U.S. approves first deepwater permit since oil spill

The U.S. has approved the first deep-water drilling permit in the Gulf of Mexico since last year's massive oil spill.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement says the permit is to continue work on a well about 70 miles southeast of Venice, La.

Noble Energy Inc. is the operator of the well. The company started drilling on the well four days before the Deepwater Horizon exploded. Drilling activity was suspended on June 12 when the U.S. placed a moratorium on deep-water exploration.

Disagreements emerge over La. court redistricting

When lawmakers gather next month to redraw Louisiana's political district lines, maps for the Louisiana Supreme Court and state appeals courts may be left on the cutting room floor.

Lawmakers are required to redraw the boundary lines of congressional, legislative, Public Service Commission and education board districts when new census figures are released. There's no such requirement about the courts, even though they were included in the special session agenda.

House and Senate leaders are split on the matter.


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Integrated Resource Planning Overview

We all want New Orleans to become a green, sustainable, and more energy efficient city at the lowest cost to its residents. Luckily, the opportunity to make some drastic positive changes is before the City Council right now. This opportunity is in the form of Entergy New Orleans' Integrated Resource Plan (IRP)

What is an IRP?
An Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is document created by a utility for its regulators that lays out how the utility plans to provide power to its ratepayers in the coming years. It addresses both “demand-side” and “supply-side” options. In an IRP, a utility must assess its long-term power generation resources, and include room for new options. Entergy New Orleans (ENO) submitted its IRP in January 2011 to the City Council, and the Utility Committee is currently reviewing it. If accepted, the process will repeat every three years to ensure that goals are met and the IRP evolves to include new technologies and best practices.

Why is the IRP important to you? Read on to learn more about this pressing issue.