Shreveport voters will decide on November 3 who will fill the open seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) for District 5. The race pits longtime Shreveport City Council member James Green, a Democrat with 16 years of service, against John Atkins, a 62‑year‑old Republican who has served as Caddo Parish Commissioner for 11 years.
Candidate backgrounds
Green first won a council seat in 1994 and has been re‑elected multiple times, positioning himself as a champion of lower utility rates and greater transparency for ratepayers. His campaign website emphasizes a focus on “leadership that asks tough questions, demands accountability, and keeps ratepayers at the center of every decision.”
Atkins brings a private‑sector résumé, having worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company with a focus on multinational energy firms. He now oversees investments at Atco, spanning oil & gas, timberland, agriculture and other alternative assets. In a recent interview with KTAL‑TV, Atkins warned that utilities are incentivized to spend money because they receive a return on equity for every dollar invested in the grid. He pledged to base rate decisions on engineering and economics, not politics, to keep service low‑cost and reliable.
Key issues in the district
District 5 stretches across 24 parishes from the Mississippi line to the Texas border and includes some of the nation’s largest data‑center projects. Meta is constructing a $50 billion Hyperion data center in Richland Parish, while Amazon plans to invest $16 billion in three artificial‑intelligence campuses around Shreveport. Both companies intend to meet baseline energy needs from the regional grid, with Meta’s facility alone projected to draw 4.5 gigawatts—enough to power nearly four times New Orleans’ peak summer demand.
Electricity prices in Louisiana have risen 33 % since 2019, outpacing the national average of 39 % but still lower than the 6.5 % increase seen in the lower 48 states last year, according to U.S. Department of Energy data. Green argues that data‑center operators should build their own power grids, while Atkins says those owners should pay for the infrastructure—power plants, transmission lines and substations—rather than shifting costs onto other ratepayers.
What’s at stake
The PSC is a five‑member body that sets state energy policy, regulates utility rates and oversees electric, water, wastewater, natural gas and telecommunications services. Replacing Foster Campbell, a Democrat who is retiring after nearly 50 years in elected office, will shape how the district’s growing tech hub manages energy costs and infrastructure needs.
Both candidates say they will prioritize keeping utility rates affordable for families and businesses while ensuring the grid can support expanding data‑center demand. Their differing approaches to who should bear the cost of new infrastructure will likely influence future investment decisions in the region.
Election details
The race is nonpartisan on the ballot, but party affiliations are clear: Green runs as a Democrat and Atkins as a Republican. Voters can cast their ballots at any polling location in District 5 on November 3. Early voting begins October 20.
Local observers note that the outcome could have broader implications for Louisiana’s energy landscape, especially as the state seeks to attract high‑tech jobs while managing rising power costs for residents.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
