GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Today, noting the need to bring transparency and accountability to the Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Authority board, the Sierra Club’s Suwannee St. Johns (SSJ) Group urged Governor Ron DeSantis to follow key criteria when appointing new board members.
The criteria, written by the SSJ’s Energy and Climate Action Team and outlined in a letter to DeSantis, are based on community representation, values, and expertise. The group is calling for board members to reflect the range of incomes, ages, educational levels, and cultural backgrounds in the GRU service area, to adhere to values of transparency, integrity, and energy justice, and to have expertise in such areas as energy generation and distribution, renewable energy, and economic justice.
The newly created state-appointed GRU Authority board resigned in mid-March to settle a lawsuit over their eligibility to serve as board members. The state is accepting nominations for new board members until April 16.
Sierra Club’s Suwannee St. Johns Group said, “We offer the following in the spirit of stabilizing a volatile situation and establishing transparent, accountable, and representative governance. We trust that you share those values and would like to see such governance as well.”
Jyoti Parmar, Sierra Club Florida Organizing Representative said, “Affordable energy is foundational to a healthy and productive life in our society, and we must ensure that all segments of our community have their energy needs met. We call on Governor DeSantis to appoint a GRU Authority board that represents and reflects the diverse communities it serves.”
To read the letter, click here.
###