ICYMI: Louisiana lawmakers worked through a final stack of bills Sunday as they neared the end of a regular session upended by the coronavirus outbreak. However, one of the most important tasks of the regular session, the crafting of the annual state budget, won’t be concluded this evening when the session wraps up. The House and Senate instead will finish that $30 billion-plus spending plan in a 30-day special session that starts one minute after the current session adjourns. Read the full legislative analysis.
LSU analysis: A new white paper by LSU Center for Energy Studies assistant professor Brittany Tarufelli analyzes a method regional electrical utilities can use to better meet Louisiana’s surging industrial energy demands. According to Tarufelli, Louisiana is uniquely poised to increase demand response participation among its industrial customers. Driven by energy-intensive chemical, petroleum, and natural gas industries, Louisiana is a top state in terms of total per-capita energy consumption. Read the full report.
Brand recognition: As unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody sweeps the U.S., some big companies are lining up with the Black Lives Matter movement on social media, The Wall Street Journal reports. The sentiment was echoed by Twitter itself, as well as brands including Amazon, MTV, Under Armour, Salesforce, YouTube and Citigroup. WarnerMedia brands including HBO, HBO Max, TNT and TBS changed their Twitter names to “#BlackLivesMatter.” However, critics challenged the marketers in many cases. Read the full story.
