Dive Summary:

• Louisiana's Public Service Commission Chairman Foster Campbell has announced plans to propose the reduction of electric utilities profits earned on the funds invested by shareholders.
• The state guarantees a return on equity to investor-owned utilities as high as 11.7 percent, a figure that Campbell wants to drop to about 8.5 percent.
• Entergy spokeswoman Molly Jahncke said the current rate of return on equity is "consistent with the national average, as well as utilities in the southeast."

From the article:

The Bossier City Democrat said the issue would be a good "litmus test" to determine how consumer-friendly or company-friendly the commission will be in 2013, especially with the retirement of longtime commissioner Jimmy Field, R-Baton Rouge.

"Two rate cases are coming up and the return on investment is too high," Campbell said, referring to the rate cases to be brought soon by Entergy Louisiana and Entergy Gulf States, subsidies of the New Orleans utility giant Entergy Corp. "This will separate the men from the boys." ...