Resources
Reports, trackers, regulatory filings, and data tools for anyone who wants to go deeper than the headlines.
Reports and Research
Good Jobs First: Data Centers — Frequently Asked Questions (September 2025)
A plainly written FAQ from Good Jobs First addressing how data center subsidies work, what states are giving up, what job requirements actually require, and what accountability mechanisms exist — or don't. Directly applicable to Louisiana's Act 730 structure and the questions St. Charles Parish residents are asking about the Meta deal.
Good Jobs First: Cloudy with a Loss of Spending Control — How Data Centers Are Endangering State Budgets
Report documenting how data center tax subsidies are straining state budgets — through revenue loss, unpredictable fiscal exposure, and deals structured to benefit corporations over public interests. Directly relevant to Louisiana's Act 730 structure and the long-term fiscal impact of 20-year tax exemptions on state and local revenue.
Good Jobs First: Data Center Shutdown Tracker
A running database of data centers that received public subsidies and subsequently closed, scaled back, or were sold — documenting the stranded asset risk that advocates have raised in Louisiana. Relevant context for evaluating whether Act 730's 20-year tax break structure adequately protects ratepayers if Meta or another operator exits early.
DOE / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: 2024 Data Center Energy Usage Report
The federal government's primary research document on data center electricity consumption. Documents 176 TWh consumed in 2023 (4.4% of total U.S. electricity) with projections of 325–580 TWh by 2028. The foundational source for understanding why grid demand is rising so fast and why Louisiana's infrastructure is being asked to accommodate it.
Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: States Are Opening a Pandora's Box of Data Centers (November 2025)
Analysis of state data center subsidy programs nationally, including Louisiana's Act 730. Documents low job minimums, long tax exemption periods, and weak accountability mechanisms across multiple states. Uses specific examples — including a Microsoft facility in Illinois that received $38 million in sales tax exemptions and created 20 permanent jobs — to illustrate the pattern.
ProPublica: Entergy Resisted Upgrading New Orleans Power Grid (September 2021)
Investigation documenting Entergy's pattern of resisting grid upgrades from Hurricane Katrina through Hurricane Ida, and the consequences for Louisiana ratepayers. Background for understanding why the Waterford expansion and transmission upgrades represent genuine infrastructure investment — and why that investment is happening now, driven by industrial demand rather than prior regulatory action.
Key Regulatory Filings
LPSC Docket U-37425
The Louisiana Public Service Commission docket for Entergy Louisiana's application to build three natural gas plants for the Meta data center deal. Contains all filings, testimony, orders, and motions — including the Alliance for Affordable Energy / Union of Concerned Scientists joint motion asking the LPSC to scrutinize the Blue Owl restructuring, and the Commission's order declining to do so.
Search LPSC Public Valence Portal — enter docket number U-37425
Louisiana Energy Users Group (LEUG): LPSC Docket U-37425 Filing (August 2025)
Filing by the Louisiana Energy Users Group — representing large industrial ratepayers — documenting $546 million in transmission costs (Mt. Olive–Sarepta, 60-mile 500kV line) and flagging that 100% of cost overrun risk falls on ratepayers. One of the most specific primary sources on transmission cost exposure in the Meta deal.
Key Louisiana Legislation
Act 730 (HB 827, 2024 Regular Session) — Data Center Tax Incentives
Creates a 20-year sales and use tax rebate for qualifying data centers. Requires a minimum of 50 new direct permanent jobs and $200 million in capital investment. The primary incentive structure used for the Meta deal and subsequent data center projects in Louisiana.
Act 36 (SB 79, 2025 Regular Session) — Industrial Area Reclassification
Allows reclassification of land near existing industrial facilities as industrial areas, streamlining permitting for data centers and other industrial uses near sites like Waterford. Reduces local zoning review for certain classifications.
Act 458 (2025 Regular Session) — Groundwater Authority Transfer
Transfers groundwater management authority from local bodies (parishes and municipalities) to the state Department of Conservation and Energy. Creates no pumping caps or reporting requirements for industrial users. Background for understanding why data center water consumption in Louisiana is not publicly tracked.
Data Tools
Good Jobs First Subsidy Tracker
Searchable national database of corporate subsidy deals — searchable by company, state, and industry. Search "Meta" or "data center" and "Louisiana" to find specific incentive awards and their terms.
Louisiana DEQ Environmental Document Management System
Search environmental permits, air quality data, and facility records for any facility in Louisiana by name, permit number, or parish.
Louisiana Economic Development — Explore Certified Sites (FastSites)
LED's searchable map and database of Louisiana's pre-certified industrial sites — the 19 FastSites pre-prepared with infrastructure, utilities, environmental clearance, and site due diligence before any company publicly announces interest. Relevant for tracking which sites are being marketed to data center developers and what's available near St. Charles Parish.
Louisiana Tumor Registry — Cancer Incidence Data
Parish-level cancer incidence rates for Louisiana. Source for the St. Charles Parish cancer incidence figures cited on this site (502.7 per 100,000, 2018–2022 data).