Lee Ziesche, lee.ziesche@sierraclub.org
HILLSBOROUGH, FL - Tampa Electric Company (TECO) customers and advocates with the Sierra Club, Food and Water Watch, League of United Latin American Citizens, Florida Rising, League of Women Voters Hillsborough, and Central Florida Jobs with Justice blasted the monopoly utility’s proposed rate hike at a press conference and public hearing this morning, saying it’s unaffordable and props up expensive and polluting coal-burning power plants.
“The people of underserved frontline communities have carried the burden for TECO’s bad environmental habits for far too long. The PSC has the opportunity to help by listening to the voices of those people and denying this rate increase,” said Walter Smith, Sierra Club Tampa Bay Organizing Representative Beyond Coal Campaign. “We are here together to continue to act as the voice of the people who have spoken so many times before, but continue to be ignored by these bodies who continue to cause great strife for them. The historical tone deafness of TECO and the PSC on this matter of the energy burden that will be caused by this rate increase is astounding and cannot be allowed to stand without opposition. We are that opposition.”
Despite already having some of the highest electric rates in the state, partially due to the costs of keeping coal plants open past their useful life, TECO has requested the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) allow it to raise the average customer’s monthly bill by $20-$30 over the next three years.
Advocates called on the PSC to reject the rate hike and for TECO to stop burning coal at its Polk and Big Bend Power Stations and to retire and replace those units with cheaper alternative sources as soon as possible. Burning coal emits pollutants that cause asthma, respiratory diseases, heart attacks, and premature death, as well as potent greenhouse gases.
“For decades, TECO has profited off of polluting communities and it is customers that pay the price through high bills and health impacts,” said Susannah Randolph, Director of Sierra Club’s Florida Chapter. “Burning coal is not only harmful to our communities and the planet, it’s extremely expensive and has been driving up bills for TECO customers without providing measurable benefits. TECO needs to immediately stop burning coal at its Big Bend and Polk Power Station plants so that customers can start seeing savings immediately.”
Food & Water Watch Senior Florida Organizer Brooke Ward said: “TECO’s greedy rate hike request would come at the direct expense of Floridians and our climate. Continued investments in dirty, costly fracked gas are the wrong direction for Hillsborough County. Ken Hagan’s Hillsborough County Commission must fight for Floridians and join us in demanding ‘NO MORE RATE HIKES!’”
Replacing coal plants with renewable energy would result in cleaner, healthier air and new local jobs. The U.S. Department of Energy has a new program, called the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program, that offers power companies funds for cost-effectively shutting down old, dirty coal plants sooner and replacing them with clean energy resources, like solar and batteries. Taking advantage of these funds would lower costs for TECO’s customers because renewable energy tends to have lower fuel, operation, and maintenance costs than fossil fuels, especially coal.
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.