Louisiana senator helped secure Meta data center. Then sold the land beside it

9 hours ago

Louisiana State Senator John "Jay" Morris helped secure Meta's Hyperion data center in Richland Parish through legislative actions and lobbying.
Morris co-sponsored bills enabling the land deal and tax breaks for Meta, while also buying and selling land near the project site.
He and his business partners sold land to Entergy for a power plant connected to Hyperion and used property as a dirt quarry for the project.
Ethics experts argue Morris's actions may violate state laws prohibiting officials from benefiting financially from their official actions.
Morris denies wrongdoing, stating his land holdings are public and the laws he supported applied broadly, not just to Meta.
His undisclosed negotiations with Entergy, including an NDA, and failure to recuse from votes raise further ethical concerns.
The Louisiana Board of Ethics emphasizes the need for public vigilance due to weakened ethics laws in the state.

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