Louisiana planning authorities have voted to rush through approval for three natural gas turbines to power Meta’s massive new data center in Richland Parish. On August 20, Louisiana’s Public Service Commission voted four to one to approve the construction of the plants, which will be run by the utility company Entergy Louisiana. The decision was met with criticism from members of the public who testified against Entergy and Meta’s plan, claiming that the process was rushed. In its original 2024 application for the plants, Entergy referenced Richland Parish’s low income levels—one in four residents lives below the poverty line—as a reason to authorize the plan. Meta’s Jobs PledgeLouisiana politicians sought to rewrite zoning laws and shifted a tax rebate for broadband into a tax exemption for data centers, all to win Meta’s support in late 2024, according to January reporting from Nola.com.