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T h u r s d ay, F e b r u a ry 27, 2025
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Docked benefits to start flowing Some retirees to receive lump sum Social Security funds BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
The Louis ‘Doc’ Bonin Electric Generating Station will be demolished over the next year so that a new power plant, Bonin 4, can be built.
Work to begin soon on $400M plant, with demolition of old site set to begin this summer BY MEGAN WYATT
Staff writer
A $400 million power plant project will soon break ground at the existing Louis “Doc” Bonin Electric Generating Station on Walker Road. The Lafayette Utilities System project will provide a local source of electricity for the city in anticipation of the closure of the Rodemacher Power Station Unit 2 near Boyce. “It’s the biggest project we’ve ever initiated,” said LUS Director Jeff Stewart. “This is a celebration. I’m excited about it. It is daunting. It is a huge task.” The coal-powered Rodemacher plant, which LUS has an ownership interest in, is slated to close by 2028 amid stricter environmental regulations. The Doc Bonin project will involve demolishing the existing natural gas facility at 1120 Walker Road, which stopped producing electricity in 2013, and building a more efficient natural gas plant at the same location. Demolition is set to begin this summer and will take about a year. Construction is set to begin on the new plant in 2027 and be fully operational in 2029. “Lafayette is one of the most special
ä See BENEFITS, page 6A
David Bergeron, from left, Kerney Simoneaux and Stacee Dunbar discuss a rendering of the planned Bonin 4 power plant during a Tuesday ceremony to kick off the Bonin Redevelopment Project. places in the country, and I do believe a big part of that is because of the assets we have, such as LUS,” said Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Monique Boulet. “We made decisions many, many decades ago that set us on a different path, and it is indicative of who we are
and how we do things.” Lafayette voters in 1896 supported the creation of LUS to provide electricity and water to the growing community.
ä See PLANT, page 4A
Government efficiency group adds state auditor Task force mirrors Elon Musk’s DOGE
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
A task force facing criticism for meeting outside of public view is partnering with state auditors to help find waste in government spending, Gov. Jeff Landry announced Wednesday. The Fiscal Responsibility Program, created by the governor in December, will work with the
WEATHER HIGH 73 LOW 56 PAGE 6A
WASHINGTON — About 94,000 Louisiana government retirees immediately will begin receiving their full Social Security benefits from any private employment that had been docked for years because they also received public service pensions. And that’s going to start off with a lump sum check to cover the past 14 months, said Garret Graves, the former Baton Rouge congressman who shepherded the bill into law. “ T h e Tr u m p administration is cutting retroactive checks this week,” Graves said Wednesday. “There is going Graves to be a lump sum check up front and from there forward you’ll get the updated amount each month.” For example, if a public worker was supposed to receive $1,800 a month in Social Security benefits but was docked $360 and received $1,440, that retiree will soon receive a $5,040 lump sum check — or, more likely the amount will be direct deposited. Then, the monthly check will be $1,800.
Louisiana Legislative Auditor in its mission to eliminate unnecessary spending. Landry appears to be modeling the Fiscal Responsibility Program on the federal Department of Government Efficiency created by President Donald Trump and headed by business owner Elon Musk. He is inviting citizens to offer suggestions on how the state can save money to email ladoge@lla.la.gov. The task force met twice this year in secret before pausing its work earlier this month. That move came after good government groups said
it failed to adhere to the state public meetings law — which requires the group to give public notice beforehand of its meetings that then have to be open to the public. The task force includes eight state legislators and is led by Steve Orlando, a close friend of Landry’s who owned a successful oil field services company. “The partnership allows us to expand our work to create state fiscal responsibility,” Orlando said in a text. “The commitment is real. Results are coming!” Mike Waguespack, the legislative
auditor, seconded that point in an interview, saying his office already conducts regular financial and performance audits of state agencies. “We do a lot of audits on state agencies that get put on a shelf,” Waguespack said. Now, he added, “we have a group that will potentially look at our audits and take action. We’ll be the boots on the ground. I’m super excited about this.” The governor’s news release did not say whether the group will begin holding public meetings. “We will always comply with public meeting law,” Orlando texted.
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LA GATOR scholarship program launches State to open applications Saturday
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
It’s officially GATOR season. On Saturday, Louisiana families can begin applying to LA GATOR, a new tax-funded scholarship program meant to help parents pay for private education. Replacing the state’s long-running voucher program, LA GATOR — officially the Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise program — will be open to more families and allow for more uses than its predecessor. In addition to private school tuition, parents can spend the scholarship money on tutoring, textbooks, special-education services and other approved expenses. “For families who are looking for a different approach to educating their child, this is a great opportunity,” said Germain Gilson, assistant superintendent of school choice for the Louisiana Department of Education.
ä See APPLICATIONS, page 4A
100TH yEAR, NO. 242