> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.redeyebr.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Little ado about data centers - URL: https://www.redeyebr.com/little-ado-about-data-centers/ - Published: 2026-10-11T21:40:24.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-11T21:40:24.000Z - Description: Data centers are a hot-topic controversy in political races across the country, but not here in Louisiana. - Author: JR Ball Data centers this election cycle seem to be a hot-topic controversy everywhere but here in Louisiana. What’s the deal? **Why it matters:** The fall election season is in the home stretch, and no candidate with a legitimate chance of winning is saying much of anything about it. This is despite Louisiana being a Public Service Commission vote away from approving billions of dollars in new power plants for data centers—not to mention existing tax breaks with similar billion-dollar projections. **National talking point:** From Texas to Virginia, candidates in both parties are running away from data centers, not toward them. - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican and one-time ardent supporter, now wants AI data centers kept out of [rural neighborhoods](https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-lawmakers-reconsider-tax-incentives-data-centers?ref=redeyebr.com) and their tax breaks ended. - Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, rolled out a data center accountability framework in September. - More than 50 projects have been [canceled](https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/articles/2026/10/data-center-backlash-shapes-midterm-ballots-campaigns-across-us-106324121?ref=redeyebr.com) this year amid community opposition, and the backlash crosses party lines. - About [three in five](https://www.wvva.com/2026/08/27/data-centers-top-mind-ahead-midterms/?ref=redeyebr.com) Americans oppose a data center in their community, a survey found, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents. **Mum’s the word here:** Louisiana candidates are saying data centers should pay their own way on energy costs, but that’s pretty much where the conversation ends. - Families and small businesses “should not be left footing the bill,” Republican Senate nominee Julia Letlow said in a [written statement](https://lailluminator.com/2026/10/05/data-center-election-debate/?ref=redeyebr.com). - Public Service Commission candidates Stephanie Hilferty, John Atkins, James Green and Chris Justin are singing from the same hymn sheet. - The lone candidate who ran on tougher regulation, Austin Lawson, [lost his primary](https://www.wrkf.org/2026-05-17/louisiana-psc-election-results-hilferty-young-head-to-runoff-green-atkins-face-off-in-nov?ref=redeyebr.com) in May. **Why so quiet?** Three things are muting the debate. - Nothing is open yet. Four campuses are [under construction](https://www.audacy.com/wwl/news/local/data-center?ref=redeyebr.com), and none is expected to start operating before [2027](https://www.opportunitylouisiana.gov/news/hut-8-selects-southeast-louisiana-as-site-of-10-billion-artificial-intelligence-data-center?ref=redeyebr.com). That leaves Louisiana debating theory while other states are dealing with real-world results. - There are few competitive races. There’s no governor’s race; the Senate seat is [solidly Republican](https://cawp.rutgers.edu/node/151747?ref=redeyebr.com), House candidates are fighting about everything but data centers, and the PSC races, rarely of high interest, sit near the bottom of the ballot. - Washington leans one way. President Donald Trump is [pro-data center](https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/trump-wants-communities-to-embrace-data-centers-but-opposition-is-growing?ref=redeyebr.com), and Gov. Jeff Landry and the state’s Republican congressional delegation—including Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise—largely march in lockstep with him. Letlow, the Senate nominee, had his [backing](https://www.theadvocate.com/baton%5Frouge/news/politics/julia-letlow-bill-cassidy-senate-challenge/article%5F3ba29493-976d-55a5-9157-07e935de0460.html?ref=redeyebr.com) before she even announced. **The big picture:** Data centers are open elsewhere, and the number crunching isn’t matching the hype. - Virginia’s auditors found the state gets back [48 cents](https://www.wbrc.com/2026/03/25/alabama-weighs-cutting-data-center-tax-breaks-other-states-question-return?ref=redeyebr.com) for every sales tax dollar it forgoes on data centers—better than its other sales tax exemptions, but still short of a dollar. - A Georgia study put the state’s cost at $1 million to $2 million per job, though the industry calls it an outlier. - Louisiana has no such number. The Department of Revenue says it has [no history](https://www.fwbusiness.com/news/national/article%5F6a586aa8-cae7-5d1f-9c44-e3ca785909f4.html?ref=redeyebr.com) to estimate the rebate's cost, though developers have already claimed [$39 million](https://www.theadvocate.com/baton%5Frouge/news/entergy-meta-public-service-commission-louisiana/article%5F1220d3e7-aa83-5b15-b935-5f7c7ef4877e.html?ref=redeyebr.com) and the total is expected to climb into the billions. - Landry’s [June order](https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/2026-Executive-Orders/JML-Executive-Order-25-058.pdf?ref=redeyebr.com) tightens the rules for future projects, but [LED](https://www.ktbs.com/news/louisiana/current-data-center-projects-may-be-exempt-from-louisiana-rule/article%5Fd6c33801-c772-5ffb-b175-c8751d0df920.html?ref=redeyebr.com) says the four big campuses already have the exemption. - Entergy’s settlement with commission staff also allows the utility to skip the usual [bidding process](https://www.theadvocate.com/baton%5Frouge/news/entergy-meta-public-service-commission-louisiana/article%5F1220d3e7-aa83-5b15-b935-5f7c7ef4877e.html?ref=redeyebr.com) for the plants. **The bottom line:** It’s unlikely that any tough questions about data centers in Louisiana will be asked until a few are up and running. ## Sign up for RedEye Free weekday newsletter. 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