The New Florida Majority released the following statement upon hearing that the state’s Public Service Commission had approved Florida Power & Light’s latest plans for a fracked gas-powered plant in Dania Beach:
“We are disappointed with the Public Service Commission’s decision to approve the FPL’s expansion of its current plant in Dania Beach without formal community input and approval.
Community residents have made it clear that they are worried that the current design fails to utilize solar energy and is dependent on fracked gas that will be pumped in from out of state. They have asked for a public meeting with elected leaders and FPL staff to answer the questions that still remain, including whether the rebuilt and expanded plant will rely on the fracked gas plants that they are heavily invested in other states.
Elected officials in Dania Beach and in the Florida Cabinet that continue to be part of the approval process should respect the will of the people. Residents deserve a meeting — in person and face to face.
We join with community residents in demanding that FPL and local government officials participate in a public meeting to answer these and any other outstanding questions. It’s a question of respect. Otherwise, this project risks becoming just another example of how low-income neighborhoods and communities of color disproportionately pay the high cost of electricity and unhealthy environmental impacts in the guise of economic development and efficiency.”
