Climate concerns give national attention to Louisiana race

By SARA CLINE
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An obscure elected position in Louisiana, with possibly major implications, is receiving national attention over climate concerns. Saturday’s runoff for Public Service Commission pits incumbent Lambert Boissiere III against Davante Lewis, a 30-year-old progressive policy advocate. The race has drawn hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from utility companies and outside political action committees. Over the years, climate activists have become increasingly focused on the commission, which oversees electric utilities and natural gas facilities in a state that has a front row seat to climate change impacts and where tens of thousands of jobs are tied to the oil and gas industry.