Department of Energy

After long-awaited updates to Louisiana’s building code, the Department of Energy announced Wednesday that the state will receive more than $1.6 million to implement them and build more energy-efficient houses that will be more equipped to survive hurricanes.

Lake Charles residents say the Biden administration has given them an opportunity to remedy those needs as trillions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act funnel into disadvantaged communities like Lake Charles.But they also believe federal agencies need to ensure that money goes to the area’s most vulnerable residents, who say they haven’t seen the same level of local investments.

Communities in southeast Louisiana are among those struggling the most to pay monthly electricity bills, overburdened by the cost of energy, according to federal data.

Over the next year and half, the U.S. Department of Energy’s technical experts will work with New Orleans officials to craft a plan to modernize the area’s energy infrastructure under a new program.

Looking to attract federal money, Louisiana will partner with two other states — Arkansas and Oklahoma — to form a regional hub in developing “clean hydrogen,” the Governor’s Office announced Thursday.