to approve or increase Entergy rates.
• College internship at Entergy Louisiana. During his senior year at Xavier University, Duplessis served as a corporate communications intern at Entergy Louisiana. His responsibilities included creating graphics and communications materials, not policymaking or rate-setting. He briefly remained in that role after graduation.
• Worked for Dentons and was the Council’s utility advisor, not Entergy. As a junior associate at Dentons, Duplessis supported a team that advised the New Orleans City Council on utility and regulatory matters. In 2014, while at Dentons, Duplessis was part of the advisory team that negotiated an agreement that reduced Entergy’s proposed rate increases. The deal was supported by the Alliance for Affordable Energy.
• The attack ad’s Sewerage & Water Board claim is false. The ads misrepresent his position on HB 652 (2022), filed by Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, which strengthened Council oversight of the Sewerage & Water Board. Duplessis worked directly with Rep. Hilferty to amend the bill, adding clarifying language to improve governance and accountability. He later voted for the final version, which passed 91–3 in the Louisiana House.
  

Under the New Orleans Home Rule Charter, the City Council has full regulatory authority over Entergy New Orleans, including exclusive control over electric and gas rate cases. According to the Council’s official website, the Utility, Cable, Telecommunications and Technology Committee “oversees matters related to the regulatory authority of the Council over Entergy New Orleans.”

During Helena Moreno’s tenure as committee chair, the Council approved multiple rate cases that directly increased bills for New Orleans residents. In Docket UD-18-07, Entergy New Orleans applied for a base-rate overhaul, which the Council approved in 2019 via R-18-434 authored by Moreno. 

In September 2023, the Council voted to extend that same rate plan, authorizing additional adjustments projected to generate millions in new revenue for Entergy.

Reports from both multiple news sources confirm that energy bills for New Orleans residents have surged by more than 60% since 2019, even for households whose usage remained constant.

“Working families across this city are paying about $130 more a month for the same amount of power. That didn’t happen by accident, it happened through Council votes,” Duplessis said. “Helena Moreno chaired and currently sits on the committee responsible for those decisions. She can’t rewrite that history now that it’s election season.”

The Council’s actions have drawn scrutiny from consumer advocates as well. In late 2024, the Council voted to approve Entergy’s sale of its New Orleans gas business to Delta Utilities, a move experts warned could expose customers to future cost hikes.

Duplessis is calling on media outlets to fact-check the claims being circulated by the PAC and to hold local leaders accountable for the documented rate hikes. “The facts speak for themselves,” Duplessis said. “The public record shows exactly who has authority over utility rates and how those decisions were made. What matters now is honesty; New Orleans families deserve the truth about why their bills keep going up, and leadership that doesn’t rewrite the record when it’s inconvenient.”

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ABOUT STATE SENATOR ROYCE DUPLESSIS

Royce Duplessis is a State Senator representing Louisiana’s 5th District. Known for effective leadership and coalition building, he has focused on tackling the city’s most pressing challenges, including housing affordability, public safety, infrastructure, economic opportunity, and government accountability. Royce and his wife Krystle, reside in Central City with their daughter, Reese.