Jacksonville leads the state in toxic mercury emissions thanks to JEA. Is JEA's solution to build an even dirtier plant in Taylor County?

As Mercury Falling has said, Jacksonville has the dubious distinction of emitting more toxic mercury than any other county in the state. Mercury Falling's solution to drop this heinous distinction is to emit less mercury. Is JEA's solution simply to make another Florida county even dirtier than its make Duval?

And is this what is behind our continous rate increases? According to Joy Ezell from Hope for Clean Water, "Six rate increases over the past four years - to build up money to build the Taylor Emphysema Center." That is Joy's name for JEA's plan to build "an 800 megawatt pulverized coal fired power plant in Perry, in Taylor county, FL - the Taylor Energy Center - which will be a larger - (three 800 megawatt units) mercury emitter than Jacksonville's Northside generating coal plant. We understand that there have been no articles or letters to the editor of the Jacksonville paper, so folks over there don't know what JEA is up to...."

Is this where the money from our rate increases is going to? According to Taylor County local Gale Dickert, "JEA is over here offering $10,000 grants to our community for "environmental education" and "outdoor recreation", etc. while folks in Jax are paying through the teeth for their electricity -- and JEA has imposed a 20% increase on their backs to cover their expenses for this coal plant ---and the grants they are giving away to groups in Perry."