"..I'm old enough to remember when corruption was bad, not just another news story with no consequences.."
"...Louisiana senator helped secure Meta's largest data center. Then he sold the land beside it.
State senator John “Jay” Morris helped bring Meta’s Hyperion project to Richland Parish. Here’s what he did with his land — before and after Meta’s announcement.
This story was published in collaboration with Verite News and the Louisiana Illuminator. Republished by The Guardian, The Lens, WWNO and others.
For more than two years, Louisiana State Senator John “Jay” Morris helped pave the way for Meta to build one of the world’s largest data centers, called Hyperion, in Richland Parish.
The Republican attorney lobbied a utility regulator for a key approval. He co-sponsored two bills that enabled the land deal between Meta and the state. And he voted “yea” on two additional bills that provided the trillion-dollar tech company with tax breaks worth an estimated $3.3 billion.
Now, a Floodlight investigation has found that while Morris used his political position to advance the project, he and his business partners were buying and selling the land around it over the past 15 months.
As recently as February, Morris and his partners sold hundreds of acres to utility giant Entergy for a methane-burning power plant to provide electricity for the data center.
Morris’ recent land deals haven’t been disclosed until today, according to Floodlight’s review of ethics filings, votes, media coverage and state Senate records. It’s unclear how much money he has made from these transactions — Louisiana law does not require buyers and sellers to publicly disclose sale prices. ..."