Louisiana Lightning Speed: NDAs, Entergy, and the Democracy that Never Existed

Louisiana’s political establishment is moving at lightning speed to clear the way for billionaires and giant corporations to broker deals in the AI arms race. The clearance process they’re using is designed to exclude the voice of the majority of the residents in Louisiana who are against the projects Louisiana economic development officials are putting through the billionaire pipeline. Thus, Governor Jeff Landry is literally calling the process to get this unneeded infrastructure built, “Louisiana Lightning Speed.” A clear example is the rush to build Hyperion, Meta’s enormous hyperscale data center in Richland Parish—and the secrecy surrounding the deals that made it possible.

Louisiana lawmakers and officials have signed nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) with corporations seeking deals to create a new “Digital Cancer Ally” in central Louisiana. According to records reported in July 2026, 77% of state senators had signed NDAs through Louisiana Economic Development, along with at least 14 members of the House. Governor Jeff Landry personally signed an NDA with a Meta subsidiary, along with his administration,[1] while Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow signed one that gave her access to confidential information about the project. [2]

This only reinforces that under capitalism there’s only the illusion of democracy. Elected officials in the capitalist state don’t represent the working class. When our “representatives” sign agreements preventing them from publicly discussing negotiations involving enormous tax incentives, public infrastructure, and the use of our resources, it shows that they are clearly the organizing committee for the affairs of the billionaire class.

Corporate Democracy

Louisiana utility company Entergy has played a central role in bringing Meta to Louisiana. In January 2024, Entergy executives met with Meta representatives over dinner at Copper Vine restaurant in New Orleans, where Entergy CEO Phillip May pitched Louisiana as a potential location for the project, highlighting the availability of state-owned land and Entergy’s ability to provide the enormous amount of electricity the facility would require.

Meta told Entergy that Louisiana was not then a contender because the state lacked a sales-tax exemption for data-center equipment. May asked whether Louisiana would become a contender if Entergy and state officials could secure that exemption that year, and Meta said yes. Entergy subsequently brought Louisiana economic development officials into the negotiations, with the parties working under NDAs and moved at lightning speed to change existing legislation to provide the tax incentive Meta required. Entergy is not only the utility company that would ultimately power the data center, they were a key participant in recruiting Meta to Louisiana and helping assemble the incentives and infrastructure necessary to make the project possible. [3]

Meta originally announced a $10 billion, four-million-square-foot data center in Richland Parish. In July 2026, the company announced an expansion that could push its investment above $50 billion and its computing capacity to 5 gigawatts, making Hyperion the largest data center on the planet. [4] When completed it will be almost the size of Manhattan.

To power the data center Entergy’s building 10 gas-fueled power plants needed to sustain it. This is another blow to the environmental degradation of Southern Louisiana, and binds the state to decades on climate changing emissions, instead of investing in renewable energy.

Entergy also says its latest agreement with Meta will produce billions of dollars in projected savings for customers [5], but the scale of the infrastructure required demonstrates how deeply public utilities and public resources are being reorganized around the needs of a private corporation. Entergy has a track record of hiking rates after hurricanes to offset repair cost to the grid. The construction of Hyperion will be no different. [6]

Democracy Delayed is Democracy Denied

When residents stand up at state hearings, Public Service Commission proceedings and city council meetings to question data centers, utility costs, water, environmental impacts, tax breaks and corporate secrecy, they are exposing just how rotten the capitalist system is. The hearings themselves are political theater. Before the hearings were even held the elected officials proceeding over them were already sealed, stamped, and purchased to do the bedding of billionaires who buy influence and elections.

The speed with which politicians can negotiate billion-dollar deals behind closed doors stands in stark contrast to the speed with which working people can get their demands addressed. When the working class ask for affordable housing, reliable infrastructure, better public transit, protected bike lanes or lower utility bills, all of a sudden everything becomes complicated. Ask a billionaire corporation what it wants, and the Louisiana government discovers lightning speed.

This is not accidental, it’s capitalism functioning as intended. Public officials act on behalf of corporations that use their wealth and economic power to shape public policy. Socialism flips this reality over. It give the working class, the majority of people in society, the power to democratically organize the economy, society, our resources and public institutions that determine our quality of life.

Electricity, land, water, infrastructure and technology would no longer be organized around maximizing private wealth. They would be planned and distributed democratically according to human needs and the health of the planet. Decisions affecting millions would no longer be hidden behind NDAs or negotiated between corporate executives and politicians. Sacrifice zone’s would be abolished, because our goal wouldn’t be profit, it would be sustainability.

Where do we start in this grand endevour of the working class running society? Join the Louisiana PSL “Take Back The Power” Campaign. They have volunteer opportunities that will put you on the frontlines of organizing your community to address Entergy and it’s corporate dictatorship in Louisiana. You can contact them via their social media page [7] or by filling out the join form on the PSL website. [8]

Ever Onward to Victory

—EG