Small bags of coal along with a huge block were delivered at JEA’s front door Wednesday.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Local advocacy groups are delivering coal to JEA– Literally.
Small bags of coal, along with a huge block, were delivered at JEA’s front door on Wednesday. Protestors from local advocacy groups are pushing back against the operation of the Northside Generating Station, claiming it pollutes the air.
Organizations like The Sierra Club, Solar United, and more say Jacksonville deserves cleaner air and lower bills, taking aim at the northside generation station and utility rate hikes.
“Coal is the number one thing you got on the Northside Generating Station for little use, except it has a lot of led and magnesium,” said Larry Zwain, who is with the Sierra Club Northeast Florida Group. “We’re proud to have our own public utilities, but they have not been good with their price increases.”
Zwain and others say JEA’s 541-thousand customers faced an over three percent increase in their overall utility bill earlier this year. He says these are key reasons they came to JEA’s doorstep to push for a plan that prioritizes clean and affordable energy.
“How our beloved city of Jacksonville are going to benefit from this commitment to transparency and a switch to cleaner forms of energy are enumerable,” said Solar United Neighbors Affordability Associate Leah Ferrell. “We know where we stand on this issue. As for JEA, I cannot speak for them, but they know what they need to do.”
In response to the protests, JEA says that they meet quarterly with local advocacy groups to discuss plans for the environment and billing in the future. They also provided First Coast News with the following statement:
Our long-term planning for the best ways to provide energy to our customers reliably, cost-effectively and sustainably is an ongoing process. We consistently evaluate market and economic factors to ensure we are obtaining the most cost-effective and reliable generation for our customers.