PressReleases

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>PressReleases</title><lastBuildDate>Tue, 06 Jun 2017 09:30:06 +0000</lastBuildDate><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><description>PressReleases</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/</link><atom:link href="http://www.entergynewsroom.com/feed/news/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title>Entergy Texas Is Storm Ready for the 2017 Hurricane Season</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Planning tips, communication tools available so customers can be prepared&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Today marks the official start of the 2017 hurricane season, and Entergy Texas employees are ready to respond if a major storm threatens the state.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Forecasts differ in their predictions for this hurricane season, but it only takes one major storm reaching the Gulf Coast to upend lives.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/userfiles/infographics/Graphic%20-%20Make%20a%20plan%20Make%20a%20kit.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/userfiles/infographics/Graphic%20-%20Make%20a%20plan%20Make%20a%20kit%20small.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We prepare year-round for storms,” said Vernon Pierce, vice president of customer service for Entergy Texas. “You never know when a hurricane will strike, but Entergy is ready and encourages customers to be prepared as well.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy maintains a constant focus on being prepared for major weather events and invests hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade and enhance the system, which improves the resiliency of the electrical system.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Whether it’s making an emergency plan, creating an emergency supply kit or purchasing supplies and gear needed to weather a storm, the best time to prepare is now. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Planning Remains Key to Restoration&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With decades of experience in restoring power after tropical systems, Entergy relies upon a time- and weather-tested plan called Storm Ready. It involves continuous preparation and training for everyone in the company.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Staying Storm Ready is a year-round effort, and it begins with monitoring weather systems around the clock, every day of the year. When there’s a weather threat, Entergy uses weather forecasts and computer models based on experience with past storms to predict an estimated number and duration of outages that could occur. Based on those estimates, Entergy will call on restoration workers from around the country to get the power back on as safely and quickly as possible.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keeping Customers Informed&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As important as the restoration itself is keeping customers safe and informed. Customers can stay up to date on restoration efforts through many channels:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Customers can download the Entergy app for iPhone or Android at &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergy.com/app/&quot;&gt;com/app/&lt;/a&gt;. It gives customers the ability to report an outage or check if power is restored on the street at their home or business.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Sign up for text alerts by texting REG to 368374. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Follow Entergy Texas on &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/entergytx&quot;&gt;com/entergytx&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX/&quot;&gt;facebook.com/entergytx&lt;/a&gt; for updates on restoration activities. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etrviewoutage.com/external/tx.aspx?_ga=2.78119888.514672719.1496175362-1419424515.1485205777&quot;&gt;View Outages&lt;/a&gt; map on Entergy’s website to get information about an outage. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy’s &lt;a href=&quot;http://stormcenter.entergy.com/?banner=storm_center&quot;&gt;Storm Center&lt;/a&gt; is a one-stop shop for storm preparation, safety and restoration information:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Restoration information is added to the site throughout the day.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;A link to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etrviewoutage.com/external/tx.aspx?_ga=2.78119888.514672719.1496175362-1419424515.1485205777&quot;&gt;View Outages&lt;/a&gt; map to provide outage and estimated restoration information.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Customers can also access &lt;a href=&quot;http://stormcenter.entergy.com/pdfs/StormReadyGuide.pdf&quot;&gt;Operation: Storm Ready&lt;/a&gt;, a guide to help them plan and prepare for weather emergencies.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 440,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $10.8 billion and more than 13,000 employees.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX/&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-is-storm-ready-2017-hurricane-season/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-is-storm-ready-2017-hurricane-season/?1991</guid><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Maintains Readiness as Spring Storm Season Hits Hard</title><description>&lt;p&gt;THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Spring storms have already been sweeping across the state, and Entergy Texas, Inc. remains ready to respond whenever needed. Customers are urged to stay prepare as well.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“When serious weather threatens, we mobilize for round-the-clock outage restoration,” said Vernon Pierce, Entergy Texas vice president of customer service. “Texans need to prepare as well—for personal safety and for the potential of extended power outages.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/lightning%20storm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Create a Plan and a Kit&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;First, ensure that you have multiple ways of getting severe weather warnings, including smart phone apps and weather radios with loud alarms that will wake you when severe weather threatens at night. Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergystormcenter.com/&quot;&gt;Entergy Storm Center&lt;/a&gt; to download the free &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergystormcenter.com/pdfs/StormReadyGuide.pdf&quot;&gt;Operation: Storm Ready guide&lt;/a&gt;. This booklet tells how to create a storm kit and has a checklist of what a kit should include so that nothing important is overlooked.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stay Safe During Storms&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Stay away from downed power lines and areas of debris. Energized power lines may not be visible among the rubble.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Report downed lines immediately to Entergy at 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749), and call your local police station or fire department.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;If a power line falls on your vehicle while driving, continue to drive away from the line.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Don’t walk in flooded areas or standing water. Remember that wet tree limbs can conduct electricity.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;If you use portable electric generators, do so only in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Never connect a generator directly to a building’s wiring without a licensed electrician disconnecting the house wiring from Entergy’s service. Otherwise, it can create a safety hazard for the customer or Entergy’s linemen working to restore power. And it may damage the generator or the house wiring. &lt;a href=&quot;http://stormcenter.entergy.com/generator-safety.aspx&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt; for more information about generator safety.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know How to Send and Receive Outage Information&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;There are several ways to report outages or downed power lines:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Download the free Entergy app for Apple or Android to check power at your home or business and to report outages&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Call 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) to report outages and downed lines&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Check the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy.com/storm_center/outages.aspx?banner=view_outages&quot;&gt;View Outages map&lt;/a&gt; on Entergy’s website or app for outage info and, if available, cause and estimated restoration time&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergystormcenter.com/&quot;&gt;Entergy Storm Center&lt;/a&gt; for updates and information&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Register for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy-texas.com/your_home/my_account/&quot;&gt;MyAccountAnywhere&lt;/a&gt; to get outage info on your cellphone and to send and receive texts.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt; “We do our best to reduce the likelihood of outages during bad weather, but storms are often very powerful and unpredictable,” Pierce said. “The best precaution you can take is to be prepared and have everything you need in one central location if you lose power, including a way to notify us of the outage. This will help instill order and safety while our crews are busy restoring service.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 440,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $10.8 billion and more than 13,000 employees.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX/&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-ready-respond-spring-storms/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-ready-respond-spring-storms/?1969</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Apr 2017 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas Announces $600,000 Workforce Development Initiative</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Company Partners with Texas Workforce Commission, Colleges and School Districts&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas – Any graduate knows the feeling of accomplishment. The feeling of attaining success in spite of the odds and knowing that opportunity lies ahead. Thousands of students across Southeast Texas will soon know that feeling thanks to a landmark donation from Entergy Texas, Inc.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Southeast Texas’ growing economy requires a skilled workforce to continue powering that growth. Today, Entergy Texas announced a major step to build that talent pipeline with a $500,000 commitment to support local workforce development training programs. Entergy Texas’ contribution is the first step in a five-year commitment to supporting workforce development efforts across Southeast Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/userfiles/PDF/TX%20Workforce%203-17.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/infographics/TX%20Worforce%20Development.png&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; height=&quot;251&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In addition to Entergy Texas’ contribution, another $97,293 will come from the Texas Workforce Commission in the form of a matching &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.twc.state.tx.us/texas-industry-partnership-program&quot;&gt;Texas Industry Partnership (TIP)&lt;/a&gt; program grant, the first such grant given from a recently dedicated $1 million fund to address skills gaps and ensure a talent pipeline is available to address regional industry needs.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This contribution goes beyond just funding organizations. It is a partnership with numerous state and local educational and job-focused organizations to bring the nationally-recognized &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jag.org/&quot;&gt;Jobs for America’s Graduates&lt;/a&gt; to Southeast Texas – the first JAG program in Texas. JAG is a state-based national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing dropouts among young people who are most at-risk. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“At Entergy, our customers and communities are central to our success. We are only successful if we are helping our communities succeed,” said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. “Today’s announcement is a major step towards creating opportunities for students across our region.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We are pleased to present the first Texas Industry Partnership grant between Entergy and Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas, which will provide specialized training in high-demand industries to workers and expand the talent pipeline for employers,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Ruth R. Hughs. “These training programs will continue to keep our Texas businesses competitive&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A centerpiece of the effort is the creation of the first JAG program in Texas. JAG is a 35-year-old nationally recognized program that works to support at-risk students in high school and also offers dropout recovery programs to those who have left school. Beaumont Independent School District and the Port Arthur Independent School District will each receive $75,000 to host programs for at-risk students in their schools. Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) and Lamar State College-Port Arthur will host dropout recovery programs at their campuses.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;To support the programs at the two colleges, Entergy will contribute $100,000 which will be matched by the Texas Workforce Commission. The TIP program grant of $97,293 will go to Workforce Solutions of Southeast Texas which will then provide the funds to Region 5, the administrator for the two college-based programs. Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas partnered with Entergy and Region 5 ESC to successfully apply for the TIP program grant from the state.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Additionally, LIT is receiving $150,000 for its dual credit program in which high school students are enrolled in college-level courses.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Lone Star College in Montgomery County is also a part of the initiative, receiving $100,000 for its Promise Scholarships. These scholarships provide “gap” funding, giving students the additional financial boost between their college funding and actual college costs. These scholarships are for students who are pursuing degrees or certification in the energy or light manufacturing sectors, which are the two growth sectors identified by economic development planners as being in highest demand for that region.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This effort is part of an overall $5 million, five-year commitment Entergy Corp. has made to support such efforts in the four-state area it serves.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 440,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $10.8 billion and more than 13,000 employees.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;TWC is the state agency charged with overseeing and providing workforce development services to employers and job seekers of Texas. TWC strengthens the Texas economy by providing the workforce development component of the Governor's economic development strategy. Texas boasts an incredibly skilled workforce ready to attract enterprise to the Lone Star State.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;-30-&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://Facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-announces-600-000-workforce-development-initiative/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-announces-600-000-workforce-development-initiative/?1961</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas Kicks Off Super Tax Day on Super Bowl Weekend</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Company teams with&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;United Way and Kroger to provide free tax prep&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, TX – On Super Bowl weekend, Entergy Texas, Montgomery County United Way and Kroger are kicking off the tax season by making sure the big winners are local customers who claim their Earned Income Tax Credit.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Super Tax Day will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 4 in Willis at the Parent Support Center, located at 606 N. Campbell Street. In addition to tax preparation assistance, Entergy’s local community partners are also offering a number of programs designed to help families use tax refunds to increase savings and financial well-being. Programs such as financial coaching, budget workshops, healthy food and lifestyle choices are some of the many services offered at Super Tax Day. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Providing assistance in securing Earned Income Tax Credits through Super Tax Day events helps our customers and our communities,” said Vernon Pierce, Entergy Texas vice president of customer service. “New tools and programs mean Entergy’s Super Tax Day events have long-term benefits that help power customers’ lives now and in the future. This Super Bowl weekend, visitors to our VITA sites will be the real winners.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy’s support of the VITA program in the four states the utility serves – Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas – has resulted in approximately 93,000 customers receiving $162 million through the EITC program since 2011. In Texas, more than 6,500 residents have received $8,733,662 since Entergy Texas launched the program by partnering with local advocates six years ago.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;To learn more about Entergy’s support of Super Tax Days, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergy.com/freetaxhelp&quot;&gt;entergy.com/freetaxhelp&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;-30-&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-kicks-off-super-tax-day-super-bowl-weekend/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-kicks-off-super-tax-day-super-bowl-weekend/?1940</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas Kicks Off Super Tax Day on Super Bowl Weekend</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Company teams with&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;United Way and Lamar University to provide free tax prep&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, TX – On Super Bowl weekend, Entergy Texas, United Way of Beaumont and Lamar University volunteers are kicking off the tax season by making sure the big winners are local customers who claim their Earned Income Tax Credit.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Super Tax Day will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 4 in Beaumont at the Gloria Ramirez Neighborhood Resource Center, located at 2850 Gulf Parkway. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Providing assistance in securing Earned Income Tax Credits through Super Tax Day events helps our customers and our communities,” said Vernon Pierce, Entergy Texas vice president of customer service. “New tools and programs mean Entergy’s Super Tax Day events have long-term benefits that help power customers’ lives now and in the future. This Super Bowl weekend, visitors to our VITA sites will be the real winners.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy’s support of the VITA program in the four states the utility serves – Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas – has resulted in approximately 93,000 customers receiving $162 million through the EITC program since 2011. In Texas, more than 6,500 residents have received $8,733,662 since Entergy Texas launched the program by partnering with local advocates six years ago.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;To learn more about Entergy’s support of Super Tax Days, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergy.com/freetaxhelp&quot;&gt;entergy.com/freetaxhelp&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;-30-&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-kicks-off-super-tax-day-super-bowl-weekend-1941/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-kicks-off-super-tax-day-super-bowl-weekend-1941/?1941</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>New Year; New Tools for Entergy Customers</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Customer service upgrade to result in new customer account numbers&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;THE WOODLANDS, Tex. – What are your New Year’s Resolutions – lose weight, save money, spend more time with family? Thanks to new technology being deployed by Entergy Texas, saving money and energy just got a whole lot easier.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In February, Entergy Texas will be upgrading its customer care system to better serve its customers. This upgrade will provide customers new tools to better understand and manage energy usage. Due to this upgrade, all Entergy Texas customers will receive new account numbers starting on the February bill. Customers must use this new number with their payment. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;table&gt; &lt;tbody&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;319&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How You Pay Your Bill&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;319&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What you need to know&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;319&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy’s myAccountOnline&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;319&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;No action needed, your account will automatically switch to the new account.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;319&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;Online payments through your banking/financial institution&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;319&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;You must update your account with your new account number.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;319&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;Paying by mail&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;319&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;Be sure to include your new account number with your payment.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;319&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;Pay at QuickPayCenter&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;319&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;Be sure to bring your latest bill with the new account number.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; width=&quot;638&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;As part of this upgrade, our customer support system will be briefly offline from Jan. 31 – Feb. 6. For additional information, please visit &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;www.entergytexas.com&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt; &lt;/tbody&gt; &lt;/table&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We are looking to invest in technology that puts the power in our customers’ hands. Providing more information about energy usage helps customers make smarter energy choices,” said Vernon Pierce, vice president of customer service. “As we make this transition, be sure to remember to update your account number in your payment.” &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As part of this upgrade, customers will see several new benefits:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New Bill Look&lt;/strong&gt;: The new bill will have a new look, that includes more data on a customers’ energy usage to make smarter energy decisions. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Online tools&lt;/strong&gt;: This upgrade will also give Entergy Texas customers’ access to additional online tools, such as the Bill Analyzer tool. Customers will also be able to better manage requests for electric service online.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Better Customer Support&lt;/strong&gt;: This new system allows Entergy employees to have additional access to customer accounts. That will help us serve our customers better and more efficiently. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;For additional information, customers may go to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy-texas.com/faq/new_bill_faq.aspx&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com/faq/new_bill_faq.aspx&lt;/a&gt; for additional information. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Texas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/new-year-new-tools-entergy-customers/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/new-year-new-tools-entergy-customers/?1926</guid><pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Light Up Beaumont!</title><description>&lt;table&gt; &lt;tbody&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;102&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Contact:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;City of Beaumont Contact:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;td width=&quot;317&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;Andy Schonert&lt;br /&gt; (281) 297-2217 office&lt;br /&gt; (214) 316-0414 mobile&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:aschone@entergy.com&quot;&gt;aschone@entergy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Carlos Aviles&lt;br /&gt;Public Works/Engineering&lt;br /&gt;(409) 785-4781&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:caviles@beaumonttexas.gov&quot;&gt;caviles@beaumonttexas.gov&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt; &lt;/tbody&gt; &lt;/table&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Entergy donation to bring LED streetlights to Beaumont freeways&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;BEAUMONT, Tex. – Your commute is about to get brighter thanks to a donation from Entergy Texas, Inc. to the City of Beaumont.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas announced a $75,000 donation to the City of Beaumont to help fund the installation of new Light Emitting Diode (LED) streetlights at today’s City Council meeting. These new streetlights will replace old, high pressure sodium streetlights along M.L. King Jr. Parkway, Cardinal Drive, I-10 Service Road, and U.S. 69, 96, 287 Service Road. The city plans to replace 220 lights as part of this project.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;LED streetlights offer many benefits over the current high-pressure sodium streetlights in place. According to the City of Beaumont, LED lights use 48 percent less energy, last five times longer and cut the maintenance hours in half. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;center&gt; &lt;table style=&quot;width: 80%;&quot;&gt; &lt;tbody&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/news%20release%20photos/IMG_0072.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 75%;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pictured at the check presentation to the City of Beaumont are: Pamela Williams, Entergy Texas customer service representative; Carlos Aviles, City of Beaumont roadway designer and Vernon Pierce, Entergy Texas vice president of customer service.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt; &lt;/tbody&gt; &lt;/table&gt; &lt;/center&gt; &lt;p&gt;“The City of Beaumont is looking forward to installing LED streetlights to provide a better quality of illumination on our streets, with lower maintenance requirements for our staff, and lower operating costs,” said Dr. Joseph Majdalani, Public Works Director for the City. “In conjunction with Entergy’s City Smart program we want to turn these cost savings in to more opportunities to improve public safety and positively impact our environment.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We look to invest in our communities to make them better places for all residents,” said Vernon Pierce, Entergy Texas vice president of customer service. “These new LED streetlights will help the city save money and energy.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The improvements are made possible through Entergy’s Environmental Initiatives Fund. Since 2001, approximately $34 million has been contributed by Entergy shareholders to projects that help support cleaner air, reduced carbon emissions, wetlands restoration, reforestation and more environmental benefits.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The City’s participation with &lt;a href=&quot;http://eeprograms.net/entergy/government/&quot;&gt;Entergy’s City Smart Program&lt;/a&gt; will grant the city additional incentives for switching over to LED Lamps. For each corridor in the scope of this project that the City replaces an HPS lamp with an LED lamp, City Smart will award the city a check based on the annual energy savings from each fixture. With these incentives the City will have more opportunities to invest these dollars in to more energy efficient lighting.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Texas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/light-up-beaumont/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/light-up-beaumont/?1919</guid><pubDate>Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Work Starts to Ensure Reliability in Calvert / Franklin</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously in Work Areas&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;NAVASOTA, Texas – Power lines serving much of Robertson County are about to get a service reliability makeover. Contract crews are set to begin work on removing vegetation and trimming trees near the line to help keep the lights on for the 1,576 customers it serves across Robertson County. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The line runs down FM 1644 from the eastern portion of Calvert to Franklin and then down Highway 79 to Easterly. Entergy Texas estimates the work will take around four months to complete. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Drivers are urged to be alert for workers and to drive cautiously in those areas. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“All of our power lines are on a regular maintenance schedule,” said Ronald Hale, local customer service manager. “It’s important to constantly invest in maintaining the electric system to reduce outages and help ensure a safe, reliable supply of power to our customers.” &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas invests about $7 million per year in its vegetation management programs, trimming an average of 2,000 line miles annually. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Texas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/work-starts-ensure-reliability-calvert-franklin/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/work-starts-ensure-reliability-calvert-franklin/?1915</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Winter is Coming: The Time to Implement Energy-Saving Measures is Now</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Helpful tips make it easy to reduce usage and save money&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THE WOODLANDS, Texas&lt;/strong&gt; – Wet weather and cold air are rolling through southeast Texas just in time for the holidays. As you break out your coat and gloves, there’s no time like the present to implement helpful energy-saving tips so you can keep the cash in your wallet while keeping the cold outside where it belongs.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We haven’t had much in the way of cool weather, but that’s starting to change,” said Vernon Pierce, vice president of customer service for Entergy Texas. “When that cold weather rolls through, it is important to winterize your house to help save you money.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Heating and air conditioning can account for as much as 55 percent of your monthly electric bill. Setting the thermostat to 68 degrees in the winter is an easy way to reduce how much energy you use. Every degree above 68 on the thermostat can increase your bill by about 3 percent. So if you crank it up to a toasty 78 degrees, you’ve already added 30 percent. Other tips include:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Seal leaks around your doors and windows to make your home more energy-efficient.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Keep all doors and windows closed when the heat is on.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Open drapes to let warm sunlight in during the day. Close them at night to reduce heat loss.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Schedule a heating system checkup with a licensed professional if you haven’t already done so.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Do not block heat registers or air returns with curtains or furniture.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Check air and furnace filters every 30 days or as required by the type of filter. Clean or replace them as needed.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Conserve hot water. Wrap your electric water heater with a water heater blanket and set the thermostat to 120 degrees or medium.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Close the damper on fireplaces when not in use.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;When you change your light bulbs, replace them with energy-efficient models. Entergy recommends ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs that use 70 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Set the thermostat back to 55 degrees if away from home for several days.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;More tips, as well as clear, do-it-yourself videos, to help put these ideas to work can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/your_home/save_money/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com/savemoney&lt;/a&gt;. Customers can also visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy-texas.com/energy_efficiency/default.aspx?banner=TX_EE&quot;&gt;EntergySolutions&lt;/a&gt; for the program in their area.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy also assists elderly and disabled low-income customers through its customer-assistance fund, &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergy.com/our_community/power_to_Care_Video.aspx&quot;&gt;The Power to Care&lt;/a&gt;. The fund is administered by the local Councils on Aging and is funded by Entergy employees, customers and shareholders. To find out how to get assistance, or to contribute to the fund, visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.entergy.com/forms/project_deserve.aspx?RegionId=CORP&amp;amp;_ga=1.249516480.695238919.1450109686&quot;&gt;entergy.com&lt;/a&gt; or check the donation box on your monthly bill.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Texas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11.5 billion and more than 13,000 employees.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/winter-coming-the-time-implement-energy-saving-measures-now-1911/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/winter-coming-the-time-implement-energy-saving-measures-now-1911/?1911</guid><pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>The Night Time is the Right Time for Security Lighting</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Woodlands, Texas&lt;/strong&gt; – People around Texas joined most of the country by setting their clocks back one hour on Nov. 6, marking the end of daylight savings time. With daylight growing shorter, now is a good time to consider outdoor security lighting, an economical and effective crime-prevention tool.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas &lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.entergy.com/securitylighting&quot;&gt;can help customers&lt;/a&gt; light up their homes and businesses and increase safety and security with private-area lighting options that are cost-effective and hassle-free.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Properly lighting your home or business takes the cover of darkness away from lawbreakers and is an important step in crime-prevention efforts,” said Pat Waters, Director of Sales Growth and Services for Entergy’s lighting business.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, security lighting is the single most effective crime deterrent. It enhances natural surveillance, delineates private and public spaces, can help direct access and increases safety.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Many of our security lighting customers tell us that, along with feeling safer, they appreciate the easy installation process and the worry-free maintenance that comes with our service,” says Tyson Sibley, Entergy Lighting Sales Representative.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Customers can place an order by calling 1-866-603-0192 or via a secure link at entergy.com/securitylighting. An Entergy representative will contact them quickly, and a lighting expert will assist them in determining the product that best suits their needs.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Security lights are available in a variety of sizes, styles, wattages and lamp styles for home and business use. Customers are charged a set monthly fee for the lights, with the cost conveniently added to existing bills. The charges vary depending upon the light’s wattage. Whether the light is installed on an existing pole, or a new pole is needed for the lighting, Entergy will work with customers to determine the most cost-effective option. In some areas, installation is free. In addition, there is no fee for regular maintenance, which includes bulb replacement. If a storm – like a hurricane or tornado – destroys the light and pole, they will be replaced at no cost to the customer.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30- &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/the-night-time-right-time-security-lighting-1905/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/the-night-time-right-time-security-lighting-1905/?1905</guid><pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Powering Southeast Texas for the Future</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Entergy Texas add new low-cost power for its customers&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas – Entergy Texas, Inc. (ETI) filed an application with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) for the construction of Montgomery County Power Station, a combined-cycle natural gas unit. This filing is a major step towards providing the next generation of reliable, low-cost power for ETI’s customers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We are focused on serving our customers and communities now and into the future. I’m proud that Entergy Texas is making this landmark investment to meet future needs,” said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. “The Montgomery County Power Station is an investment in modern technology that will save our customers $1.7 billion over 30 years by reducing our reliance on energy markets.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Montgomery County Power Station will create significant benefits for our customers. By utilizing modern combined-cycle gas turbine technology, the project will reduce fuel costs and provide reliable power. These fuel savings will pay off the cost of construction after only 10 years of operation – a third of the plant’s lifecycle.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Located next to Entergy Texas’ Lewis Creek power units on the Lewis Creek Reservoir, this site already has some of the needed infrastructure to support a new power station. The Lewis Creek units will remain in service as the new unit comes online. This 993 MW plant will use state-of-the-art emission control technology to lower air emissions.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Additionally, the project will provide benefits to the local economy. Estimates indicate that construction will provide more than 2,800 direct jobs in Texas and nearly $1 billion in economic activity for the regional economy. Once operational, the plant will provide approximately 25 permanent direct jobs in Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“This is a Texas project for Texas customers,” continued Rainer. “We look forward to working with all stakeholders throughout this process.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Pending approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Entergy Texas is proposing to begin construction in the first quarter of 2019. Entergy Texas expects the plant to be in service by summer 2021.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Texas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11.5 billion and more than 13,000 employees.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/powering-southeast-texas-future/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/powering-southeast-texas-future/?1871</guid><pubDate>Mon, 10 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Businesses Beware: Scam artists on the prowl</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Businesses targeted in bill payment fraud&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Beaumont, Texas&lt;/strong&gt; – Con artists are using old tricks to target businesses across Southeast Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The scheme involves calls from a scammer claiming to represent Entergy. The caller warns the business owner or manager of a past due electric bill payment, and threatens to disconnect service within the hour if payment isn’t made. The scammer then directs the customer to transfer funds electronically, sometimes through a system known as “MoneyPak” or “Green Dot.” This scam has typically targeted restaurant owners or other small business owners.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/iStock_000036342520_Small.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;255&quot; height=&quot;255&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;How can you protect yourself and keep from falling victim to this scam?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;While the company does place courtesy calls if you are at risk for disconnection, these are recorded calls, and are not calls from live customer service representatives. Entergy NEVER demands immediate payment.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;While you may pay your Entergy bill by phone or credit card, it is ONLY through BillMatrix, a third-party vendor we use for this purpose.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;You should never give your personal information to strangers. If a call sounds suspicious, call 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) to speak with an Entergy customer service representative.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Also, you can manage your Entergy account and review account alert options to stay better informed by downloading the free Entergy smart phone app or visiting &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy.com/&quot;&gt;entergy.com&lt;/a&gt; to register for myAccount.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You should only use authorized methods and legitimate banking information to pay your Entergy bill. We offer several convenient ways:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pay online &lt;/strong&gt;– For no additional charge, you may securely log in to myAccount at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy.com/&quot;&gt;com&lt;/a&gt; to conveniently pay your bill online.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pay by phone &lt;/strong&gt;– You may pay your bill by credit card, debit card or electronic check by calling Entergy’s pay-by-phone provider, BillMatrix, at 1-800-584-1241. BillMatrix charges a $2.95 service fee.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Walk-in payment centers &lt;/strong&gt;– Want to pay in person? You may pay your bill by cash, check or money order at an authorized &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/agent_reference/qpc.aspx&quot;&gt;Quick Payment Center&lt;/a&gt; in your community. A convenience fee may apply.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bank draft&lt;/strong&gt; – You can avoid late fees by having your Entergy payment automatically deducted from your checking account each month. Entergy will mail a monthly billing statement to you for your records, showing the bill amount and bank draft date.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pay by mail &lt;/strong&gt;– You can send a check by U.S. Mail to the remittance address shown on your bill.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;If you believe you are a victim of this scam, you should notify the proper authorities, such as the local police or the state attorney general’s office. If you believe your Entergy account has been affected, call 1-800-ENTERGY (1‑800‑368‑3749) to speak with an Entergy customer service representative.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30- &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/businesses-beware-scam-artists-prowl/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/businesses-beware-scam-artists-prowl/?1854</guid><pubDate>Wed, 31 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>The Heat is On! Stay One Step Ahead by Implementing Simple Solutions</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Energy-efficient measures and billing options can help customers manage monthly costs&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas – The heat is on! While summer temperatures are reaching sweltering levels outside, you can stay one step ahead of their effect on your energy bill by implementing some simple and efficient solutions inside your home or business.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/SSthermostat-summer.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;216&quot; height=&quot;153&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; hspace=&quot;10&quot; /&gt;“Temperatures throughout Southeast Texas are hitting 95 and above, without figuring in the heat index,” said Vernon Pierce, Entergy Texas, Inc. customer service director. “While the first reaction is to crank down the A/C, remember that heating and cooling costs make up more than half of your monthly energy bill. By taking energy-efficient measures now, your air conditioner will run less and that, in turn, will help keep your bill down as the summer heat continues.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Top ways to save energy and keep your costs lower without sacrificing comfort are:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get your A/C inspected.&lt;/strong&gt; Inspectors can make sure your system is leak-free and operating as efficiently as possible. Don’t forget about air filters; some units require monthly cleaning or replacing.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or the highest comfortable temperature.&lt;/strong&gt; Every degree lower than 78 can raise your bill as much as 3 percent. So if you crank down the A/C to a cooler 72 degrees, you’ve already increased your bill by 18 percent.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Buy a programmable thermostat.&lt;/strong&gt; As energy usage rises, costs also rise. If you spend most of your day outside of the house, set your thermostat to automatically shut off or raise the A/C setting when you’re away.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use fans to cool off, but remember – fans cool people, not rooms.&lt;/strong&gt; Ceiling fans, box fans and oscillating fans use very little electricity and circulate the air, which helps you feel several degrees cooler. Just remember to turn them off when you leave the room.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Close blinds, shades and curtains to keep the sun out and the cool air in.&lt;/strong&gt; Also, close air conditioning vents in rooms that are not in use.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seal cracks and holes around doors, windows and duct work.&lt;/strong&gt; Weather stripping and caulk will help keep the cold air inside the house and the hot air outdoors.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We also encourage you to visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy.com/savemoney&quot;&gt;entergy.com/savemoney&lt;/a&gt; to access a slew of energy-saving tips and calculators that will help you determine the best cost-cutting scenarios to suit your lifestyle,” Pierce said. “And to avoid the billing spikes that extreme temperatures can bring, we suggest you sign up for &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergy.com/features/levelbill.aspx&quot;&gt;Level Billing&lt;/a&gt; if you haven’t already done so. That way, you can better control your monthly budget.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;What’s more, you also can take advantage of a variety of energy-efficiency programs and services through our &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy-texas.com/energy_efficiency/default.aspx?banner=TX_EE&quot;&gt;Entergy Solutions&lt;/a&gt; program, which offers ways to help you lower your energy bill and find new ways to save energy – and money – at your home or business.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;For customers struggling to pay their summer energy bills, Entergy Texas, Inc. helps low-income, disabled and elderly customers through its customer-assistance fund, The Power to Care. The Power to Care is administered by Project Care Texas and funded by Entergy employees, customers and shareholders. Bill pay assistance is also available through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Through these programs, in 2015 $6.5 million in assistance was provided to almost 35,000 Entergy Texas customers. For information on getting assistance or to contribute to The Power to Care, visit entergy-texas.com.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/the-heat-on-stay-one-step-ahead-by-implementing-simple-solutions-1828/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/the-heat-on-stay-one-step-ahead-by-implementing-simple-solutions-1828/?1828</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Lower Energy Bills Headed to Entergy Texas, Inc. Customers; Fuel Refund, Credits to Drop Entergy Texas Bills by $9.30 Through Hot Summer Months</title><description>&lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas – With temperatures on the rise in Southeast Texas, there’s good news ahead for Entergy customers. Average residential electric bills will drop below $100 per month when fuel-related refunds and credits begin showing up on bills in July. The lower rates will remain on bills through October.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The average 1,000 kilowatt-hour bill currently costs customers a little more than $108. But once the lower bills begin, they will drop to $98.76, a decrease of more than 8 percent.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Altogether, the company will send some $68 million back to customers from July through October.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Our fuel costs have remained low and that means we are able to pass the savings along in the form of a refund to our customers,” said Sallie Rainer, Entergy Texas president and chief executive officer. “This can be especially important at this time of year when hot weather often signals higher energy bills.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lower-energy-bills-headed-entergy-texas-inc-customers-fuel-refund-credits-drop-entergy-texas-bills-by30-through-hot-summer-months/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lower-energy-bills-headed-entergy-texas-inc-customers-fuel-refund-credits-drop-entergy-texas-bills-by30-through-hot-summer-months/?1823</guid><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas, Inc. Helps Ensure Good School Year for Vidor-area Children; $1,500 Grant to Nonprofit to Buy School Supplies for Those in Need</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Vidor, Texas – For the sixth year in a row, Entergy Texas, Inc. is partnering with the United Christian Care Center in Vidor, providing a $1,500 grant to help ensure children here will have the supplies they need to start the school year.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Basic needs like paper, pens, pencils and crayons can be hard to come by for some families,” said Johnny Trahan, Entergy’s customer service representative for the Vidor area. “Partnering with the United Christian Care Center is a great way for us to help provide those supplies and make sure they get to the students who need them.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Gayle Nagai, center director, noted that more than 70 percent of the children in the Vidor Independent School District qualify for free or reduced meals. These are the families that often struggle to provide the supplies their children need for school. The grant will help some 100 of these eligible children.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We appreciate Entergy’s ongoing support of our programs,” Nagai said.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including early 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-inc-helps-ensure-good-school-year-vidor-area-children500-grant-nonprofit-buy-school-supplies-those-need/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-inc-helps-ensure-good-school-year-vidor-area-children500-grant-nonprofit-buy-school-supplies-those-need/?1807</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Rainer Named ‘Breakthrough Woman’ by Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce; Honor Recognizes Leadership, Cites Women Considered Trailblazers</title><description>&lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas – Trailblazing leadership in the utility industry brought Sallie Rainer, president and chief executive officer of Entergy Texas, Inc., a new honor when the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ghwcc.org/&quot;&gt;Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce&lt;/a&gt; named her one of its &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ghwcc.org/about-us/no-limits-conference-for-women.aspx&quot;&gt;2016 Breakthrough Women&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/userfiles/OCE%20headshots/Sallie%20Rainer.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;345&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; hspace=&quot;10&quot; vspace=&quot;10&quot; /&gt;Rainer was among a select group of women granted the recognition when the chamber recently convened its annual NO LIMITS conference for women. The women selected are recognized for being trailblazers in their industries and for demonstrating amazing courage and leadership in reaching their goals.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Rainer’s selection this year recognized her success in the utility industry. The chamber produced a video that allowed Rainer to address the challenges women have faced in establishing their business careers and how those challenges have changed. Additionally, she was asked what advice she would give to younger generations to help them achieve their career goals.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Fortunately, gender stereotypes are changing,” Rainer said. “Women can address the issue of stereotypes through a blended leadership style that plays to their strengths—focusing on the greater good and developing relationships. I’ve heard this referred to as ‘transformational’ leadership and it is a style I’ve tried to adopt and continue to hone.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Rainer has served in her current role at Entergy Texas for four years. She came to Entergy in 1984 working first in the company’s generation planning department. She held various management roles in long-term system planning before being promoted to director of regulatory affairs and energy settlements. Before being named to her current role at Entergy Texas, Rainer served as vice president, federal policy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Rainer currently serves as a member of the board of directors for Interfaith of The Woodlands. She is also a member of the United Way of Greater Houston Regional Council and the Texas Children’s Hospital Ambassadors and Leadership Cabinet.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A native of Louisiana, Rainer holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology from Louisiana State University and a master’s in business administration from Texas A&amp;amp;M University.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/rainer-named-breakthrough-woman-by-houston-womenchamber-commerce-honor-recognizes-leadership-cites-women-considered-trailblazers/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/rainer-named-breakthrough-woman-by-houston-womenchamber-commerce-honor-recognizes-leadership-cites-women-considered-trailblazers/?1800</guid><pubDate>Tue, 10 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Nearly Half-Million Feet of Underground Power Line in SE Texas Tested; Method Helps ID Lines with Deteriorating Insulation, Potential for Outages</title><description>&lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas – Burying power lines underground may improve the landscape, but it does have its drawbacks. Most notably, when a power outage occurs, it may be more difficult to find the exact place in the line that needs to be repaired. Plus, making repairs becomes more complicated because of the digging involved to get to the line.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With some 10.3 million feet of underground power line in Southeast Texas, underground service has become a popular choice. But what’s a company to do to ensure reliable service from power lines you can’t see?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Enter “underground cable partial discharge” testing. The name means simply that a section of a power line is very briefly subjected to known voltage levels under certain circumstances. Specialized equipment is placed at both ends of the section being tested. The equipment captures information about how well that section of line responds. The results are capable of pinpointing potential problem areas and while also providing information about how many more years the line should be expected to perform well.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Introducing this technology to Southeast Texas speaks to our commitment to ensuring reliable service to all our customers, regardless of the type of infrastructure that powers their homes and businesses,” explained Vernon Pierce, customer service vice president for Entergy Texas. “This program helps us address the types of problems that can develop specifically with underground power lines.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In Texas, the program has been in place for two years. In the first year, testing targeted a number of underground power lines served by the Goslin Substation in the heart of The Woodlands. Last year, the program came to Beaumont where underground lines in downtown and at Parkdale Mall were tested. When testing begins this year, it will once again take place in The Woodlands where most power lines are underground.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A combination of factors figure into the lines selected for testing. Those factors include the age of the power line, its performance history and Entergy’s ability to access it. For example, underground lines around Parkdale Mall were chosen because they are buried underneath a parking lot, making them much more difficult to reach should a problem develop. Overall, some 437,112 feet of underground lines have been tested in the Entergy Texas service area.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We’ve implemented a number of proactive programs to help us in our goal to maintain safe, reliable power for customers,” Pierce said. “This program with its newer technology gives us one more tool in the toolkit.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/nearly-half-million-feet-underground-power-line-se-texas-tested-method-helps-id-lines-deteriorating-insulation-potential-outages/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/nearly-half-million-feet-underground-power-line-se-texas-tested-method-helps-id-lines-deteriorating-insulation-potential-outages/?1774</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas Prepares Electrical System for Historic Flooding</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas – Last week’s rains have become this week’s floods and personnel with Entergy Texas, Inc. are hard at work to ensure evacuees and other Southeast Texans will have safe and reliable power as the event unfolds.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We’ve all heard the expression 'water and electricity never mix',&quot; said Sallie Rainer, president and chief executive officer of Entergy Texas. &quot;We ask our customers who may be affected by flooding to remember that, to stay safe and not to take shortcuts. The steps we're taking to prepare our personnel and secure our electrical facilities start with safety first, along with careful planning. Please do the same for your family, friends and neighbors.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Rainer also asked customers to be aware and take caution in areas where rising waters may come closer to power lines than normal.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Personnel worked through the weekend, patrolling Entergy facilities from the Hartburg community along the overflowing Sabine River to Orange. Protective measures were put in place at substations in danger of encroaching waters and lines that cross the river or its flooded tributaries were checked to ensure they were at a height sufficient to avoid the waters. Helicopter patrols have also been undertaken.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As a safety precaution, power has been cut to about 30 customers in areas under mandatory evacuation and that are now accessible only by boat. This step was necessary because floodwaters were dangerously close to electrical facilities. Entergy Texas considers this step only in extreme circumstances.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The floodwaters are the result of heavy rains that fell further north and dropped 18 inches of water on the Toledo Bend Reservoir, which is owned by the Sabine River Authority.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In Orange, forecasts call for the Sabine River to crest at 7.5 feet by Thursday, March 17. This is 1.6 feet above the flood level recorded in 1989 and 1.5 feet above the 6-foot level that is considered a major flood.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Tips for dealing with flooding can be found in the &quot;What to do After the Storm&quot; section of Entergy Texas' &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergystormcenter.com/StormReadyGuide/index.html#/0&quot;&gt;Operation Storm: Ready guide&lt;/a&gt;, located within the &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergystormcenter.com/index.aspx?Region=TX&quot;&gt;Entergy Storm Center&lt;/a&gt; website.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Some of the information included in the tips are:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Return home only when authorities advise it, and drive only on roadways and bridges that have been declared passable.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Don’t walk in flooded areas or standing water. Remember that wet tree limbs can conduct electricity.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Be cautious when entering your home and watch for snakes, insects and other animals that may have been driven to higher ground by flood water.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt; If your electricity is off and you use a portable electric generator, do so only in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Never connect a generator directly to a building’s wiring without a licensed electrician disconnecting the house wiring from Entergy’s service. Otherwise, it can create a safety hazard for the customer or Entergy’s linemen working to restore power.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Don’t step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;If you do experience electrical issues, call 1-800-ENTERGY (368-3749).&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style1&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-prepares-electrical-system-historic-flooding/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-prepares-electrical-system-historic-flooding/?1767</guid><pubDate>Mon, 14 Mar 2016 16:53:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Declining Fuel Costs to Result in Lower Electricity Bills</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Average Residential Bill to be 6 Percent Lower&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas – Lower costs for the fuel Entergy Texas, Inc. uses to make electricity will translate into lower bills for customers this spring and summer.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Customers using an average of 1,000 kilowatts per month will see their bills decline by $4.11, more than 6 percent. The savings are a result from a drop in the fixed charge for fuel, a charge that is adjusted twice a year with a new amount showing up on bills each March and September.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Lower bills are always welcome,” said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO for Entergy Texas, Inc. “Fortunately, the decline in our fuel costs that we are passing on to customers will take place over a time frame that coincides during the hot summer months.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Electric utilities in Texas, including Entergy Texas are regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Monthly bills are largely made up of base charges plus fuel charges and the fuel portion is strictly passed through to customers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The PUCT rules require the fixed fuel charge on customers’ bills to be changed bi-annually each September and March. Beginning this month the average fuel charge will be $27.94 down from $32.05. This amount will remain the same until September 2016.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/declining-fuel-costs-result-lower-electricity-bills/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/declining-fuel-costs-result-lower-electricity-bills/?1763</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas, Inc. Advocates for Energy Assistance for Low-Income Customers</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LIHEAP Assistance helped 34,889 Southeast Texas Families in 2015&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;BEAUMONT, TEXAS – During LIHEAP Action Day March 2, Entergy Texas representatives and community partners will make the case for increased funding of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The funding goal is at least $4.7 billion for 2017.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Last year, Texas residents received $114.3 million from the program. Within Entergy Texas’s service territory, more than 34,889 families were assisted.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Face-to-face meetings with congressional leaders on Capitol Hill will address the need for better funding for hot-weather states through the federal program. Advocates will also highlight the current method of distributing available funds, which leaves many families in the hottest, poorest states struggling to meet basic needs such as heating and cooling costs.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Funding of LIHEAP has dropped by a third from $5.1 billion in 2009 to $3.4 billion today. This reduction limits the level of assistance available for the more than 3.8 million qualifying households in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas – the four states in which Entergy’s utility customers reside.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Restoring funding could result in an estimated $450 million in assistance, capable of helping thousands of qualifying households in Entergy’s utility service area of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In 2015, these states received an estimated $210 million from LIHEAP.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Read more about Entergy’s &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy.com/our_community/low_income.aspx&quot;&gt;low-income initiatives here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-inc-advocates-energy-assistance-low-income-customers/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-inc-advocates-energy-assistance-low-income-customers/?1758</guid><pubDate>Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Charitable Foundation Fuels Community Improvements </title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Grants totaling more than $47,000 power life in Southeast Texas communities&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- The Entergy Charitable Foundation is powering life in Southeast Texas communities with recent grants to nonprofit partners totaling more than $47,000. Charitable organizations may apply for support by completing the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy.com/our_community/ECF_grant_guidelines.aspx&quot;&gt;application form&lt;/a&gt; by Feb. 1, 2016.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The grants, funded by shareholders, create value for customers and local communities by enhancing educational opportunities, protecting the environment and providing resources for low-income customers. The grants bring Entergy Corporation’s total giving for 2015 to approximately $16 million, including $2.1 million from the Entergy Charitable Foundation. The foundation awards grants in two cycles each year.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Grants awarded to Texas organizations in this cycle include:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;$5,000 to the Port Arthur Public Schools Foundation for innovative teacher grants designed to encourage, facilitate, recognize and reward innovative instructional approaches that enhance academic excellence in the Port Arthur Independent School District. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;$5,000 to &lt;strong&gt;Tamina Community Center &lt;/strong&gt;in Conroe for Steps Up for Tamina Children providing children of working parents a safe and nurturing environment during the hours outside the school day.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;$5,000 to &lt;strong&gt;Huntsville Education Foundation for a teacher enrichment fund &lt;/strong&gt;providing experiences above and beyond what a student regularly receives in the classroom.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;$5,000 to &lt;strong&gt;New Caney ISD&lt;/strong&gt; to develop classroom libraries through the Friend of the Foundation Partnership.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;$5,000 to the &lt;strong&gt;Orange Community Action Association&lt;/strong&gt; for home delivered and group meals for senior citizens in need.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;$5,000 to &lt;strong&gt;Friendship Social and Civic Club &lt;/strong&gt;in Port Arthur to support a back-to-school program that allows all school-age children to receive backpacks with all needed school supplies.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;$4,000 to &lt;strong&gt;Boys &amp;amp; Girls Club of Deep East Texas &lt;/strong&gt;to help fund the Boys &amp;amp; Girls Club of Hardin County’s after-school program, providing a safe, positive, affordable program for economically disadvantaged youth ages 6 to 18 after school when their parents are at work providing for their family&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;$3,500 to &lt;strong&gt;Orangefield High School &lt;/strong&gt;Backpack Program that provides food for weekend and holiday meals for students who might otherwise go hungry while away from school meals.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;$3,000 to &lt;strong&gt;Anayat House, Inc.&lt;/strong&gt; in Beaumont for the 50 Bednights program, covering nightly accommodations for patients undergoing medical treatment in area hospitals or family caregivers.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;$2,500 to &lt;strong&gt;St Vincent De Paul St. Mary's Church &lt;/strong&gt;in Plantersville to supply the food pantry for home visits to needy residents.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;$1,900 to &lt;strong&gt;Lumberton Independent School District&lt;/strong&gt; to fund innovative education grants to enrich and expand programs needed to meet the district's stated mission of excellence in education.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Entergy employees power life by keeping the electricity flowing and by improving local communities through volunteerism and other contributions,&quot; said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas, Inc. &quot;Shareholder dollars made available through the Entergy Charitable Foundation strengthen our communities by supporting education, breaking the cycle of poverty and improving the environment.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-charitable-foundation-fuels-community-improvements-721/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-charitable-foundation-fuels-community-improvements-721/?721</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Dec 2015 15:01:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Save Money: Practice Energy Efficiency All Year Round</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;High Bills Tied to Temperature Extremes, Cold as Well as Hot&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- Conventional wisdom in the south assumes your highest electricity bills will come in summer when air conditioning becomes a necessity for comfort and, for some, survival. That wisdom, however, is no longer so conventional.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;More and more homes and businesses lean on electricity for heating needs, too. And a good stretch of chilly weather with a few freezes thrown in can lead to bills that rival summer's expected expense.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Anytime we turn up the thermostat to either heat our homes or to cool them off, that means increased energy use which leads to higher bills,&quot; said Vernon Pierce, vice president of customer service for Entergy Texas, Inc. &quot;We want to help our customers understand that heating and air conditioning make up more than half of most energy bills.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;The best way to manage your electric usage during cold weather is to keep your thermostat set on 68 degrees. Each degree warmer will increase your bill by about 3 percent.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Pierce added that the same steps Entergy recommends for cooling off your bills in summer apply to managing energy use in winter. Tips for making your home more energy efficient can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/your_home/save_money/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com/save money&lt;/a&gt;. Do-it-yourself videos will allow you to explore room by room and help you determine your best opportunities to save energy. Don’t forget our &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/energy_efficiency/default.aspx?banner=TX_EE&quot;&gt;Entergy Solutions&lt;/a&gt; programs, either. Entergy works with vendors who help increase energy efficiency in qualified homes throughout its service area, often at no cost to you.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, some top tips for reducing your energy bill include the following:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Conserve hot water. Heating water is the second-largest energy user in homes. Insulating blankets for electric water heaters are inexpensive and available at home improvement stores. Also, set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees or medium.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Seal air leaks and duct work. In the South, leaky ducts waste more energy than any other single item. Duct work should be airtight everywhere it attaches to vents, each other and the heating/cooling unit.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Manage widow shades and drapes. Optimize home heating and cooling by opening shades or drapes to allow sunlight in for radiant heating of your home in winter. Reverse the process in summer and close drapes against summer’s heat.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Keep your heating and air conditioning unit in good condition, making sure the return air filter is replaced or cleaned regularly.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/save-money-practice-energy-efficiency-all-year-round/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/save-money-practice-energy-efficiency-all-year-round/?716</guid><pubDate>Wed, 16 Dec 2015 10:38:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>An 'Evergreen' Gift: Dedicate a Tree in Honor of Family, Friends</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entergy Texas Program Brings Awareness to Big Thicket's Sandyland Sanctuary&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- In traditional holiday fashion, Southeast Texans are bringing the outdoors inside by decorating homes with evergreen trees both artificial and real. This year Entergy Texas, Inc. customers and community advocates can share this love of the outdoors with lasting, free holiday gifts for family and friends.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The gift is the dedication of a tree in someone's honor or memory, a program made possible through Entergy's partnership with the Texas chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Tree dedications honor recipients while also creating awareness of an initiative to bring longleaf pine trees back to their historic Southeast Texas home in the Big Thicket's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/texas/placesweprotect/roy-e-larsen-sandyland-sanctuary.xml&quot;&gt; Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/iStock_000002551449_Small.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;228&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Since the program began last spring, more than 250 trees have been dedicated in honor or memory of a special someone, all free of charge. The program recognizes a $500,000 grant from Entergy to support wetland restoration and reforestation in the four states the electric utility serves--Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Dedications can be made from a computer, smartphone or tablet using the following URL: &lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.entergy.com/forms/TreeDonation.aspx?FormId=354&amp;amp;RegionId=TX&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com/sandyland&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Once there, provide the name of the person you wish to honor and an email address to notify the person or his or her family. A keepsake certificate can be generated from the email notification.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the process, you can learn about one of Southeast Texas' true, natural treasures. The Sandyland Sanctuary, which encompasses 5,654 acres in Hardin County, including a portion of Village Creek, is managed by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nature.org/texas&quot;&gt;The Nature Conservancy&lt;/a&gt;, one of Entergy's environmental partners for more than a decade.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Over time Entergy has contributed more than $1.5 million to The Nature Conservancy in support of Entergy's mission to create value for all our stakeholders,&quot; explained Vernon Pierce, vice president, customer service for Entergy Texas. &quot;Our mission includes protecting natural resources vital to our communities.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Nature Conservancy of Texas used the funds provided by Entergy and other community partners to support reforestation of longleaf pines in the sanctuary with 73,000 seedlings added this year. &quot;The longleaf pine forest is a disappearing ecosystem, and we are proud of the conservation work our staff is doing. We are very appreciative for Entergy's continuing support,&quot; said Wendy Ledbetter, forest program manager for The Nature Conservancy in Texas. &quot;Funding from Entergy helps provide ongoing support so that we have the staff, equipment and supplies to perform wetland forest restoration and land management activities year-round.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/an-evergreen-gift-dedicate-tree-honor-family-friends/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/an-evergreen-gift-dedicate-tree-honor-family-friends/?712</guid><pubDate>Mon, 14 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Don't Take a 'Vacation' when Decking the Halls!</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Be safe, save energy when lighting up the season&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- When Clark Griswold sets out to create a festive holiday atmosphere in the movie classic, &quot;National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation,&quot; all havoc breaks loose. He staples his sleeve to the gutter, loses his balance on the ladder, slides off the roof and can't get the 25,000 twinkling lights to work because of faulty wiring. Once the lights do work, he causes a power outage because of the amount of electricity they use.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Don't take a 'vacation' when decking the halls! Entergy reminds you to be safe and save energy when lighting up the season. Check out these important tips:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OUTDOORS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· Make sure the lights used are designated for outdoor use and the cords are not worn or frayed.&lt;br /&gt; · Use a non-conducting fiberglass or wooden ladder when working with strings of lights, and stay clear of all overhead wires.&lt;br /&gt; · Do not replace bulbs when the electricity is on.&lt;br /&gt; · Never let light bulbs touch flammable materials such as plastic or dry grass and leaves.&lt;br /&gt; · For outside use, work only with three-wire grounded extension cords.&lt;br /&gt; · Use rubber gaskets in light sockets or hang sockets downward to keep water out.&lt;br /&gt; · Keep connections and lights off the ground by hanging them over wooden stakes.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;INDOORS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· If using a live tree, make sure it is fresh and green, with needles that are hard to pull from the branches.&lt;br /&gt; · Place the tree in a stand with water, well away from heaters or the fireplace. Check water daily.&lt;br /&gt; · Examine all lights before putting them on the tree or using them in other home decorations. Do not use lights with frayed wiring or loose sockets, and make sure they have been tested for safety by an independent testing laboratory.&lt;br /&gt; · For greater efficiency and safety, use smaller LED lights, which burn cooler and use about 75 percent less energy than traditional bulbs.&lt;br /&gt; · Make sure all light sockets have bulbs in them. Children are fascinated by lights and could put their fingers in empty sockets.&lt;br /&gt; · Keep bulbs from touching tree branches. Never burn candles on or near the tree and never use flammable decorations.&lt;br /&gt; · Never use lights on a metallic tree. If the lights become faulty, the entire tree could be electrified.&lt;br /&gt; · Be careful not to overload extension cords, outlets or even whole circuits in the house.&lt;br /&gt; · Turn off decorative lighting when you leave the room.&lt;br /&gt; · Place wires where they cannot trip anyone. Do not run them under rugs.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://entergy.com/global/safety/HolidayLightingSafety.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/infographics/Holiday%20Lighting%20Tips.png&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;318&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Our most important message to you is to respect electricity at all times,&quot; said Vernon Pierce, director of customer service for Entergy Texas. &quot;Following safety guidelines can make sure you and your family stays safe and gets to enjoy this time with those you care about.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/dontake-vacation-when-decking-halls-707/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/dontake-vacation-when-decking-halls-707/?707</guid><pubDate>Wed, 09 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Special 'Spinners' Keep Squirrels off Power Lines Leading into Substations; Installation Helps Prevent Animal-Related Outages</title><description>&lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- Southeast Texas' sizeable population of squirrels may prove entertaining to watch in the backyard. But there's nothing amusing about the way they deftly dart along power lines, slip into electric substations and cause power outages to neighborhoods.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/squirrel%20guard.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc., however, found a way to take on the squirrels. As part of its ongoing service reliability program, the company this year invested about $25,000 to purchase round plastic &quot;spinners&quot; for installation on power lines leading into some 36 at-risk substations throughout its service area. Although a small amount compared to the $2.65 million budgeted overall for service reliability efforts this year, it's a particularly--and peculiarly--effective spend.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;When squirrels scamper along a power line and come to the spinner, it does what the name implies. It spins, promptly and safely throwing the squirrel off the power line, preventing it from entering the substation where it could get into equipment and cause an outage.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;This was a pro-active effort on our part to make an improvement to the infrastructure that would also help us improve the reliability of service to our customers,&quot; explained Vernon Pierce, customer service vice president for Entergy Texas. &quot;This is one of a number of programs in place that work toward preventing outages. The heavy vegetation we have in Southeast Texas is a perfect habitat for critters and makes animal intrusion a very real problem when it comes to keeping the lights on for our customers. This means we face circumstances that sometimes require us to be creative to ensure safe, reliable power.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;One of the first substations to get the spinner treatment was Cordrey Substation in Orange. The substation was plagued with squirrel-related outages for years. But in 2014, Entergy Texas installed a number of measures to prevent animal intrusion, including adding the spinners to power lines squirrels used to get into it. Since then, squirrel-related outages have dropped to zero at the Cordrey Substation.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;While zero squirrel outages cannot be guaranteed, the positive results at Cordrey lead Entergy Texas personnel to believe the investment and work to put spinners in place at substations throughout the service territory will pay off in fewer outages for customers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/special-spinners-keep-squirrels-off-power-lines-leading-into-substations-installation-helps-prevent-animal-related-outages/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/special-spinners-keep-squirrels-off-power-lines-leading-into-substations-installation-helps-prevent-animal-related-outages/?688</guid><pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Bolsters Red Cross Response with $450,000 Donation</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disaster responder program supports community disaster preparation and response&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- Entergy Corp. has partnered with the American Red Cross in a providing a $450,000 contribution that will be paid out over two years and that will support disaster response in Entergy communities. By making the contribution in advance of disaster, should the need arise, funds will be immediately available to areas served by Entergy, including Entergy Texas, Inc.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/news%20release%20photos/thunderstorm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;369&quot; height=&quot;263&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Todd Dunkleberger, customer service support manager for Entergy Texas, Inc., attended the Beaumont board of directors meeting for the American Red Cross of Southeast Texas and Deep East Texas Tuesday, Oct. 20, to discuss the contribution with the directors.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Entergy responds to community needs following a disaster in more ways than restoring electricity,&quot; Dunkleberger said. &quot;We also help meet other critical needs like food, water, shelter and medical services through grants to local Red Cross chapters. These funds ensure the Red Cross is able to sustain its mission and provide help to those affected by disaster.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Pete DeLaCruz, Beaumont office board chairman, said, &quot;All of us at the American Red Cross of Southeast Texas and Deep East Texas take our roles in the event of a disaster very seriously. We appreciate our long-standing partnership with Entergy and while we hope there will be no disasters that require these funds to be used in Southeast Texas, we recognize the commitment the company has made to the communities it serves in making this kind of preparation in advance.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Disaster preparation and response are especially top of mind during storm season. Recently, communities across Entergy's utility service areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas reflected on the impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which devastated the region 10 years ago.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The grant streamlines the response process in times of disaster, allowing funds to be funneled more quickly to affected communities such as flooding in Texas this spring as well as tornados in Mississippi.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The partnership supports Entergy's commitment to creating value for our communities by better preparing them for potential disasters like storms and helping facilitate disaster recovery. Communities benefiting from the grant include Entergy's service territories in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas as well as Entergy Wholesale Commodities plant locations in Massachusetts, Michigan, New York and Rhode Island.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Since 2005, Entergy shareholders have provided more than $2.4 million to area communities through grants to local chapters of the American Red Cross.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $12 billion and approximately 13,000 employees.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-bolsters-red-cross-response-450-000-donation-674/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-bolsters-red-cross-response-450-000-donation-674/?674</guid><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Bolsters Red Cross Response with $450,000 Donation</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disaster responder program supports community disaster preparation and response&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Orange, Texas -- Entergy Corp. has partnered with the national American Red Cross in a providing a $450,000 contribution that will be paid out over two years and that will support disaster response in Entergy communities. By making the contribution in advance of disaster, should the need arise, funds will be immediately available to areas served by Entergy, including Entergy Texas, Inc.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Vernon Pierce, vice president of customer service for Entergy Texas, Inc., attended the Orange board of directors meeting for the American Red Cross of Southeast Texas and Deep East Texas Thursday, Oct. 22, to discuss the contribution with the directors.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Entergy responds to community needs following a disaster in more ways than restoring electricity,&quot; Pierce said. &quot;We also help meet other critical needs like food, water, shelter and medical services through grants to local Red Cross chapters. These funds ensure the Red Cross is able to sustain its mission and provide help to those affected by disaster.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Larry David, Orange office board chairman, said, &quot;All of us at the American Red Cross of Southeast Texas and Deep East Texas take our roles in the event of a disaster very seriously. We appreciate our long-standing partnership with Entergy and while we hope there will be no disasters that require these funds to be used in Southeast Texas, we recognize the commitment the company has made to the communities it serves in making this kind of preparation in advance.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Disaster preparation and response are especially top of mind during storm season. Recently, communities across Entergy's utility service areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas reflected on the impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which devastated the region 10 years ago.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The grant streamlines the response process in times of disaster, allowing funds to be funneled more quickly to affected communities such as flooding in Texas this spring as well as tornados in Mississippi.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The partnership supports Entergy's commitment to creating value for our communities by better preparing them for potential disasters like storms and helping facilitate disaster recovery. Communities benefiting from the grant include Entergy's service territories in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas as well as Entergy Wholesale Commodities plant locations in Massachusetts, Michigan, New York and Rhode Island.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Since 2005, Entergy shareholders have provided more than $2.4 million to area communities through grants to local chapters of the American Red Cross.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $12 billion and approximately 13,000 employees.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-bolsters-red-cross-response-450-000-donation/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-bolsters-red-cross-response-450-000-donation/?670</guid><pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>'Some Other Place' to Administer Power to Care Funds in Beaumont; Entergy Program Annually Helps About 500 Elderly, Disabled With Energy Bills</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- Beaumont's elderly and disabled in need of assistance with energy bills have a new resource for help.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Some Other Place, which for 47 years has served as a place of last resort for those in need, has picked up the administrative reins of Entergy Texas, Inc.'s assistance program, The Power to Care. The program pays up to two energy bills per year for qualified elderly and/or disabled customers who may need help. Those applying for assistance in the Beaumont area previously were served by the Beaumont Chapter, American Red Cross. A recent reorganization among area Red Cross chapters led to the need for a new partner to qualify applicants and distribute funds.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/userfiles/news%20release%20photos/power_to_care.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We are very pleased to expand the partnership we already have with Some Other Place and include The Power to Care,&quot; said Paula Odom, customer service specialist for Entergy Texas. &quot;Last year alone, we pledged nearly $89,000 and helped almost 500 customers in Beaumont with their energy bills.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Some Other Place was established in 1968 and now assists some 5,000 families a year. Last year, the organization's soup kitchen served more than 106,000 meals and its day center for the homeless helped more than 3,000. The organization has a list of other programs and special projects as well.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Applications for assistance will be available from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. each Monday and Tuesday at Some Other Place, 590 Center in Beaumont.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/some-other-place-administer-power/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/some-other-place-administer-power/?661</guid><pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Time Change Spotlights Opportunity to Consider Security Lighting</title><description>&lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- With daylight saving time ending on Nov. 1, shorter days and earlier nightfall make this a good time to consider outdoor security lighting, an economical and effective crime prevention tool.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/security%20light.png&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; hspace=&quot;5&quot; /&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. can help you light up your home or business while increasing safety and security with private area lighting options that are cost-effective and hassle-free.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Properly lighting your home or business takes the cover of darkness away from lawbreakers, which is an important step in crime prevention efforts,&quot; said Pat Waters, director of sales growth and services for Entergy's lighting business.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Security lighting is the single most effective crime deterrent, according to officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It enhances natural surveillance, helps define private and public spaces, can help direct access and increases safety.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Many of our security lighting customers tell us that along with feeling safer, they appreciate the easy installation process and worry-free maintenance that comes with our service,&quot; said Kevin Bart, Entergy lighting sales representative.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You can place an order by calling 1-866-603-0192 or via a secure link at &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergy.com/securitylighting/&quot;&gt;entergy.com/securitylighting&lt;/a&gt;. An Entergy representative will contact you, and a lighting expert will help you determine the product that best suits your needs.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Security lights are available in a variety of sizes, wattages and lamp styles for home and business use. Customers are charged a set monthly fee for the lights with the cost conveniently added to existing bills.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The charges vary depending on the light's wattage. The Entergy representative will also help decide whether it's more cost effective to install the light on an existing pole or on a new pole.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In some areas installation is free of charge. No fee will be charged for regular maintenance, which includes bulb replacement. If a storm, such as a hurricane, or a tornado destroys the light and pole, they will be replaced at no cost to the customer.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/time-change-spotlights-opportunity-consider-security-lighting/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/time-change-spotlights-opportunity-consider-security-lighting/?658</guid><pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Vidor Area Customers to Benefit from Service Reliability Work</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Vidor, Texas -- Customers in an area of Vidor will soon see workers in their neighborhoods when an eight- to 10-week project to help ensure service reliability begins. Contract workers for Entergy Texas, Inc. will perform vegetation maintenance work on a power line south of Vidor along Highway 105 to FM 1135. Work should start by the end of September with completion depending on weather.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The project will target removal of brush, tree limbs and other vegetation that has grown too close to power lines. Crews will complete some of the work manually, so motorists are urged to be alert in work areas and drive cautiously.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“All of our power lines, whether in densely populated cities or along rural county roads, are on a regular maintenance schedule,” said Johnny Trahan, customer service representative for the area. “It's an example of how we invest in our system to reduce outages and help ensure a safe, reliable supply of power to our customers.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas invests about $7 million per year in its vegetation management program, trimming an average of 2,000 line miles annually.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/vidor-area-customers-benefit-from-service-reliability-work/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/vidor-area-customers-benefit-from-service-reliability-work/?648</guid><pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Grant Provided to Keep Cooling Station Open Through September; Salvation Army Provides Relief for Those in Need During Hot Weather</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- While the 100-degree days of mid-summer may be behind us, Southeast Texans know there are still plenty of uncomfortably warm temperatures ahead. To help provide relief for those without air conditioning or the homeless, Entergy Texas, Inc. has provided a $1,000 grant to the Beaumont Chapter, Salvation Army, to help it keep the doors open to its cooling station through at least the end of September and as needed after that.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/sun%20sm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The cooling station is open at the Salvation Army's facility at 2350 IH-10 East from 9 a.m. until noon and 1-4 p.m. each Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. until noon and 1-3 p.m. each Friday.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Victoria Castillo, shelter manager for the Salvation Army, oversees the cooling station and notes that they serve 15 to 25 per day. They are, she said, homeless. &quot;This is a great benefit for the people who come in out of the heat.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We regularly partner with the Salvation Army on a number of projects,&quot; explained Vernon Pierce, customer service vice president for Entergy Texas, Inc. &quot;Helping them keep the cooling station open during our blistering summers is one of those projects. In this case, the grant gives them the money to buy water and snacks for those who come in to cool off.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Staffing for the cooling station is provided by the Salvation Army.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/grant-provided-keep-cooling-station-open-through-september-salvation-army-provides-relief-those-need-during-hot-weather/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/grant-provided-keep-cooling-station-open-through-september-salvation-army-provides-relief-those-need-during-hot-weather/?634</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Wellington Place, Bevil Oaks Community Next up for Service Reliability Work</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- Two new electric service reliability projects are set to begin in the Beaumont area over the next two weeks. The first includes neighborhoods along Beaumont's busy Dowlen Road while the other will take care of rural neighborhoods off Highway 105.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Both projects will target removal of brush, tree limbs and other vegetation that has grown too close to power lines.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Contractors for Entergy Texas, Inc. will trim vegetation away from a more than 10-mile long power line that originates at the Tanglewood Substation on Wellington near Wellington Place. The line provides electricity to some 2,332 customers along Dowlen Road to Folsom east to Crow Road, then south of Collier, Dawn, Milton and Reagan streets.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The project is set to begin today, Monday, Aug. 10 and, depending on weather, is expected to be completed in early September.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Work is set to get underway Aug. 17 on a power line that originates from the Bevil Substation on Tram Road. The line is 50 miles long and serves 1,364 customers including those in the Bevil Oaks, Pinewood and Countrywood Estates. Work should be completed by early October.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In both of the projects, crews will be doing some of the work manually so motorists are urged to be alert in work areas and drive cautiously.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;All of our power lines, whether in densely populated cities or along rural county roads, are on a regular maintenance schedule,&quot; said Pam Williams, customer service representative for the area. &quot;It's an example of how we invest in our system to reduce outages and help ensure a safe, reliable supply of power to our customers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas invests about $7 million per year in its vegetation management program, trimming an average of 2,000 line miles annually.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/wellington-place-bevil-oaks-community-next-up-service-reliability-work/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/wellington-place-bevil-oaks-community-next-up-service-reliability-work/?623</guid><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Dog Days of Summer have Arrived, Along With Higher Energy Bills; Entergy Offers DIY Videos, Tips</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas – The dog days of summer are here. Southeast Texas' mid-day temperatures are hovering near the century mark and high pressure is keeping the rains at bay, meaning little relief from the baking-hot sunshine.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/Lower%20Your%20Bill.png&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;262&quot; height=&quot;117&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Those high temperatures can also mean higher than normal energy bills, particularly as we work to keep our homes air conditioned. There is, however, free help available to you from Entergy Texas, Inc. that may take a bite out of your dog days energy consumption.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Our website, &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/your_home/save_money/&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com/savemoney&lt;/a&gt;, walks our customers through their home room by room or item by item, explaining how and where energy is wasted and offers solutions to help customers make their homes more efficient,&quot; explained Mic Cowart, senior customer service manager for Entergy Texas. &quot;The site also offers links to videos, a home energy calculator or to the bill paying options we make available for our customer's convenience.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;For example, if you click on the link to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/your_home/save_money/my_home.aspx&quot;&gt;room by room explanation&lt;/a&gt; of energy saving tips, one of the items that can be explored is how energy is lost through air registers. It's estimated that about 20 percent of the air that moves through a home's duct system is lost to leaks and poorly sealed connections. But the tips don't tell you only where energy is escaping but what improvements to make to save you money.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The site also addresses appliances in the home. Did you know that about 10 percent of your electricity bill is related to television use in your home? And the home electronics you use, such as gaming systems or Blu-Ray players, will consume about 75 percent of their total usage while turned off; making it more important than ever to be aware of the steps you can take to keep your energy use as low as possible.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Other ways to manage electricity bills include:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/features/levelbill.aspx&quot;&gt;Level billing&lt;/a&gt;, which smooths out the highs and lows of your electricity bill by averaging your bill over a 12-month period.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/your_home/mypaymentoptions/&quot;&gt;Pick-A-Date&lt;/a&gt;, which allows you to choose the date your bill is due each month.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy-texas.com/your_home/mypaymentoptions/&quot;&gt; payment options page&lt;/a&gt; also describes more than a dozen other resources, such as third-party notification and even the many places and ways you can pay your bill.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/dog-days-summer-have-arrived-along-with-higher-energy-bills-entergy-offers-diy-videos-tips/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/dog-days-summer-have-arrived-along-with-higher-energy-bills-entergy-offers-diy-videos-tips/?619</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2015 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Charitable Foundation Awards Some $78,000 to SE Texas Charities</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New Grant Applications Being Accepted Until Aug. 1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- The Entergy Charitable Foundation has completed its first cycle of grant awards, giving some $78,000 in grants to Southeast Texas charitable agencies. The grants will boost education, expand environmental programs, promote more cultural activities and help create poverty solutions in communities served by Entergy Texas, Inc.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Charitable Foundation grants are offered annually by the foundation through two award cycles. In 2014, Entergy shareholders awarded more than $15 million to local nonprofits through numerous grant programs. The portion of grants coming from ECF totaled $2.6 million. Learn more in our &lt;a href=&quot;http://integratedreport.entergy.com/leadership/letter.php&quot;&gt;2014 integrated report&lt;/a&gt;. Applications and additional information for this year's second cycle of Entergy Charitable Foundation grant awards are available at &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy.com/csr/giving.aspx&quot;&gt;Our Community&lt;/a&gt;&quot; at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy.com/our_community/ECF_grant_guidelines.aspx&quot;&gt; entergy.com&lt;/a&gt;. Applications must be submitted online by Aug. 1.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Grants recently awarded include:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;Edison Plaza Museum, Beaumont&lt;/strong&gt;. $20,000 to support educational tours for schools and students who are at-risk or who live in socio-economically deprived areas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;Education for Tomorrow Alliance, Conroe&lt;/strong&gt;. $15,000 for &quot;Future Focus,&quot; a classroom-based curriculum designed to promote positive decision making among junior high school students.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;Southeast Texas Nonprofit Development Center, Beaumont&lt;/strong&gt;. $6,000 in toward developing and supporting nonprofits through training, workshops and services to help nonprofits strategically carry out their missions.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont.&lt;/strong&gt; $5,000 for the &quot;Will-Amelia Sterns Price: Mike's Road to Taos Art Exhibition,&quot; featuring paintings and drawings of one of the founders of the Beaumont Art Museum.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;Habitat for Humanity, Beaumont.&lt;/strong&gt; $5,000 to purchase a new engine for the organization's work truck. Restoration of the vehicle will allow Habitat in Jefferson County to continue its mission of providing affordable houses to residents in need.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;Lone Star Community Health Center, Conroe.&lt;/strong&gt; $5,000 for weeklong &quot;Come Home for Health&quot; to address medical, financial, housing and social needs of low income, impoverished families in Montgomery County.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;Lumberton Civic Women's League, Lumberton.&lt;/strong&gt; $5,000 for &quot;Caring Hearts,&quot; to provide anyone in an emergency situation with food, clothing, toiletries, back- to-school supplies and Christmas or birthday gifts for children.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;Sam Houston State University, Huntsville.&lt;/strong&gt; $5,000 for a program addressing hunger in Walker County among children and senior citizens.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;The Woodlands Center for Performing Arts, The Woodlands.&lt;/strong&gt; $5,000 for &quot;Musical Scores&quot; in The Woodlands, a program rewarding at-risk students in South Montgomery County and Houston for accomplishments during the school year.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;Community Partners of Montgomery County.&lt;/strong&gt; $2,500 for child safety needs in Willis, car seats, temporary bedding and child proof kits for families that cannot afford them.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;The City of Beaumont.&lt;/strong&gt; $2,000 for &quot;Every Hero has a Story&quot; summer reading club with the Beaumont Public Library System. The club will bridge the gap between the end of the school year and the new school year by offering literacy programming and incentives for children to spend the summer reading.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· &lt;strong&gt;The Community and Children's Impact Center, Shepherd.&lt;/strong&gt; $2,500 for the &quot;Hug-a-Tree/Kiss-a-Fish&quot; youth adventure. The three-day family event includes food, camping and a fishing tournament. Participants learn responsibility and leadership skills while rock climbing, swimming, kayaking, identifying insects and learning photography.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Patty Riddlebarger, director of Entergy's corporate and social responsibility program, said the company targets community investments that contribute to a more vibrant and healthy community. &quot;All stakeholders -- owners, customers, employees and communities -- benefit from these programs,&quot; she said. &quot;The funded initiatives promote a healthier, more educated and environmentally safe society.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt; -30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-charitable-foundation-awards-some-78-000-se-texas-charities/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-charitable-foundation-awards-some-78-000-se-texas-charities/?613</guid><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2015 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas Files to End Bid to Purchase Union Power Station Unit; Entergy New Orleans Positioned to Purchase the 495 MW Unit</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CONTACT:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Yolanda Pollard &lt;br /&gt; (504) 576-4132&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ypollar@entergy.com&quot;&gt;ypollar@entergy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Melanie Taylor&lt;br /&gt; (281) 362-4080 &lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mtaylo5@entergy.com&quot;&gt;mtaylo5@entergy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Paula Waters&lt;br /&gt; (504) 576-4380 &lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:pwater1@entergy.com&quot;&gt;pwater1@entergy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Acquisition on track to close by end of 2015&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;NEW ORLEANS--Together with other parties, Entergy Texas, Inc. filed a motion today with the Public Utility Commission of Texas to dismiss the company's application requesting a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity for one of the four 495 MW generating units at the Union Power Station near El Dorado, Arkansas. If the PUCT grants the parties' motion to dismiss, Entergy Texas' quest to purchase the unit would end and the unit will be acquired by Entergy New Orleans, Inc. at an unadjusted purchase price of $237.0 million, subject to the approval of the New Orleans City Council and the satisfaction of other conditions to close the transaction.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/plants/Union%20power%20sm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;228&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Our customers in New Orleans would benefit from the clean, reliable and low-cost energy provided by this facility,&quot; said Charles Rice, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans. &quot;Entergy New Orleans has a need for additional generation, and this unit is an ideal way to meet this need at a price that is approximately half the cost of building a comparable new unit.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Union Power Station is a 1,980-megawatt (summer rated) generating facility that entered commercial service in 2003 and consists of four highly efficient combined-cycle natural gas-fired generating units.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Corporation announced on Dec. 9, 2014, that three of its subsidiaries, Entergy Texas, Entergy Arkansas, Inc. and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C., had entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement to each acquire a portion of the Union Power Station. The aggregate plant purchase price is $948.0 million ($479/kW), or $237.0 million per unit, subject to adjustments. The total purchase price is approximately half the cost to build a comparable new CCGT facility. The purchase of the entire Union Power Station facility currently remains on track to be completed by the end of 2015.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We remain committed to completing this transaction and delivering to our customers the benefits these four units offer,&quot; said Theo Bunting, group president, utility operations. &quot;The acquisition of these highly efficient units at a favorable price will help us to reliably meet the resource needs of our growing region and is a significant step in the ongoing modernization of our generating fleet.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The companies have spent the past several months working to obtain the necessary approvals to complete the transaction. Both Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana are in the process of obtaining regulatory approvals for the purchase. The New Orleans City Council previously approved Entergy New Orleans' participation in the transaction through a purchase power agreement in which Entergy New Orleans would be allocated 20 percent of the two units purchased by Entergy Gulf States Louisiana. The purchase by Entergy New Orleans of one of the four units will be in lieu of the PPA.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Parties in the Entergy Texas CCN case indicated in regulatory proceedings that they oppose the transaction.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We have heard the positions of the other parties, including those representing some of our major customer groups, and do not see a viable path forward for the acquisition of this unit,&quot; said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. &quot;We are requesting that the Commission dismiss the CCN filing. We look forward to working with the PUCT and stakeholders as we continue to develop strategies to meet the generation resource needs in Texas.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $12 billion and approximately 13,000 employees.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;br /&gt; entergy.com&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://facebook.com/entergy&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/Entergy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/entergy&quot;&gt;@Entergy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Additional investor information can be accessed at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy.com/investor_relations&quot;&gt;entergy.com/investor_relations&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In this news release and from time to time, Entergy Corporation makes certain &quot;forward-looking statements&quot; within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, Entergy undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, including (a) those factors discussed elsewhere in this presentation and in Entergy's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Entergy's other reports and filings made under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; (b) uncertainties associated with rate proceedings, formula rate plans and other cost recovery mechanisms; (c) uncertainties associated with efforts to remediate the effects of major storms and recover related restoration costs; (d) nuclear plant relicensing, operating and regulatory risks, including any changes resulting from the nuclear crisis in Japan following its catastrophic earthquake and tsunami; (e) changes in decommissioning trust fund values or earnings or in the timing or cost of decommissioning VY or any of Entergy's other nuclear plant sites; (f) legislative and regulatory actions and risks and uncertainties associated with claims or litigation by or against Entergy and its subsidiaries; (g) risks and uncertainties associated with strategic transactions that Entergy or its subsidiaries may undertake, including the proposed acquisition of the Union Power Station near El Dorado, Arkansas and the proposed combination of ELL and EGSL, including the risk that any such transaction may not be completed as and when expected and the risk that the anticipated benefits of the transaction may not be realized and (h) economic conditions and conditions in commodity and capital markets during the periods covered by the forward-looking statements.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-files-end-bid-purchase-union-power-station-unit-entergy-new-orleans-positioned-purchase-495-mw-unit/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-files-end-bid-purchase-union-power-station-unit-entergy-new-orleans-positioned-purchase-495-mw-unit/?611</guid><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2015 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>"Beat the Heat" Comes Back for 15th Year</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entergy Texas Delivers Fans Destined for Low-Income Customers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- The summer heat is on and Entergy Texas, Inc. wants to help low-income customers stay cool through its annual &quot;Beat the Heat&quot; program.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entering its 15th year, &quot;Beat the Heat&quot; will provide about 1,300 fans to charitable nonprofit agencies throughout its service territory. Those agencies, in turn, will oversee distribution of the fans to qualified low-income residents in the areas they serve. Over the years, more than 17,000 fans have been given away through the program.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/sun%20sm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;The heat in Southeast Texas can be almost unbearable at times, especially for those without air conditioning at home,&quot; said Vernon Pierce, vice president, customer service for Entergy Texas. &quot;With the demand for fans growing every year, we are pleased to provide box fans again this year so our customers may remain as comfortable as possible.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In Entergy Texas' more western areas, fans will be delivered the week of July 13. Agencies that will receive fans for distribution and the number they will receive include:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Good Shepherd Mission, Huntsville and Trinity, 95.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Son Shine Center, Madisonville, 20.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;City governments, Normangee and Midway, 20.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Interfaith of The Woodlands, 55.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;City governments, Navasota, Calvert, Bremond, Kosse, Franklin, Somerville (Sam's Place), 90.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;The Mission, New Caney, 20.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Cleveland Senior Center, Cleveland, 35.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Liberty County Indigent Health Care, Liberty, 20.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Shepherd Senior Center, Shepherd, 10.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;City Hall, Corrigan, 45.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;In Entergy Texas' eastern areas, charitable agencies will assist in distributing fans in Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange, Vidor, Sour Lake, Winnie, Dayton, Silsbee and Woodville.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/beat-heat-comes-back-15th-year-606/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/beat-heat-comes-back-15th-year-606/?606</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2015 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>"Beat the Heat" Comes Back for 15th Year</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entergy Texas Delivers Fans Destined for Low-Income Customers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- The summer heat is on and Entergy Texas, Inc. wants to help low-income customers stay cool through its annual &quot;Beat the Heat&quot; program.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/iStock_000009678456_Small%20%281%29.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;266&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entering its 15th year, &quot;Beat the Heat&quot; will provide about 1,300 fans to charitable nonprofit agencies throughout its service territory. Those agencies, in turn, will oversee distribution of the fans to qualified low-income residents in the areas they serve. Over the years, more than 17,000 fans have been given away through the program.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;The heat in Southeast Texas can be almost unbearable at times, especially for those without air conditioning at home,&quot; said Vernon Pierce, vice president, customer service for Entergy Texas. &quot;With the demand for fans growing every year, we are pleased to provide box fans again this year so our customers may remain as comfortable as possible.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In Entergy Texas' more eastern areas, fans will be delivered the week of July 13. Agencies that will receive fans for distribution and the number they will receive include:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Beaumont Chapter, Salvation Army, 120.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Some Other Place, Beaumont, 40.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Rainbow Room, Beaumont, 20.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;United Christian Care Center, Vidor, 30.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Orange Chapter, Salvation Army, 120.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Port Arthur Chapter, Salvation Army, 120.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Community Care-Prayer Outreach, Nederland, 60.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Christian Caring Sharing, Sour Lake, 25.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;St. Vincent de Paul, Winnie, 60.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Dayton area, 50.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Also, a total of 75 fans will be divided among the Christian Care Center of Silsbee, Hardin County United Appeals in Kountze and Tri-County Community Action, Inc. in Woodville.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In Entergy Texas' western areas, charitable agencies will assist in distributing fans in Huntsville, Corrigan, Trinity, Conroe, The Woodlands, Navasota, Madisonville, Somerville, Calvert, New Caney, Cleveland, Liberty and Shepherd.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/beat-heat-comes-back-15th-year/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/beat-heat-comes-back-15th-year/?605</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Keep Your Cool this Summer with Entergy Texas’ Hot Weather Tips</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Contact:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Debi Derrick&lt;br /&gt;409-981-3540 (office)&lt;br /&gt;409-617-9454 (cell)&lt;br /&gt;dderric@entergy.com&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style1&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;auto-style2&quot;&gt;Don’t sweat your electric bill when temps begin to rise&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style3&quot;&gt;Beaumont, Texas – The mercury is beginning its climb up the thermometer, and you can bet it will be a good long while before it begins to retreat. Don’t let your electric bills climb with it. By taking steps to be more energy-efficient, your air conditioner will run less and that, in turn, will help keep your electricity bill down.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style3&quot;&gt;“It does take more energy to keep your home cool in the summer, but there are many ways to manage your energy use without sacrificing your comfort,” said Vernon Pierce, Entergy Texas vice president of customer service. “Several of these are very simple to do and cost little to nothing.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style3&quot;&gt;Five top ways to improve your energy-efficiency and keep your costs lower are:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style4&quot;&gt; Get your A/C inspected. Inspectors can make sure your system is leak-free and operating as efficiently as possible. Don’t forget to clean air filters; some units require monthly cleaning or replacing.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style4&quot;&gt;Set your thermostat no lower than 78 degrees. Every degree lower can raise your bill as much as 3 percent. If you spend most of your day outside of the house, set your thermostat at a higher temperature during the day while you are gone. Heating and cooling systems are the biggest electricity users in a house.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style4&quot;&gt;Use fans to cool off, but remember—fans cool people, not rooms! Ceiling fans, box fans and oscillating fans use very little electricity and circulate the air, which helps you feel several degrees cooler. Just remember to turn them off when you leave the room.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style4&quot;&gt;Close blinds, shades and curtains to keep the sun out and the cool air in. Also, close air conditioning vents in rooms that are not in use.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style4&quot;&gt;Seal cracks and holes around doors, windows and duct work. Weather stripping and caulk will help keep the cold air inside the house and the hot air outdoors.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style3&quot;&gt; Want to do even more? Check out our DIY projects, along with a host of tips at our money-saving website, &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/your_home/save_money/&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com/savemoney&lt;/a&gt;. Additionally, Entergy Texas’ &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/energy_efficiency/default.aspx?banner=TX_EE&quot;&gt; Entergy Solutions&lt;/a&gt; offers programs that can help you make your home energy efficient at little or no-cost to you.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style3&quot;&gt; Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style1&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/keep-your-cool-this-summer-entergy-texas-hot-weather-tips/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/keep-your-cool-this-summer-entergy-texas-hot-weather-tips/?598</guid><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2015 09:04:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Eye on the Gulf: Entergy Texas, Inc. Watching Storm Path</title><description>&lt;p class=&quot;auto-style1&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Debi Derrick&lt;br /&gt;409-981-3540 (office)&lt;br /&gt;409-617-9454 (cell)&lt;br /&gt;dderric@entergy.com&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style1&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southeast Texans are urged to prepare as well&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas—Entergy Texas officials have their eye on the Gulf of Mexico today as preparations are underway for the first storm of the 2015 hurricane season, a season that began just two weeks ago.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Called only Disturbance 7, the storm may become a tropical storm today. Whatever named status it achieves, it is expected to bring heavy rains to areas of Southeast Texas that remain waterlogged from May’s unprecedented rainfall amounts. The storm will also be accompanied by high winds, which can cause power outages.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; “Our employees are on alert, plus we’ve notified our contractors to be ready,” said Vernon Pierce, vice president of customer service for Entergy Texas. “We prepare for the worst and hope for the best and we are ready for whatever may happen with this first storm.” &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Tropical depressions, storms and hurricanes are something all Southeast Texans need to be concerned about and prepare for because hurricane damage is not limited to coastal areas. While storm surge mainly affects the coastline, inland areas can see flooding, tornadoes and high winds.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“All of these hazards pose threats for our company and our customers,” Pierce said. said. “Tornadoes destroy electrical infrastructure, high winds bring down trees and power &lt;br /&gt; lines, and grounds saturated by floods can lead to falling trees which can damage electrical poles.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“But we’ll be ready for any threat, because preparing for hurricane season is an ongoing process for Entergy,” he added. “Being storm-ready is the key to a safe and quick restoration.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Customers can prepare by visiting entergytexas.com and exploring resources made available. They may also follow @EntergyTX on Twitter and facebook.com/EntergyTX, and download Entergy’s free mobile app at &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergyapp.com/&quot;&gt;http://entergyapp.com/&lt;/a&gt; to access outage maps and information. In addition, storm preparedness tips, updates and information about outages and a link to the View Outages map are on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergystormcenter.com/&quot;&gt;entergy storm center&lt;/a&gt; website. &lt;br /&gt; Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style1&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/eye-gulf-entergy-texas-inc-watching-storm-path/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/eye-gulf-entergy-texas-inc-watching-storm-path/?592</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2015 01:39:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas, Inc. Prepares for Hurricane Season</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southeast Texans are urged to prepare as well&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- The month of June is traditionally known for weddings, school vacations and the official start of summer. There's much to celebrate, but there's also something to prepare for: Monday, June 1 was the official start of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/infographics/Pre-Storm%20Checklist.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;403&quot; height=&quot;403&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas is prepared for whatever may happen.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;All it takes is one storm, and when that storm is a hurricane it can cause a lot of damage no matter what category it's rated,&quot; said Vernon Pierce, vice president of customer service for Entergy Texas. &quot;NOAA's predicting a 70 percent chance of six to 11 named storms in the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Gulf of Mexico. They believe three to six could become hurricanes, and as many as two of those could be major hurricanes, which is Category 3 or higher. Preparation is simply not optional.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hurricanes are something all Southeast Texans need to be concerned about and prepare for because hurricane damage is not limited to coastal areas. While storm surge mainly affects the coastline, inland areas can see flooding, tornadoes and high winds.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;All of these hazards pose threats for our company and our customers,&quot; Pierce said. said. &quot;Tornadoes destroy electrical infrastructure, high winds bring down trees and power &lt;br /&gt; lines, and grounds saturated by floods can lead to falling trees which can damage electrical poles.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;But we'll be ready for any threat, because preparing for hurricane season is an ongoing process for Entergy,&quot; he added. &quot;Being storm-ready is the key to a safe and quick restoration.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Customers can prepare by visiting entergytexas.com and exploring resources made available. They may also follow @EntergyTX on Twitter and facebook.com/EntergyTX, and download Entergy's free mobile app at &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergyapp.com/&quot;&gt;http://entergyapp.com/&lt;/a&gt; to access outage maps and information. In addition, storm preparedness tips, updates and information about outages and a link to the View Outages map are on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergystormcenter.com/&quot;&gt;entergy storm center&lt;/a&gt; website.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-inc-prepares-hurricane-season/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-inc-prepares-hurricane-season/?583</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Confirms Lewis Creek Dam Safe and No Threat to the Public</title><description>&lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- Entergy Texas, Inc. has completed all short-term soil stabilization work at the Lewis Creek reservoir dam. Results from geotechnical experts' analysis show the dam is safe and poses no threat to the public.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/Lewis%20Creek/LewisReservoir_119.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The independent geotechnical experts retained to assess the dam also determined that appropriate measures to protect public safety and the dam are being taken. Additionally, they found that soil movement experienced in recent days has not compromised the structure's overall integrity.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We want to express our appreciation to our community and its leaders for their vigilance and cooperation,&quot; said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. &quot;We want our neighbors to rest easy knowing the dam is safe and not in danger of failure.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The company's efforts will now shift to intermediate soil stabilization work as a proactive means of preventing further soil movement. Specifically, that work will include reworking sections of the dam by using soil mixed with lime to enhance soil stability. Testing and soil analysis will continue as Entergy determines the most effective long term plan.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;The results of the soil analysis have given us a much better understanding of what has occurred,&quot; said Rainer. &quot;That combined with our ability to respond promptly to mitigate future soil movement means there should not be cause for concern if they occur.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-confirms-lewis-creek-dam-safe-no-threat-public/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-confirms-lewis-creek-dam-safe-no-threat-public/?582</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Lewis Creek Levee Remains Intact; More Preventive Measures on the Way</title><description>&lt;p&gt;THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS -- Repairs continue at the Lewis Creek levee after recent heavy rainfall resulted in soil movement in some areas earlier this week.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/Lewis%20Creek/LewisReservoir_119.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With additional heavy rainfall a possibility, Entergy Texas, Inc. stepped up placement of additional protective coverings along the levee as an extra precaution.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We want to reassure residents in the area that the additional protective coverings are in no way an indication of new problems,&quot; said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. &quot;In light of forecasts that predict continued thunderstorms over the next several days, and out of an abundance of caution, we made the decision to take this extra step to protect the area.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The company will continue to work around the clock with remediation efforts. Repair efforts will continue until all are complete.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers and 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Entergy Texas' online address is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-levee-remains-intact-more-preventive-measures-way/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-levee-remains-intact-more-preventive-measures-way/?580</guid><pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2015 02:35:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Lewis Creek Dam Intact After Storms; Repair Work Continues</title><description>&lt;p&gt;THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS -- Early this morning Entergy Texas, Inc. performed inspections of the Lewis Creek Reservoir dam with a geotechnical engineer and have confirmed that the dam remains intact. Previously installed protective covering continues to hold.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/plants/Lewis%20Creek.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;244&quot; height=&quot;168&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Following the heavy rains on May 25 and May 26, inspections revealed two additional areas of soil movement, which were not unexpected. The new areas will receive protective covering.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We continue to closely monitor the dam, the repairs and protective measures put in place the past few days are intact,&quot; said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. &quot;We have pre-positioned materials, such as covering and limestone, in order to quickly mitigate new areas of soil movement.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The company will continue to work around the clock with remediation efforts. Repair efforts will continue until all repairs are complete.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers and 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Entergy Texas' online address is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-dam-intact-after-storms-repair-work-continues-578/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-dam-intact-after-storms-repair-work-continues-578/?578</guid><pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2015 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Lewis Creek Dam Intact After Storms; Repair Work Continues</title><description>&lt;p&gt;THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS -- Early this morning, the company performed inspections of the Lewis Creek dam with a geotechnical engineer and has confirmed that the dam remains intact.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/plants/Lewis%20Creek.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;244&quot; height=&quot;168&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We performed visual inspections this morning and confirmed the repairs and protective measures put in place the past few days are intact,&quot; said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. &quot;The inspection revealed one area with slight soil movement but we are confident in the materials and equipment we have on site to make the repair.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The slight soil movement was not unexpected and will be covered with protective covering today. The company will continue to work around the clock with remediation efforts.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Today, the company notified the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the reliability coordinator for Entergy, that Lewis Creek units 1 and 2 are now available to resume normal operations.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Entergy Texas' online address is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-dam-intact-after-storms-repair-work-continues/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-dam-intact-after-storms-repair-work-continues/?577</guid><pubDate>Tue, 26 May 2015 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Lewis Creek Dam Intact After Storms Move Through the Area</title><description>&lt;p&gt;THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS -- Most of the heavy rain and thunderstorms have moved through area near the Lewis Creek reservoir.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/_MG_5129.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The company has performed an initial inspection of the dam and has confirmed that there is no breach and no visible damage. The protective coverings remain in place.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A more thorough inspection is underway. The company will provide more information as available.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Entergy Texas' online address is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-dam-intact-after-storms-move-through-area/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-dam-intact-after-storms-move-through-area/?574</guid><pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2015 23:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Reservoir Repairs Improve Dam Condition</title><description>&lt;p&gt;THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS -- As a result of the around-the-clock work on the Lewis Creek Reservoir dam, Entergy Texas President and CEO Sallie Rainer reported to Montgomery County officials today that the threat of a dam failure has substantially decreased, but has not been completely eliminated.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/Lewis%20Creek/_MG_5136.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;While we cannot completely rule out further problems with the dam, the repairs we've made have put us in a much better place today than late last week,&quot; said Rainer. &quot;We want residents to remain vigilant and prepare to act quickly, but conditions have improved daily.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas has taken a number of steps to repair and protect the dam from failure. More than 100 workers, in conjunction with Entergy personnel, installed more than 8,000 tons of limestone to help repair critical areas of the dam. In addition, protective coverings secured with almost 7,500 sandbags and almost 2,000 feet of Tiger Dams, which are water-filled, elongated flexible tubes, were put in place to protect the area from forecasted rainfall.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We are grateful that less rain fell yesterday than predicted, allowing for more repairs to be completed,&quot; said Rainer. &quot;However, we continue to keep a close eye on the weather as more heavy rain is predicted today. We have equipment and personnel on site to will respond to any issues. We will remain in close contact with emergency management officials to keep the public abreast of any changing conditions.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Lewis Creek units 1 and 2 were taken offline Saturday to allow continued reduction of the water level in the reservoir. Water levels were lowered to about two feet below normal before discontinuing the release of water.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Company officials and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, system reliability coordinator for Entergy, confirmed that taking the units off line would not result in any immediate reliability issues for Entergy Texas customers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Entergy Texas' online address is &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/reservoir-repairs-improve-dam-condition/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/reservoir-repairs-improve-dam-condition/?573</guid><pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2015 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Montgomery County Emergency Management Media Release: Mandatory Evacuations Cancelled </title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/userfiles/news%20release%20photos/Montgomery_County_logo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;496&quot; height=&quot;143&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Evacuations Cancelled&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Based on revised weather forecasts that lowered rainfall predictions, County Judge Craig Doyal, in concert with Sheriff Tommy Gage, Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador, and emergency officials, has cancelled the mandatory evacuation for neighborhoods near the Lewis Creek Reservoir.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The National Weather Service forecast predicts scattered thunderstorms throughout Sunday evening and predictions of approximately 2 inches of rainfall early Monday morning. Early this morning, approximately ¾ of an inch of rainfall occurred in the majority of Montgomery County - not the 3 inches of rainfall that was predicted.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;County officials have continued to meet with emergency officials and determined that due to updated evaluations at the Lewis Creek Dam and predictions for less rainfall then earlier predicted in the Montgomery County area, evacuations will be cancelled for residents that fell in the area of concern at this time (&lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/content/docs/Press_Release_Dam_Update.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; for map).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Montgomery County officials will continue to evaluate incoming information and monitor updates at the Lewis Creek Dam. A Red Cross shelter will remain open at the Lone Star Community Center in Montgomery. The address for this facility is 2500 Lone Star Parkway Montgomery, TX 77356.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;While we regret the inconvenience the evacuations caused for area residents, it was important that we act in a timely fashion to protect the public based on the information we had on hand,&quot; Judge Doyal said.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Now that the weather threat has diminished, we believe it is safe for residents to move back into their homes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;At this time, the dam remains intact, and there are no breaches. Workers continue to make progress to mitigate the soil slides along the levee.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The customer information center is open tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the North Montgomery County Community Center at 600 Gerald St. in Willis. Residents can speak to an Entergy representative about the situation. For general information, or assistance please call the United Way 211 call center or 713-957-4357, and choose the &quot;General Information&quot; option. Please do not call 911 unless you have an emergency.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Continue to look for updates at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mctxoem.org&quot;&gt; www.mctxoem.org&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com&quot;&gt; www.entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/montgomery-county-emergency-management-media-release-mandatory-evacuations-cancelled/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/montgomery-county-emergency-management-media-release-mandatory-evacuations-cancelled/?572</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2015 20:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Visual Inspection Reveals No Additional Areas Of Concerns, Lewis Creek Levee Holding</title><description>&lt;p&gt;THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS -- After early rains today, geotechnical engineers and officials with Entergy Texas, Inc. inspected the Lewis Creek levee and found no additional areas of concern.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With rains holding off through the morning, workers have had additional time to continue efforts to protect and repair the levee in order to prevent a breach.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/Lewis%20Creek/lewis%20creek%20equipment.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;450&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Our crews took advantage of better-than-expected weather today to make progress repairing the levee,&quot; said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. &quot;We're closely watching the weather forecast for more heavy rain tonight and will coordinate closely with local emergency management officials as we keep public safety our top priority.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Lewis Creek units 1 and 2 were taken offline last night to allow continued reduction of the water level in the reservoir. A lower level reduces pressure on the levee, which reduces the risk of it failing. Workers for the company have been on the job around the clock making repairs to impacted areas of the dam.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Project managers from Entergy Texas met Saturday with representatives of the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality and the Army Corps of Engineers to review progress made to repair the Lewis Creek reservoir levee. Both the Corps and state officials expressed satisfaction with the work that has been done thus far to stabilize and strengthen parts of the dam impacted by heavy rains earlier this week.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A Customer Information Center will be open again from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday, May 25, at the Montgomery County Community Center at 600 Gerald St. in Willis.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Entergy Texas' online address is &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/visual-inspection-reveals-no-additional-areas-of-concerns-lewis-creek-levee-holding/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/visual-inspection-reveals-no-additional-areas-of-concerns-lewis-creek-levee-holding/?571</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2015 15:30:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Lewis Creek Units Taken Offline; Dam Repair Work Continues</title><description>&lt;p&gt;THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS -- To reduce the risk of levee failure and help protect the community, Entergy Texas, Inc. officials took Lewis Creek units 1 and 2 offline last night. This will allow the continued reduction of water level in the Lewis Creek Reservoir.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/Lewis%20Creek/_MG_4965.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;This is absolutely the right decision for the protection and safety of Montgomery County residents and the long-term reliability of the plant,&quot; said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas, Inc.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Company officials and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, system reliability coordinator for Entergy, confirmed that taking the units offline will not result in any immediate reliability issues for Entergy Texas customers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Thursday, Entergy Texas notified local authorities of the potential for dam failure at the reservoir because of persistent rainfall experienced in the surrounding area causing extensive saturation of the soil that make up the reservoir dam. The company has been working around the clock to make necessary repairs to impacted areas of the dam.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Project managers from Entergy Texas met Saturday with representatives of the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality and the Army Corps of Engineers to review progress made to repair the Lewis Creek reservoir levee. Both the Corps and state officials expressed satisfaction with the work that has been done thus far to stabilize and strengthen parts of the dam impacted by heavy rains earlier this week.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy is hauling in truckloads of limestone rock to stabilize the base of the levee, after building more than 665 yards of matted road to gain access to hard-to-reach areas. Protective covering has been placed in several areas of the levee. Repair work will continue as long as weather conditions allow.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy's customer information center will again be open today at 8 a.m. at the Montgomery County Community Center at 600 Gerald St. in Willis.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We continue to work closely with the state and local emergency authorities and appreciate their support,&quot; said Rainer. &quot;We understand the abundance of caution that led to the county's decision to call for mandatory evacuation by those in their identified area of concern near the Lewis Creek reservoir.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 430,000 customers 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Entergy Texas' online address is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-units-taken-offline-dam-repair-work-continues/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-units-taken-offline-dam-repair-work-continues/?570</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Progress Made to Mitigate Soil Slides at Lewis Creek Reservoir</title><description>&lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- Workers made good progress yesterday and last night to mitigate the soil slides along the Lewis Creek Reservoir levee. Efforts continue in advance of expected heavy rains.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/Lewis%20Creek/_MG_5114.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Our focus is on protecting life and property,&quot; said Pete Norgeot, vice president, fossil generation, &quot;which we are accomplishing through our work to make repairs to the levee and lower the water level of the reservoir.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The dam remains intact and there are no breaches. The work plan for today is to continue soil stabilization efforts, installing berms and protective covering to minimize further slide movement. Also underway is the construction of a matted road for trucks to bring in limestone material needed to help mitigation efforts.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Our workers continue on schedule to shore up the levee today before the expected heavy rains start,&quot; said Norgeot.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy continues to work closely with local emergency management officials to ensure the safety of nearby residents and businesses.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Our customer information center is open until 3 p.m. today, and tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Montgomery County Community Center at 600 Gerald St. in Willis. Residents can speak to an Entergy representative about the situation. For general information, call the United Way 211 call center or 713-957-4357, and choose the &quot;General Information&quot; option.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Lewis Creek Plant continues to operate normally and we are able to meet the power supply needs of our customers. We expect no power supply issues if the plant goes offline.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 426,000 customers 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Entergy Texas' online address is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/progress-made-mitigate-soil-slides-lewis-creek-reservoir/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/progress-made-mitigate-soil-slides-lewis-creek-reservoir/?569</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2015 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Joint Press Release: Entergy Lewis Creek Reservoir Dam Update</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/news%20release%20photos/entergy%20and%20montgomery%20county%20joint%20release.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; height=&quot;115&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The dam surrounding the reservoir at the Lewis Creek Power Station near Willis continues to hold with no seepage or breaches. Workers are continuing to make repairs to areas where persistent heavy rains have caused the dam's soil to become saturated to the point of sloughing off.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/news%20release%20photos/Lewis%20Creek%20dam%20repair%20sm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;275&quot; height=&quot;183&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;According to San Jacinto River Authority, the issues concerning Entergy's dam will have no impact on the Lake Conroe Dam. Montgomery County, however, will be sending first responders to give notifications to specific neighborhoods that fall within an area of concern (&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/userfiles/news%20release%20photos/lewis_creek_map.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; for map) related to the ongoing repair work to the Entergy Lewis Creek Dam. Those neighborhoods are: Pelican Bay, Lakeside Place, Point Aquarius, Lake Conroe Hills, Walnut Cove, Lake Conroe Bay, Shadow Bay, Country Run, Enchanted Waters, and Bishop's Landing.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. officials note that a dam failure remains only a possibility. But the company has committed to take every possible step to prevent failure. Additional workers have been brought in to make repairs.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Continued rainfall is the greatest threat to completing repairs. To address the potential for rainfall this weekend and into next week, more than eight acres of protective covering is being installed to shield affected areas of the dam. Steps are also underway with the addition of berms, including one of crushed concrete and lime which, when added to the toe of the levee, will stabilize the soils and prevent further slides.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The reservoir level continues to be lowered to ease pressure on the dam and it is being monitored by geotechnical engineers who are on site around the clock.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;At this time, Entergy is reducing the water level of the lake to reduce the stress being applied to the dam. Entergy repair crews are also taking measures to prevent further dam deterioration. Emergency Management, Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS met with Entergy officials this morning to discuss planning and response efforts that may be necessary pending any further deterioration of the dam.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;We encourage all citizens of Montgomery County to sign up for Code Red Emergency Alerts in order to receive all County emergency notifications. Citizens can sign up for Code Red by visiting our website &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mctxoem.org&quot;&gt;www.mctxoem.org&lt;/a&gt; and clicking on the code red icon. Press releases and status updates can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mctxoem.org&quot;&gt;www.mctxoem.org&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com&quot;&gt;www.entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy will open a customer information center at 08:00 a.m. tomorrow at the North Montgomery Community center: 600 Gerald Street Willis 77378. A representative will be on hand to meet with customers who need further information. For general information please call The United Way 211 call center or 713-957-4357.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/joint-press-release-entergy-lewis-creek-reservoir-dam-update/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/joint-press-release-entergy-lewis-creek-reservoir-dam-update/?568</guid><pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2015 06:30:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Lewis Creek Reservoir Update</title><description>&lt;p&gt;THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Entergy Texas, Inc. notified local authorities this afternoon of the potential for dam failure at the Lewis Creek Reservoir near Conroe. The persistent rainfall experienced in the surrounding area has caused extensive saturation of the soils that make up the reservoir dam.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/plants/Lewis%20Creek.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;244&quot; height=&quot;168&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Crews are working around the clock to make necessary repairs to the dam, but efforts are being hampered by the continuing rainfall. A preventative water release to lower the reservoir level is in progress in an effort to reduce the stress being applied to the dam. Thus far, the dam has not failed, and the nearby Lewis Creek power plant is fully operational.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A number of steps are being implemented to prevent further dam deterioration, including the installation of berms to minimize further slide movement, the installation of more than eight acres of protective covering to protect areas of concern from additional rainfall, and 24/7 monitoring of the soil by geotechnical engineers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy is working closely with local emergency management officials to ensure the safety of nearby residents and businesses.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 426,000 customers 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;br /&gt; Entergy Texas' online address is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-reservoir-update/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/lewis-creek-reservoir-update/?565</guid><pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2015 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Montgomery Area Gets Service Reliability Make-Over</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Montgomery, Texas -- Contract workers for Entergy Texas, Inc. are taking their vegetation management expertise to the Montgomery area where they will spend the next three months working to help ensure service reliability.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Work is underway and, weather permitting, will continue through mid-June on a power line that originates from the Bentwater Substation at FM 1097 and Person Road. The power line is more than 61 miles long and serves 1,697 customers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The project includes an area along FM 1097 west of Person Road and along FM 149 north of Montgomery. Those who travel in the area are asked to take note of work areas and drive with caution.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;All of our power lines, whether in densely populated cities or along rural county roads, are on a regular maintenance schedule,&quot; said Victor Enmon, customer service representative for the area. &quot;It's an example of how we invest in our system to reduce outages and help ensure a safe, reliable supply of power to our customers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas invests about $7 million per year in its vegetation management program, trimming an average of 2,000 line miles annually.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/montgomery-area-gets-service-reliability-make-over/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/montgomery-area-gets-service-reliability-make-over/?558</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>MISO Membership Produces Millions in Savings to Entergy Texas Customers</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- The results are in, and Entergy Texas, Inc. customers are saving big thanks to the decision to join MISO, a regional transmission organization.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/4%20towers%20sm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;375&quot; height=&quot;500&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Customers saved an estimated $25 million during the first year of Entergy Texas' membership in MISO, formally known as the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. Entergy's utilities joined MISO on Dec. 19, 2013, after a lengthy period of regulatory review.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;MISO manages the commitment and dispatch of generation on the transmission grid, maintains reliability, plans new transmission facilities, and operates markets for the purchase and sale of electricity and related products.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The $25 million in savings were largely driven by the more efficient commitment and dispatch of power plants, resulting in access to lower cost generation through MISO's power market.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In addition, MISO has allowed Entergy Texas to reduce its required generation capacity reserves by 218 megawatts, producing additional long-term benefits and savings for its customers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Thanks to the foresight of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, we've been able to provide our customers with the wide range of benefits offered by membership in MISO, a membership from which they will benefit for years to come. Joining MISO is a great example of how we work to control customer costs and keep rates low so we can continue helping drive economic growth in Texas,&quot; said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $12 billion and approximately 13,000 employees.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/miso-membership-produces-millions-savings-entergy-texas-customers/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/miso-membership-produces-millions-savings-entergy-texas-customers/?554</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2015 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas Seeks Proposals to Satisfy Growing Power Needs </title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CONTACT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Debi Derrick&lt;br /&gt;(409) 981-3540&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dderric@entergy.com&quot;&gt;dderric@entergy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas – In a step toward ensuring long term reliable electricity in the region, Entergy Texas, Inc. on Thursday posted an announcement on its website that it intends to request proposals for capacity and energy, including proposals requiring the construction of a high-efficiency combined-cycle gas turbine generating plant in the western portion of Entergy Texas’ service area. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The RFP, which is expected to be issued in June, supports the company’s long-term plan to ensure safe, reliable and cost-effective supply of power for its 430,000 customers in Southeast Texas. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Entergy Texas must be prepared to meet the long term power needs of the region and this RFP will position us to choose the right alternatives for the region’s needs,” said Sallie Rainer, president and chief executive office of Entergy Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Once the RFP is issued, proposals are expected as early as October 2015. Any new-build generation resulting from the RFP is expected to be completed by 2021. Contracts for power from existing plants could begin as soon as 2017.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style1&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-seeks-proposals-satisfy-growing-power-needs/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-seeks-proposals-satisfy-growing-power-needs/?551</guid><pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2015 11:48:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Number of Restoration Workers Increases; Nearly 90 Percent of Customers Affected by Storm Have Power</title><description>&lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- The number of workers helping Entergy Texas, Inc. restore power in Southeast Texas continues to build today with most of the 1,300-strong workforce focused on the hardest hit areas, communities in and around Navasota, Huntsville, Conroe and Silsbee.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;/userfiles/image%20gallery/TransmissionDamage%204-27-15.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;480&quot; height=&quot;640&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;By noon today, power was restored to about 90 percent of those who were left without electricity after the thunderstorms passed through Monday morning. Areas closest to the coast, including Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange, have been restored.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We have completed damage assessment in most of the areas we serve,&quot; said Vernon Pierce, customer service vice president for Entergy Texas. &quot;Straight line winds and tree damage resulted in more than 60 poles knocked down, along with 222 spans of power line wire. Each span represents 300 feet, so the restoration crews have a lot of work to complete.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Power outages peaked at 8 a.m. Monday when some 40,065 customers were left without electricity. Although restoration times for all customers in the hardest hit areas remains set for noon Wednesday, April 29, most customers who can receive power will be restored before then.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We work very methodically to restore power,&quot; Pierce explained. &quot;We assess the damage to ensure we're working efficiently as well as safely and as quickly as possible. We focus on emergency facilities such as police and fire, and as we reach into neighborhoods, we work to restore power to as many customers at a time as we can.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Pierce added a safety precaution, reminding customers to stay away from any downed power lines and to assume that any power line they come across is live.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Customers can keep track of power outages and restoration progress at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etrviewoutage.com/external/tx.aspx&quot;&gt;View Outages&lt;/a&gt; on the Entergy Texas website. Additionally, customers who sign up for &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/your_home/my_account/Default.aspx?banner=MA_Utility&quot;&gt; myAccount&lt;/a&gt; online text messaging will receive messages from Entergy letting them know when power is out, when it's expected to be restored and when the restoration is complete.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/number-restoration-workers-increases-nearly-90-percent-customers-affected-by-storm-have-power/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/number-restoration-workers-increases-nearly-90-percent-customers-affected-by-storm-have-power/?545</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2015 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas Amasses Significant Workforce Following Strong Thunderstorms; Scouts, Line Workers, Vegetation Workers and Others Number 1000</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- With a goal of restoring power as safely and as quickly as possible, Entergy Texas, Inc. has amassed a workforce of some 1,000 workers to restore power following the severe thunderstorms that struck Southeast Texas early this morning.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Power outages peaked at 8 a.m. today when some 40,065 customers were left without electricity. By 3 p.m., the number had 22,525 customers remaining without power, most of them in the hardest hit areas: communities in and around Navasota, Huntsville, Conroe, Cleveland and Silsbee.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;All power is expected to be restored for those who can take power in Huntsville, Navasota, Conroe and Silsbee by noon Wednesday, April 29. Power in the Cleveland area is expected to be restored by 10 p.m. Tuesday, April 28. Power in the Beaumont and Orange areas, which was hit to a much lesser degree, is expected to be restored by 10 p.m. tonight.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;The storms that came through were particularly strong, including straight-line winds,&quot; said Vernon Pierce, customer service vice president for Entergy Texas. &quot;We’ve seen a lot of very serious damage with trees knocked into our facilities causing poles and power lines to come down.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Pierce added a safety precaution, reminding customers to stay away from any downed power lines and to assume that any power line they come across is live.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Customers can keep track of power outages and restoration progress at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etrviewoutage.com/external/tx.aspx&quot;&gt;View Outages&lt;/a&gt; on the Entergy Texas website. Additionally, customers who sign up for &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/your_home/my_account/Default.aspx?banner=MA_Utility&quot;&gt; myAccount&lt;/a&gt; online text messaging will receive messages from Entergy letting them know when power is out, when it’s expected to be restored and when the restoration is complete.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to 430,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-amasses-significant-workforce-following-strong-thunderstorms-scouts-line-workers-vegetation-workers-others-number-1000/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-amasses-significant-workforce-following-strong-thunderstorms-scouts-line-workers-vegetation-workers-others-number-1000/?538</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2015 18:25:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Celebrate Earth Week by Dedicating a Tree in the Sandyland Sanctuary</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Free Program Allows Entergy Customers, Employees to Honor Family, Friends&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- Mild temperatures, lots of sunshine and green things growing make April the perfect month to celebrate the great outdoors. Nature lovers are invited to &lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.entergy.com/forms/TreeDonation.aspx?FormId=354&amp;amp;RegionId=TX&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; dedicate a tree&lt;/a&gt; in the Big Thicket's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/texas/placesweprotect/roy-e-larsen-sandyland-sanctuary.xml&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary&lt;/a&gt; in honor or memory of a special someone. The free program is made possible through Entergy's longtime support of the Texas chapter of The Nature Conservancy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe src=&quot;https://player.vimeo.com/video/124868804?title=0&amp;amp;byline=0&amp;amp;portrait=0&quot; width=&quot;480&quot; height=&quot;270&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;allowfullscreen&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The dedication program celebrates the 45th anniversary of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.earthday.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Earth Day&lt;/a&gt; on April 22 as well as &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.arborday.org/celebrate/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Arbor Day&lt;/a&gt; on April 24 and recognizes a $500,000 grant from Entergy to support wetland restoration and reforestation in the four states the electric utility serves -- Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Dedications are free of charge and can be made from a computer, smartphone or tablet using the following URL: &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergytexas.com/sandyland&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com/sandyland&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Once there, provide the name of the person you wish to honor and an email address to notify the person or his or her family. A keepsake certificate can be generated from the email notification.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the process, you can learn about one of Southeast Texas' true, natural treasures. The Sandyland Sanctuary, which encompasses 5,654 acres in Hardin County, including a portion of Village Creek, is managed by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nature.org/texas&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Nature Conservancy&lt;/a&gt;, one of Entergy's environmental partners for more than a decade.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Over time Entergy has contributed more than $1.5 million to The Nature Conservancy in support of Entergy's mission to create value for all our stakeholders,&quot; explained Vernon Pierce, vice president, customer service for Entergy Texas. &quot;Our mission includes protecting natural resources vital to our communities.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Nature Conservancy Texas used the funds provided by Entergy and other community partners to support reforestation of longleaf pines in the sanctuary with 73,000 seedlings added this year. &quot;The Longleaf pine forest is a disappearing ecosystem, and we are proud of the conservation work our staff is doing. We are very appreciative for Entergy's continuing support,&quot; said Wendy Ledbetter, forest program manager for The Nature Conservancy in Texas. &quot;Funding from Entergy helps provide ongoing support so that we have the staff, equipment and supplies to perform wetland forest restoration and land management activities year-round.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/celebrate-earth-week-by-dedicating-tree-sandyland-sanctuary/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/celebrate-earth-week-by-dedicating-tree-sandyland-sanctuary/?528</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Rural North Orange Area Gets Service Reliability Make-Over</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;auto-style1&quot;&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously Work Areas&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt; Orange, Texas -- Contract workers for Entergy Texas, Inc. are taking their vegetation management expertise to the Little Cypress community north of Orange where they will spend the next month working to help ensure service reliability in the area.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt;Work is scheduled to get underway this week and, weather permitting, continue for a month on a power line that originates from the Echo Substation on FM 1130. The power line is more than 16 miles long and serves 688 customers, including residential neighborhoods, schools and businesses.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt;The project boundaries include an area west of FM 1130 from Bear Path Road south to Clark Lane. Specialized equipment, tractors, bucket trucks and manual work will be involved in the effort.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt;Those who travel in the area are asked to take note of work areas and drive with caution.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt;&quot;All of our power lines, whether in densely populated cities or along rural county roads, are on a regular maintenance schedule,&quot; said Johnny Trahan, customer service representative for the area. &quot;It’s an example of how we invest in our system to reduce outages and help ensure a safe, reliable supply of power to our customers.&quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt;Entergy Texas invests about $7 million per year in its vegetation management program, trimming an average of 2,000 line miles annually.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;auto-style2&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt; -30-&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 125%;&quot;&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/rural-north-orange-area-gets-service-reliability-make-over/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/rural-north-orange-area-gets-service-reliability-make-over/?526</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Port Arthur Area Service Reliability Work Moves to New Areas </title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously in Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Port Arthur, Texas -- Contract workers for Entergy Texas, Inc. have already completed one project in Port Arthur and are moving on to three others in new neighborhoods.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Two projects currently underway involve clearing vegetation from a power line that originates from the Westside Substation on Thomas Boulevard and the Crowder Substation near Herring Avenue in Port Neches. A third project, set to begin April 15, will do the same on a power line originating from the Ft. Worth Substation on Ft. Worth Avenue in Port Arthur.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The power line out of the Westside Substation is six miles long and serves 377 customers in an area northeast of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive between Thomas Boulevard, Grannis Avenue and Proctor Street. Work is expected to last four weeks, depending on weather.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The power line out of the Crowder Substation is more than 16 miles long and provides electricity to 1,573 customers. It serves an area northeast of Twin City Highway between Magnolia Avenue and Avenue H in Nederland. Work on that line is expected to last about six weeks.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The project set to start later this month on a power line out of the Ft. Worth Substation will clear a line more than 18 miles long that serves 1,283 customers in the 19th Street, Thomas Boulevard and Houston Avenue areas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Drivers are urged to pay attention to work crews in these areas and to drive with caution. &quot;It's common for us to have crews in an area and move them from line to line in the general vicinity when we do our regular maintenance work,&quot; said Ron Fletcher, customer service representative for the area. &quot;It's important for us to be as efficient as possible in order to keep up with our maintenance work in a way that provides the most benefit to our customers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas invests about $7 million per year in its vegetation management program, trimming an average of 2,000 line miles annually.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/port-arthur-area-service-reliability-work-moves-new-areas/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/port-arthur-area-service-reliability-work-moves-new-areas/?523</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Navasota Area Gets Service Reliability Make-Over</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Navasota, Texas -- Contract workers for Entergy Texas, Inc. are taking their vegetation management expertise to Navasota where they will spend the next two months working to help ensure service reliability in the area.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Work is scheduled to get underway this week and, weather permitting, continue through May on a power line that originates at the Navasota Substation on Louise Street. The power line is 51 miles long and serves 854 customers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The project boundaries include an area on the south side of Navasota in the Navasota Industrial Park, continuing south along FM1227 to the Pack 1 State Prison. The power line also serves customers west of Navasota along Highway 105 to the community of Old Washington. Specialized equipment, tractors, bucket trucks and mowing crews will be involved in the effort.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Those who travel in the area are asked to take note of work areas and drive with caution.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;All of our power lines, whether in densely populated cities or along rural county roads, are on a regular maintenance schedule,&quot; said Ronnie Hale, customer service representative for the area. &quot;It's an example of how we invest in our system to reduce outages and help ensure a safe, reliable supply of power to our customers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas invests about $7 million per year in its vegetation management program, trimming an average of 2,000 line miles annually.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/navasota-area-gets-service-reliability-make-over/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/navasota-area-gets-service-reliability-make-over/?524</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>College Street Targeted in Ongoing Service Reliability Projects </title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- One of Beaumont's busiest streets is the latest target in Entergy Texas, Inc.'s ongoing efforts to keep service reliable by managing vegetation in and around power lines.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The third and most recent project of 2015 is set to begin this week when contractors will begin trimming back vegetation form a 16-mile long power line that originates from the Lindbergh Substation on Lindbergh Drive.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The line serves nearly 1,700 customers in a business and residential area along College west to Major Drive, north on Langham to Calder Avenue and Phelan Boulevard and also provides electricity to homes between Parsons and Belvedere streets south of a major drainage ditch. Work is expected to take about two months to complete.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Although most of the work will be done by workers in bucket trucks, some 35 percent of it will be manual, making it very important for drivers to be aware and take caution when approaching targeted areas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;All of our power lines, whether in densely populated cities or along rural county roads, are on a regular maintenance schedule,&quot; said Pam Williams, customer service representative for the area. &quot;It's an example of how we invest in our system to reduce outages and help ensure a safe, reliable supply of power to our customers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas invests about $7 million per year in its vegetation management program, trimming an average of 2,000 line miles annually.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/college-street-targeted-ongoing-service-reliability-projects/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/college-street-targeted-ongoing-service-reliability-projects/?517</guid><pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Earns EEI 2014 Emergency Recovery Award; 22nd Award Continues 17-year Record</title><description>&lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- Entergy today received the Edison Electric Institute's Emergency Recovery Award to recognize the company's exceptional power restoration efforts during five different storm events over the course of the past year.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This is the 17th consecutive year EEI has awarded Entergy with a national storm restoration award. Including this year's honor, Entergy has received 22 awards from EEI for its restoration and mutual-assistance work.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Our streak is alive,&quot; said Greg Grillo, system storm incident commander for Entergy. &quot;We remain the only company to have won either the Recovery or the Assistance Award, or both, in every year since the awards began in 1998.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;This year's award demonstrates that the talents and restoration abilities of our employees continue to earn national recognition, and the appreciation of our customers whose power we restore following storms,&quot; said Grillo.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy earned the Emergency Recovery Award for its efforts to restore power to customers last year following storms that stretched from February through mid-October. Rather than experiencing a major storm, the company maintained a heavy cycle of storm preparation, response and recovery to storm events due to &quot;much colder temperatures&quot; in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Each storm caused more than 71,000 customer outages, with the storm of last October causing more than 88,000.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The award is presented annually to EEI member companies to recognize their extraordinary efforts to restore power to customers after service disruptions caused by severe weather conditions or natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI's Spring CEO and Board of Directors meeting in Washington, D.C.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;Entergy's exemplary efforts to restore service demonstrate the industry's commitment to serving its customers,&quot; said EEI President Tom Kuhn. &quot;We commend the crews who braved dangerous conditions caused by the extreme weather, as they diligently worked to safely and quickly restore service.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Its members provide electricity for 220 million Americans, operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and directly employ more than 500,000 workers. EEI has 70 international electric companies as Affiliate Members, and 250 industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $12 billion and approximately 13,000 employees.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;center&gt; &lt;p&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy's online address is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy.com&quot;&gt;entergy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/center&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-earns-eei-2014-emergency-recovery-award-22nd-award-continues-17-year-record-514/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-earns-eei-2014-emergency-recovery-award-22nd-award-continues-17-year-record-514/?514</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Ten-Hut! Utility Poles Inspected as Part of Reliability Work</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From low-tech to high-tech, Entergy Texas does what it takes' to ensure and improve service reliability&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- Since early this year, contractors have been in cities and rural communities throughout Southeast Texas conducting reliability inspections of more than 30,000 utility poles spread throughout the Entergy Texas, Inc. service area. The initiative is only one of many such projects the utility will tackle this year in an effort to maintain and improve the reliability of the company's electrical service.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;In maintaining and improving the integrity of our electrical infrastructure, we have dozens of tools we use, including everything from high-tech infrared sensors to visual inspections of poles,&quot; said Vernon Pierce, Entergy Texas vice president of customer service. &quot;Our customers count on us to deliver safe, reliable and affordable electricity to their homes, schools and businesses, so we invest in tools and technology to reduce outages.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Osmose Utilities Services, Inc., a specialist in its field, was selected to perform the routine preventative maintenance work. Each year, a portion of the company's half-million poles are selected to undergo a rigorous scrutiny to ensure their condition.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The poles are visually inspected for defects, then sounded to find any internal voids or hollow cavities. This means the inspectors need access to every pole, whether on a main easily-accessible roadway or in a narrow alley behind a home or business.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Some poles may be treated with a preservative at the base of the pole to prevent deterioration. Others identified as needing maintenance will be reported to Entergy Texas for corrective action.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Twitter: @EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Facebook: Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/ten-hut-utility-poles-inspected-as-part-reliability-work/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/ten-hut-utility-poles-inspected-as-part-reliability-work/?511</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Work Begins to Keep Power Reliable in the Tamina Community</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously in Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas -- A 38-mile power line that originates in the heart of The Woodlands is about to get a service reliability makeover. Contract crews are set to begin work on removing vegetation and trim trees near the line to help keep the lights on for the 3,516 customers it serves in the Tamina Community portion of The Woodlands.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The power line originates from the Oak Ridge Substation off Main Street and includes an area north of the substation and east on State Highway 242 from Interstate 45 to Needham Road.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Drivers are urged to be alert for workers and to drive cautiously in those areas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;All of our power lines, whether in densely populated cities or along rural county roads, are on a regular maintenance schedule,&quot; said Doug McCormick, customer service representative for the area. &quot;It's an example of how we invest in our system to reduce outages and help ensure a safe, reliable supply of power to our customers,&quot; said Doug McCormick, customer service representative for the area.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas invests about $7 million per year in its vegetation management program, trimming an average of 2,000 line miles annually.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;While crews will be in highly-visible bucket trucks, customers can expect to see specialized equipment in the area, plus crews working manually to remove vegetation. Drivers are urged to be alert for the workers and use caution when nearing work areas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;center&gt; &lt;p&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/center&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/work-begins-keep-power-reliable-tamina-community/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/work-begins-keep-power-reliable-tamina-community/?508</guid><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Newest Dayton Service Project to Include FM 563 Right-of-Way</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously in Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Dayton, Texas -- Dayton area residents will benefit from yet another service reliability project when contract crews begin work to remove vegetation from a power line that includes the FM 563 right-of-way.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The 55-mile power line originates at the Magnolia Ames Substation located on FM 563 just north of Moss Bluff Road. It serves more than 700 customers in an area bounded by the Trinity River on the west, FM 770 on the east, the Chambers-Liberty counties line on the south and the Liberty city limits on the north. Work is set to begin around March 18, weather permitting, and will be complete by the end of June.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We especially want those driving in the area to be aware of this project,&quot; said Ron Fletcher, Entergy's customer service representative for the area. &quot;Our concerns are for the crews because they will be working along the highway in the right-of way.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Fletcher added that work in and around Dayton &quot;is an example of how we invest in our system to reduce outages and help ensure a safe, reliable supply of power to our customers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas invests about $7 million per year in its vegetation management program, trimming an average of 2,000 line miles annually.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Another project still underway in Dayton, trimming on a line served by the Dayton Substation on Highway 146 South, began earlier this year and is about 50 percent complete. Crews are expected to finish in April.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;center&gt; &lt;p&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/center&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/newest-dayton-service-project-include-fm-563-right-way/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/newest-dayton-service-project-include-fm-563-right-way/?509</guid><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Good News for Entergy Texas Customers: Lower Fuel Costs Mean Lower Bills</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fixed Charge Drops; Average Bill Declines by Almost $8 per Month&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas – Lower costs for the fuel Entergy Texas, Inc. uses to make electricity will translate into lower bills for customers this spring and summer.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Customers will see about a 7 percent lower residential bill than they paid last month. The average 1000 kilowatt-hour residential bill is expected to be $107.52 compared to the average February bill of $115.49. The savings to customers is tied to a fixed charge for fuel that changes twice a year.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Cheaper fuel isn’t just good news at the gas pump,” said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO for Entergy Texas, Inc. “When the fixed fuel factor appearing on customer bills was reset for March, it reflected the decline in what we pay for the fuel we use to make electricity. That means we can pass that savings on to our customers for the next six months.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Electric utilities in Texas, including Entergy Texas are regulated by the Public Utility Commission (PUCT). Monthly bills are largely made up of base charges plus fuel charges and the fuel portion is strictly passed through to customers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The PUCT rules require the fixed fuel charge on customer’s bills to be changed bi-annually each September and March. Beginning this month the average fuel charge will be $28.23 down from $36.20. This amount will remain the same until September 2015.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;center&gt; &lt;p&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/center&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/good-news-entergy-texas-customers-lower-fuel-costs-mean-lower-bills/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/good-news-entergy-texas-customers-lower-fuel-costs-mean-lower-bills/?506</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Another Service Reliability Project Added to Winnie List</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously in Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Winnie, Texas – The number of projects to clear vegetation away from power lines and help ensure reliable electric service in the Winnie area is growing, with yet another added to the list. Contract crews working for Entergy Texas, Inc. have already either completed or are working on power lines served by the Bayshore Substation off Highway 563.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Now, however, they are scheduled to begin work the week of March 8 on an 85 mile-long power line that originates from the Hankamer Substation on the Interstate 10 service road just west of Indian Trails subdivision. The power line serves 709 customers east and north of the substation along Highway 61 and also east on FM 1663 and FM 1410. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The project is expected to take 10 weeks to complete, depending on the weather.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As always, customers are urged to be aware and take caution while driving because personnel will be working along and near roadways&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“All of our power lines are on set schedules to remove vegetation that’s grown into or too close to the lines and also to check for any danger trees that could fall into the lines,” said Ron Fletcher, customer service representative. “Right now, we are working hard in the Winnie area, moving crews from one location to the next as jobs are completed.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The latest job will require the use of a mechanical tree saw, aerial lift trucks and also manual work.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Twitter: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/another-service-reliability-project-added-winnie-list/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/another-service-reliability-project-added-winnie-list/?500</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2015 09:51:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Third Service Reliability Project Set for Conroe Customers </title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously in Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conroe, Texas – Contract crews working for Entergy Texas, Inc. are keeping their focus on Conroe with two 2015 projects down and a third underway.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Crews began work last week on a power line originating from the Lacon Substation on Longstreet Road. The nearly 35 mile-long power line serves 913 customers in an area north of Longstreet Road from Highway 75 to Shepard Hill Road.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Workers will be close to roadways during the two-month project, so customers are urged to be alert drive cautiously in those areas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;While crews will be in highly-visible bucket trucks, customers can expect to see specialized equipment in the area, plus crews working manually to remove vegetation.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas invests about $7 million per year in its vegetation management program, trimming an average of 2,000 line miles annually.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;center&gt; &lt;p&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt; entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt; @EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt; Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/center&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/third-service-reliability-project-set-conroe-customers/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/third-service-reliability-project-set-conroe-customers/?501</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Huntsville Becomes Latest Area for Service Reliability Project</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously in Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Huntsville, Texas -- Contract crews working for Entergy Texas, Inc. are on the move, trimming vegetation, limbs and brush away from power lines in Huntsville.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Contract crews have two power lines to clear, both of which originate at the WYNTEX Substation on FM 2821. Work is already underway on one 16-mile-long power line that serves 860 customers, most of whom are in an area north of Cross Timbers Drive and west of Highway 75. This project is expected to take about six weeks to complete.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Work is scheduled to begin on the other power line the week of March 16. That line is about six miles long and serves 594 customers in an area along University Avenue from FM 2821 to 11th Street. Work is expected to be complete within three weeks of the start date depending on weather.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As always, customers are urged to be aware and take caution while driving because personnel will be working along and near roadways.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We've just started working in the Huntsville area,&quot; said Ronnie Hale, customer service representative. &quot;All of our power lines are on a regular schedule for maintenance to ensure that vegetation is trimmed away. It's all about working to make sure our customers have a safe, reliable supply of power.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Crews will be using bucket trucks and also conducting work by hand.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation?s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/huntsville-becomes-latest-area-service-reliability-project/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/huntsville-becomes-latest-area-service-reliability-project/?497</guid><pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2015 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Friends Helping Friends to Administer Power to Care Funds in Orange County</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Entergy Program Annually Helps 200-Plus Orange Countians With Energy Bills&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas -- Orange County's elderly and disabled in need of assistance with energy bills have a new friend who can help.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Friends Helping Friends, a nonprofit organization that has helped Orange County residents for nearly 30 years, has picked up the administrative reins of Entergy Texas, Inc.'s equally long-running program, The Power to Care. The Power to Care will pay two energy bills per year for qualified elderly and/or disabled customers who may need help. Those applying for assistance have bene going to the Orange County Chapter, American Red Cross. A recent reorganization, however, led to the need for a new partner to qualify applicants and distribute funds to those in need in Orange County.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;We are delighted to partner with Friends Helping Friends to make sure the funds we provide remain available to our Orange County customers,&quot; said Paula Odom, customer service specialist for Entergy Texas. &quot;Over the last three years, The Power to Care has distributed almost $103,000 in energy bill assistance in Orange County. We average about 227 clients a year.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Friends Helping Friends began in 1986 as a one-month project to supply school clothing to neighborhood children. The organization now owns a permanent facility at 2112 N. 35&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; St. in Orange, is a United Way agency and provides a broad range of assistance, including teaching simple job skills to clients.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Applications for assistance will be available at Friends Helping Friends three days a week. The times and days include 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday and from 9 a.m. until noon each Wednesday.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Betty Horsley, treasurer for the organization, said, &quot;We feel The Power to Care program complements our own programs, allowing us to easily help those unable to work.&quot;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://email.entergy.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=juhU0clkCEGJpxGv61dJ3mYnjhuaKNIIHLFey87p7KTwaSQXPy4wdVhzkZw0fhg8WajrEGKFCMU.&amp;amp;URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.entergytexas.com%2f&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://email.entergy.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=juhU0clkCEGJpxGv61dJ3mYnjhuaKNIIHLFey87p7KTwaSQXPy4wdVhzkZw0fhg8WajrEGKFCMU.&amp;amp;URL=https%3a%2f%2ftwitter.com%2fEntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://email.entergy.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=juhU0clkCEGJpxGv61dJ3mYnjhuaKNIIHLFey87p7KTwaSQXPy4wdVhzkZw0fhg8WajrEGKFCMU.&amp;amp;URL=https%3a%2f%2fwww.facebook.com%2fEntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/friends-helping-friends-administer-power-care-funds-orange-county/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/friends-helping-friends-administer-power-care-funds-orange-county/?494</guid><pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2015 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas VP Earns Recognition from LATINA Style Inc.</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Deanna Rodriguez, vice president, regulatory and public affairs, Entergy Texas, Inc., was recognized for her excellence in leadership at the 12th Annual LATINA Style Awards Ceremony &amp;amp; Diversity Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. Feb. 5.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This year, the event recognized 11 Latina executives for their leadership, commitment to the community, and business acumen. Each has been selected by their peers as true leaders and examples for the Hispanic community.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rodriguez was nominated for the honor by Sallie Rainer, president and chief executive officer of Entergy Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/userfiles/news%20release%20photos/deanna.png&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;460&quot; height=&quot;322&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“We are fortunate to have Deanna as a member of the Entergy Texas leadership team,” Rainer said. “I can personally attest to her tremendous contributions to Entergy as well as the impact she makes in the community which are excellent examples of what true leadership is all about.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rodriguez is an 18-year veteran at Entergy, having worked at both corporate and state roles. She has served as Entergy Texas’ vice president of regulatory and public affairs since 2012, a role in which she is responsible for building and enhancing relationships with government officials throughout the state. She is also responsible for all regulatory and governmental affairs involving the Public Utility Commission of Texas and state government.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rodriguez came to the role from a post as vice president of regulatory affairs for Entergy New Orleans, Inc. She has also served as director of external affairs for Entergy Corp., Positions held outside of Entergy include associate vice chancellor of community relations for the University of Texas System and minority affairs liaison for the State Bar of Texas. Currently, her community and board service includes the Texas Association of Women in Energy, The Austin Area Research Organization and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Advisory Council.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin where she also earned her bachelor’s degree.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-30-&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: @Entergytx&lt;br /&gt;Facebook: Facebook.com/Entergytx&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-vp-earns-recognition-from-latina-style-inc-deanna-rodriguez-honored-leadership-business/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-vp-earns-recognition-from-latina-style-inc-deanna-rodriguez-honored-leadership-business/?452</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2015 10:00:53 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>January’s Cold Weather May Show up on February Electricity Bills</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Contact: &lt;br /&gt;Debi Derrick&lt;br /&gt;Entergy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dderric@entergy.com&quot;&gt;dderric@entergy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas – Much of Southeast Texas shivered through daytime temperatures averaging only 48 degrees in January, keeping furnaces and heaters fired up through the month. While that helps us endure the cold in relative comfort, it can mean higher electricity bills down the road.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“When the thermostat is turned up, energy use increases and bills rise, too,” said Vernon Pierce, Entergy Texas vice president of customer service. “A lot of variables go into an electric bill. This includes the home’s energy efficiency, the type of furnace or heater it has and also how the people living there use energy. The one best piece of advice we can give is to keep your thermostat set on 68 degrees. Each degree warmer will increase your bill by about three percent.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Those interested in bill payment options available to Entergy Texas customers can find information on the company’s website here. To learn how to minimize the impact of paying a higher bill or to learn about the charges on your bill, visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://enter.gy/winter2015&quot;&gt;http://enter.gy/winter2015&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Other ways to stay comfortable and save energy when temperatures drop include:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conserve hot water. Heating water for cooking, cleaning, laundry and bathing is the second-largest energy user in homes. Insulating blankets for electric water heaters are inexpensive and readily available at home improvement stores. Also, set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees or medium.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Seal air leaks and duct work. In the South, leaky ducts waste more energy than any other single item. To stop the loss, duct work should be made airtight everywhere ducts attach to vents, each other and the heating/cooling unit. Use mastic as the preferred choice to seal these locations or foil tape. Some do-it-yourselfers can handle this job. Others may want to hire a professional.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Think long term. Making your home more energy efficient is a good move for lowering bills all year round. Start with Entergy Texas’ Entergy Solutions program. A wealth of information, tips and even DIY videos are available to help homeowners improve their home’s energy efficiency.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas provides electric service to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly approximately 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: @EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;Facebook: Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/januarycold-weather-may-show-up-february-electricity-bills/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/januarycold-weather-may-show-up-february-electricity-bills/?438</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2015 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Third Project Begins to Keep Power Reliable for Conroe Customers</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Contact: &lt;br /&gt;Victor Enmon&lt;br /&gt;Entergy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jenmon@entergy.com&quot;&gt;jenmon@entergy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(936) 525-2074&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conroe, Texas – With two major vegetation management projects already on the books for Conroe this year, a third is about to begin in the South Frazier and Gladstell Road areas. As always, customers are urged to be alert for workers and to drive cautiously in those areas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The latest project is scheduled to begin Feb. 9 and, weather permitting, will be completed in about a month. The power line scheduled for maintenance originates at the Conroe Bulk Substation at South Frazier and Foster Drive. The 8.5-mile-long line serves 2,113 customers in the area.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“It’s all about reliability,” said Victor Enmon, customer service representative for the area. “Trees can grow into and fall into lines, brush and vines can also cause problems that may result in outages. Keeping our lines on a regular schedule of maintenance is an important part of the preventative measures we take.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;While crews will be in highly-visible bucket trucks, customers can expect to see specialized equipment in the area, plus crews working manually to remove vegetation.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: @EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;Facebook: Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/third-project-begins-keep-power-reliable-conroe-customers/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/third-project-begins-keep-power-reliable-conroe-customers/?439</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2015 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>2nd Service Reliability Project Gets Underway for Beaumont Customers</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Contact: &lt;br /&gt;Pam Williams&lt;br /&gt;Entergy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:pwillia@entergy.com&quot;&gt;pwillia@entergy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(409) 785-2326&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas – A new vegetation management project will begin in South Beaumont even as workers are on the other side of town trimming vegetation away from power lines in the Major and Phelan drives area.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The new project is set to start the week of Feb. 9 and will involve a 26-mile-long power line originating from the Neches Substation on Gulf States Road. The line serves 1,071 customers in an area bounded by Avenue A to the west, Buford Street and the Port of Beaumont on the north and near Lamar University to the south.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Work is expected to take about a month to complete, depending on weather, and will include the use of aerial bucket trucks as well as manual trimming. Those driving in the area are urged to be alert for workers and to use caution.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“It’s all about reliability,” said Pam Williams, customer service representative for the area. “Trees can grow into and fall into lines, brush and vines can also cause problems that may result in outages. Keeping our lines on a regular schedule of maintenance is an important part of the preventative measures we take.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: @EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;Facebook: Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/2nd-service-reliability-project-gets-underway-beaumont-customers/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/2nd-service-reliability-project-gets-underway-beaumont-customers/?440</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2015 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas Warns Business Customers: Be Wary of Scam Artists</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Contact: &lt;br /&gt;Debi Derrick&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dderric@entergy.com&quot;&gt;dderric@entergy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Beaumont, Texas – Scammers targeting Entergy Texas, Inc. customers appear to have shifted tactics, going after business customers in addition to residential.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The scheme, however, remains the same. The con artist calls and tells the business owner or manager their electric bill payment is past due, and that service will be disconnected within the hour if payment isn’t made. The scammer then directs the customer to transfer funds electronically, sometimes through a system known as “MoneyPak” or “Green Dot.” Often the customer is a restaurant owner or other small business owner.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;How can you protect yourself and keep from falling victim to this scam?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· While the company does place courtesy calls if you are at risk for disconnection, these are recorded calls, and are not calls from live customer service representatives. Entergy NEVER demands immediate payment.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· While you may pay your Entergy bill by phone or credit card, it is ONLY through BillMatrix, a third-party vendor we use for this purpose.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· You should never give your personal information to strangers. If a call sounds suspicious, call 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) to speak with an Entergy customer service representative.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Also, you can manage your Entergy account and review account alert options to stay better informed by downloading the free Entergy smart phone app or visiting entergy.com to register for myAccount.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You should only use authorized methods and legitimate banking information to pay your Entergy bill. We offer several convenient ways:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· Pay online – For no additional charge, you may securely log in to myAccount at entergy.com to conveniently pay your bill online.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· Pay by phone – You may pay your bill by credit card, debit card or electronic check by calling Entergy’s pay-by-phone provider, BillMatrix, at 1-800-584-1241. BillMatrix charges a $2.95 service fee.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· Walk-in payment centers – Want to pay in person? You may pay your bill by cash, check or money order at an authorized Quick Payment Center in your community. A convenience fee may apply.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· Bank draft – You can avoid late fees by having your Entergy payment automatically deducted from your checking account each month. Entergy will mail a monthly billing statement to you for your records, showing the bill amount and bank draft date.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;· Pay by mail – You can send a check by U.S. Mail to the remittance address shown on your bill.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;If you believe you are a victim of this scam, you should notify the proper authorities, such as the local police or the state attorney general’s office. If you believe your Entergy account has been affected, call 1-800-ENTERGY (1‑800‑368‑3749) to speak with an Entergy customer service representative.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: @EntergyTX&lt;br /&gt;Facebook: Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-warns-business-customers-be-wary-scam-artists/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-warns-business-customers-be-wary-scam-artists/?443</guid><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2015 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>New Year Brings New Projects to Keep Power Reliable for Port Arthur Customers</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motorists Urged to Drive Cautiously in Work Areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Port Arthur, Texas –The new year may be only three weeks old, but workers for Entergy Texas, Inc. have already started this year’s vegetation management work to help keep the lights on in Southeast Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A project to clear lines in the Port Arthur area began last week with customers urged to be alert for workers and to drive cautiously in those areas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Contract crews began work on a 14.4-mile-long power line that serves 1,203 customers from the Kolbs Substation on 39th St. The power line serves an area south and east of the Highway 73 and Memorial Boulevard intersection in Port Arthur with the main trunk of the line running along Ninth Avenue.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“All of our power lines, whether in densely populated cities or along rural county roads, are on a regular maintenance schedule to help ensure a safe, reliable supply of power to our customers,” said Ron Fletcher, customer service representative for the area.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;While crews will be in highly-visible bucket trucks, customers can expect to see specialized equipment in the area, plus crews working manually to remove vegetation.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;center&gt; &lt;p&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/center&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/new-year-brings-new-projects-keep-power-reliable-port-arthur-customers/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/new-year-brings-new-projects-keep-power-reliable-port-arthur-customers/?361</guid><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2015 10:19:15 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Free Tax Prep Sponsored by Entergy Texas During Super Tax Days</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IRS-Certified Volunteers help residents claim Earned Income Tax Credit&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beaumont, Texas – Entergy Texas, Inc. has partnered with the Montgomery County United Way, Lamar University and Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas to help working families who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. Entergy has designated two Super Tax Day events next week at local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites. Families who qualify for the EITC credit receive average refunds of $2,500 or more.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;On Friday, Jan. 30 in Willis and Saturday, Jan. 31 in Beaumont, volunteers certified by the Internal Revenue Service will be on hand for Super Tax Day assistance. In Willis, volunteers will be available from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the North Montgomery County Community Center, 600 Gerald St.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In Beaumont, volunteers will be available Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Gloria Ramirez Community Resource Center, 2850 Gulf Street (on the old Fairgrounds).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Additionally, throughout tax season at &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergy.com/eitc&quot;&gt; local VITA sites&lt;/a&gt;, certified volunteers will be available at other sites to help residents determine if they qualify for EITC and provide free tax preparation. The program benefits families or individuals earning $52,400 or less in 2014. For a list of VITA sites, visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergy.com/eitc&quot;&gt;entergy.com/eitc&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;While 3.5 million Texas residents annually qualify for EITC, each year as many as 816,284 don’t claim credits valued to be as high as $2.1 million. Based on income and the number of children in the household, qualifying working families can receive as much as $6,000.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy’s support to Super Tax Days in the four states the utility serves – Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas – has resulted in approximately 58,000 customers receiving $100 million through the EITC program since 2009. Entergy’s Super Tax Day initiative has been recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation as the nation’s best economic empowerment program.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“Through our Super Tax Day initiative, we are supporting Entergy’s commitment to poverty solutions, which in turn helps grow our local economies,” said Chance Sampson, Entergy Texas public affairs director. “Families use the tax credits they’ve earned to meet immediate needs like utility bills and groceries as well as make long-term investments such as education tuition or a down payment on a home.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Residents can also file using the website MyFreeTaxes.com. Learn more about Entergy’s support to Super Tax Days at &lt;a href=&quot;http://entergy.com/eitc&quot;&gt;entergy.com/eitc.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;center&gt; &lt;p&gt;-30-&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/center&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/free-tax-prep-sponsored-by-entergy-texas-during-super-tax-days/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/free-tax-prep-sponsored-by-entergy-texas-during-super-tax-days/?363</guid><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2015 04:47:42 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Entergy Texas Agrees to Buy Portion of Union Power Station</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clean and Efficient Modern Unit to help meet Future Load Growth&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Woodlands, Texas – In a move that will help meet the energy needs of southeast Texas while keeping costs to customers down, Entergy Texas, Inc. today announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase a portion of the Union Power Station near El Dorado, Arkansas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We are focused on providing clean, reliable, low cost service to our customers while supporting growth in the communities we serve,” said Sallie Rainer, Entergy Texas president and chief executive officer. “The acquisition of this highly efficient unit will help us modernize our generation fleet and meet increased demand in the region.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Union Power Station, a 1,980-megawatt (summer rated) generating facility, entered commercial service in 2003 and consists of four highly efficient combined-cycle natural gas-fired generating units, or CCGTs, each rated at 495 MW. Under the Asset Purchase Agreement, Entergy Texas and Entergy Arkansas, Inc. have each agreed to acquire one unit, and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C. has agreed to acquire two units.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The plant purchase price is approximately $948.0 million ($479/kW), or $237.0 million per unit, subject to adjustments. The purchase price is approximately half the cost to build a comparable new CCGT facility.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The purchase is contingent upon, among other things, obtaining necessary approvals, including acceptable cost recovery, from the various federal and state regulatory authorities and the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust law. The targeted closing date is late 2015.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electricity to more than 426,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;center&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergytexas.com/&quot;&gt;entergytexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;@EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/EntergyTX&quot;&gt;Facebook.com/EntergyTX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Additional investor information can be accessed at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entergy.com/investor_relations&quot;&gt;www.entergy.com/investor_relations&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/center&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In this news release, and from time to time, Entergy Texas makes certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, Entergy Texas undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There are factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including (a) those factors discussed in this news release and in Entergy Texas’ most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Entergy Texas’ other reports and filings made under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; (b) uncertainties associated with rate proceedings, formula rate plans and other cost recovery mechanisms; (c) uncertainties associated with efforts to remediate the effects of major storms and recover related restoration costs; (d) nuclear plant relicensing, operating and regulatory risks, including any changes resulting from the nuclear crisis in Japan following its catastrophic earthquake and tsunami; (e) changes in decommissioning trust fund values or earnings or in the timing or cost of decommissioning Vermont Yankee or any of Entergy’s other nuclear plant sites; (f) legislative and regulatory actions and risks and uncertainties associated with claims or litigation by or against Entergy and its subsidiaries; and (g) economic conditions and conditions in commodity and capital markets during the periods covered by the forward-looking statements, in addition to other factors described elsewhere in this release and subsequent securities filings.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-agrees-buy-portion-union-power-station/</link><guid>HTTP://www.entergynewsroom.com/latest-news/entergy-texas-agrees-buy-portion-union-power-station/?381</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2014 08:36:00 +0000</pubDate></item></channel></rss>

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