At one-year anniversary of historic federal
funding, new survey shows weakening trust in JEA
At the one year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, a new survey from the Renew Jax campaign reveals that Jacksonville residents want lower electric bills, more clean energy, and for JEA to put a higher priority on securing available funding for clean energy projects in Florida.
Polling of Jacksonville area residents uncovered a growing lack of faith in the willingness of Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) to lower customer bills, as an overwhelming majority of residents (8 in 10) say they are concerned about bills continuing to increase and fewer than half (45%) are satisfied with steps JEA is taking to lower customer bills.
“This polling highlights the serious concerns our neighbors have with JEA’s choices and their rising electric bills,”said Renew Jax spokesman Josh Melko, a University of North Florida chemistry professor and former Congressional Science Policy Fellow. “The community is clearly in favor of applying the available federal funds to build out more renewable energy and achieve more stable energy prices, while also making the city cleaner and more resilient for us all.”
Among the survey’s other findings:
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Nearly 6 in 10 residents (58%) believe JEA should increase investments in renewable energy;
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More than 8 in 10 (81%) believe JEA should seek out federal funding available for clean energy projects in Florida;
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More than half (53%) are unconvinced that JEA should increase natural gas investments.
Earlier this year JEA announced its new Integrated Resource Plan, relying on a new gas-fueled plant and the extended life of a coal plant for future energy generation. The approach carries an over $1 billion price tag – and with Jacksonville residents already seeing staggering hikes on their electric bills, a large majority are concerned about further hikes.
August marks a historic anniversary in the fight for clean energy, marking one year since enactment of the federal Inflation Reduction Act. The Act provides funding to utilities like JEA to invest in cleaner energy sources, offering $40 billion in federally guaranteed loans for new clean energy projects.
Click here for the full survey results.
ABOUT RENEW JAX
The Renew Jax campaign seeks to persuade Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) to end its dependence on expensive, highly polluting fossil fuels by converting to clean, renewable energy sources, while also working to convince city leaders to commit to fully operate on renewable energy. Learn more at renewjax.org.
