Louisiana
Data centers are a defining statewide issue: Gov. Jeff Landry signed a June 25, 2026 executive order directing new incentive rules to shield ratepayers from data-center power costs (New Orleans CityBusiness), New Orleans imposed a moratorium while it writes zoning rules (NOLA City Council), and PSC races turn on data-center power approvals with a Nov. 18 vote looming on seven gas plants for a Richland Parish AI data center (WWNO).
ILens Signals
Civic/Governance Barriers activates on moratorium-class action (C1), meaningful 2026 race (C3) — governance instruments on the electoral, legislative, and regulatory surface (protocol §10; Overview Civic breakout). Energy/Power is dominant (Meta Hyperion power demand, seven proposed Richland Parish gas plants, Cottonwood plant fight). Capital Flows is a dominant stressor: analyst Lane Sisung's PSC report predicts Entergy Louisiana's 1.1M ratepayers face significant bill increases 'predominantly attributable' to Meta's Hyperion, and the governor's order rewrites the data-center tax exemption — a direct ratepayer cost-shift / incentive-repricing vector (New Orleans CityBusiness). Water/Geology raised in New Orleans zoning study (resource-drain concerns) (BTC Policy).
IIKey 2026 Races
Public Service Commission Dist. 1: Republican state Rep. Stephanie Hilferty won the June 27 runoff with 62% over John Young and advances to a November race vs. Democrat Connie Norris and independent Chris Justin; the seat is salient because commissioners vote on data-center power deals (the Nov. 18 Richland Parish gas-plant vote occurs after seats are filled but before new commissioners are sworn in) (WWNO). Candidate Nick Young centered his campaign on the data-center boom, saying big tech 'need to pay for the infrastructure ... 100% of the costs' (Antigravity Magazine voter guide).
IIIMoratorium · Ban Status
New Orleans: the City Council approved motions placing a moratorium on data-center uses while the City Planning Commission conducts hearings on zoning definitions/standards, including studying a temporary Data Center Interim Zoning District pausing occupational licenses/approvals citywide for one year (NOLA City Council, May 2026); the original one-year pause traces to a Jan. 28, 2026 action (DataCenterDynamics). St. Charles Parish rejected an 8-month moratorium and instead adopted data-center regulations, becoming the first SE Louisiana parish to do so (WWLTV/YouTube). No statewide moratorium; Landry's posture is pro-development with ratepayer guardrails (New Orleans CityBusiness).
IVRatepayer · Cost-Shift Legislation
Gov. Landry's June 25, 2026 executive order directs Louisiana Economic Development to develop, within 90 days, new requirements for any facility claiming the state Data Center Sales and Use Tax Exemption, following a framework balancing investor interests with the cost of electricity to residents; it does not limit PSC authority (New Orleans CityBusiness). Consumer advocates called it welcome but limited; the Sierra Club called it 'hollow' (same source).
VBallot Measures
None identified. No Louisiana November 2026 statewide or local data-center ballot measure surfaced in the June 27 election materials, which listed a Garden District security-fee proposition but no data-center measure (Antigravity voter guide); state election calendars via the Secretary of State show no such measure (LA SoS).
VITop Contested Sites
New Orleans East data center (developer withdrew/blocked amid the city moratorium; the community 'successfully blocked' the MS Solar Grid Data / New Orleans East proposal in January 2026) (BTC Policy report). Richland Parish AI data center: seven additional gas power plants pending a Nov. 18 PSC vote (WWNO). Meta's Hyperion (NE Louisiana) is driving Entergy's proposed $1.8B Cottonwood (TX) plant purchase, which the PSC's Republican 3-2 majority is inclined to reject on ratepayer grounds (New Orleans CityBusiness).
VIITalent · Workforce
Not a leading vector in current coverage; jobs-vs-cost framing appears mainly through ratepayer/economic-development debate rather than distinct labor organizing. Included only as secondary context.
VIIIData Center Cluster Size
Growing cluster: four confirmed major campuses statewide plus watch-list sites (Resilient Technology Park, State Line/Blanchard), with Meta's Hyperion in NE Louisiana and a Richland Parish AI campus among the largest (LouisianAI brief, June 17 2026).
IXKey Quote
"Gov. Landry wants to have his cake and eat it too, but it's totally out of touch to welcome this massive data center boom and expect concerned Louisianans to go along with it." — Angelle Bradford Rosenberg, Sierra Club Delta chapter chair (New Orleans CityBusiness)