Ask forgiveness rather than permission

Or, in Entergy's case, I guess it's more like asking for forgiveness after having already gotten permission and then sinking a whole bunch of money before anybody might think to revoke that permission.  Something like that. 

Anyway it worked.

Moreno first announced the resolution to rescind approval for the plant on Jan. 17 as a response to the results of an independent counsel investigation that found that Entergy “knew or should have known” that one of its subcontractors were paying actors to support the plant at council meetings.

But late last month, Moreno walked back her call for a revote.

“New dynamics are in play which puts the city and the Council in a different position,” she said in a Jan. 30 press release. “The reason? Costs, specifically the significant costs that have already been incurred.”

It would be silly to think that this was every going to turn out any other way.  Still it's not the absolute worst thing that could happen. Much of the opposition to the plant is aspirational politics anyway. Yes, we want to stop using fossil fuels. Yes, we want to shut down gas fracking. Yes, we want to stop carbon energy producers from ripping our wetlands up with pipelines.  Would revoking this particular construction permit do any of that?  Nah.  But it's fine to take the opportunity to make that case... even if it doesn't result in any tangible action.