Bianca Sanchez, bianca.sanchez@sierraclub.org
JACKSONVILLE, FL. -- Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) has received its second consecutive failing grade, according to the Sierra Club’s 2024 Dirty Truth Report. Despite identifying as a “vanguard of clean energy efforts in Florida,” JEA’s score has stalled at a measly eight out of 100 for the past two report iterations.
The Sierra Club’s annual Dirty Truth Report, now in its fourth version, analyzes the plans of 75 utilities in the U.S. and assigns scores and grades based on three criteria: plans to retire polluting coal plants by 2030, whether they plan to build new gas power plants through 2035, and the scale of their plans to develop clean energy through 2035.
Jacksonville’s failing grade is due, in large part, to its continued reliance on an obsolete coal plant in Northside Generating Station (NGS). The utility also has plans to add 670 MW of new, costly gas infrastructure by 2035. JEA continues to underinvest in clean energy technologies like solar and battery storage, despite federal government funding to offset the cost of investing in clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels.
“Despite all signs pointing to a necessary clean energy transition, JEA has chosen to further tie Jacksonville to expensive and polluting fracked gas and coal,” said J. Logan Cross with the Sierra Club Florida Jacksonville Group. “JEA still has yet to commit to retiring its costly coal plants and has instead committed to expanding gas. Our city needs investments in clean energy that get our state off of fossil fuels that quicken the climate crisis.”
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 continues to reduce the cost of clean energy while creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. Wind and solar energy overtook coal in power generation through the first half of 2024 and are expected to continue their progress for the rest of the year, a major milestone for the power sector. Yet JEA, and many other utilities, are lagging behind, deploying wind and solar too slowly while hanging on to dirty, expensive coal plants.
Overall, the average grade across the 100 utilities included in the Sierra Club report was a 'D' or a score of 29 out of 100. Further, the average 29 score only reflects a 12-point increase since 2021, a paltry improvement given the pressing nature of global warming.
For more information please use our interactive webpage to assess the performance of individual utilities. This will provide insight into the progress JEA and other utilities have made toward transitioning to cleaner, more affordable energy since the first version of the report in 2021.
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.