Entergy 2011 Annual Report Download - page 17

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Entergy Corporation and Subsidiaries 2011
We raised $2.9 million in bill payment assistance funds from customers, employees and shareholders.
This total reflects a special one-time 2:1 match from our shareholders in response to extreme summer
heat. As a result of this effort, total 2011 contributions increased 19 percent over 2010. Entergy continued
its customer assistance fundraising efforts under its systemwide The Power to Care program. In 2011,
The Power to Care fund provided bill payment assistance to more than 16,600 customers. Total dollars
provided for assistance in 2011 increased almost 5 percent over 2010. We also continued to advocate for
increased funding for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, participating in the
winter and summer LIHEAP Washington Action Day events to promote the program. Appropriations were
reduced to $4.7 billion in fiscal year 2011 and $3.5 billion in fiscal year 2012 from prior year authorizations
at maximum levels, despite our best efforts. Even when LIHEAP was funded at its maximum of $5.1 billion,
we were still only reaching one out of five eligible American households. We face greater challenges for
fiscal year 2013 as more cuts are proposed. We continue to fight for increased levels of LIHEAP funding
along with more equitable distribution of funds across states.
Energy efficiency programs at our utility operating companies help customers better manage their
energy usage while reducing the emissions of harmful greenhouse gases. For example, the Energy
Smart program helped Entergy New Orleans customers save more than 6.5 million kilowatt-hours of
electricity by adding insulation, sealing duct leaks and implementing other weatherization efforts.
These measures prevented the emission of nearly 5,000 tons of CO2.
We pursue a variety of efforts to help break the cycle of poverty in our communities, from supporting
programs that help low-income individuals and families accumulate assets to working to improve early
childhood education to educating taxpayers about the Earned Income Tax Credit. In 2011, Entergy
Louisiana joined with ExxonMobil, Capital Area United Way, Louisiana State University and East Baton
Rouge School System to launch the Istrouma High School Zone initiative, a unique poverty reduction
program aimed at increasing graduation rates, reducing truancy and providing community development
for the students and families at the school. Partners in the initiative are working with Istrouma faculty
and staff to provide students with the skills and tools they need to achieve economic security and build
a stronger, sustainable community.
Enhancing Our Communities
In 2011, Entergy and the Entergy Charitable Foundation gave more than $16.5 million in grants to
nonprofits and organizations that are focused on improving the quality of life in the communities
where we operate. We funded grants to enable the Mississippi Nature Conservancy to plant 400,000
bottomland hardwood trees, partnered with Teach For America to support school reform efforts that
are helping to close the academic achievement gap for 40,000 children in southern Louisiana, and
awarded nearly $200,000 in disaster relief for thousands of families affected by disasters ranging from
Hurricane Irene in Vermont to tornadoes in the Midwest and flooding along the Mississippi River. We
believe it is our moral responsibility to support and enhance the communities we serve. In particular,
we will continue to assist those in need and the organizations that support them.
Building a Diverse, Engaged and Energized Workforce
We cultivate a diverse workforce that is engaged, empowered and energized. We value and respect our
employees and implement policies that reflect our underlying trust and respect. For example, we offer
competitive compensation and benefits packages that link pay to performance, employee and leadership
development programs, and health and wellness information and resources. We regard diversity and
inclusion as business imperatives that help Entergy achieve long-term success. We promote an inclusive
work environment through more than 20 diversity and inclusion councils and employee resource groups.
Our supplier diversity initiative has awarded more than $3 billion in contracts and purchase orders to
diverse suppliers since 1987, when Entergy entered into the Declaration of Fair Share Principles with the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Total
Shareholder Return
2011, %
In 2011, our total shareholder
return ranked in the bottom
quartile of our peer group.
Over the past 13 years, our
total shareholder return
ranked in the top quartile of
our peer group. We remain
committed to our top-quartile
goal and will work hard to
achieve it in the future.
19.3
Philadelphia
Utility Index
8.3
ETR
2.1
S&P
500
Total
Shareholder Return
12/31/1998 – 12/31/2011, %
269.2
ETR
136.3
Philadelphia
Utility Index
29.3
S&P
500
15