HB-653 Could Prohibit GRU General Fund Transfer

Excessive Carbon Footprint of Bloated 7 Member Commission Contributes to Climate Emergency

HB 653 addresses an actionable complaint that GRU ceased operating as a public utility when it entered into a private, redacted PPA for biomass power generation where millions leave the community to off-shore accounts.

In the interests of Gainesvile's declared Climate Emergency this could present an opportunity for smaller government in the pursuit of lower carbon footprint in accordance with the Green New Deal.

Gainesville ratepayers are suffering the pain of a steep ad valorem revenue tax in order to maintain the $38 million general fund transfer in order to fund too many non-essential and frivolous city operations.

It was the ownership of GRU that exposed the City of Gainesville to the grandiose biomass generation scheme now called Deerhaven Renewable (DHR). (NAES Contract for DHR Environmental services)

The firewall of protection against excessive financial risks are automatic when electric power is purchased from existing providers like Duke Energy, currently providing service to the University of Florida. Duke is currently promoting clean SOLAR as their choice for renewable energy.

Deerhaven Renewable is Adding to the Climate Emergency

Lawsuit: Biomass Burning For Energy Is Not Carbon Neutral

Copy of Legal Complaint (PDF)

Article: Biomass Is Not Carbon Neutral

In March, 2019, a Lawsuit was filed against the European Union Claiming Negative Climate Impacts of Burning Wood for Energy.

The U.S. is one of the largest suppliers of the staggering 22 million tonnes of wood pellets consumed in the EU each year. Communities in Virginia, Mississippi and North Carolina are already battling to protect forests and to stop the construction of new production plants in socially deprived areas.

Among numerous plaintiffs are two from the US:

1) Dr. Mary S. Booth, director and founder of the US-based NGO Partnership for Policy Integrity, served as Senior Science and Policy Advisor and also provided a witness statement. The Center for Climate Integrity (US) and Fern (EU) have provided support and assistance.

2) Kent Roberson owns thirty acres of forested land in eastern North Carolina that his family has lived on, farmed, hunted and preserved since 1898. The US Southeast is being heavily logged to provide wood pellet fuel to export to the UK and EU. Roberson has witnessed how his now “little island of forest” has been impacted by clear-cutting of the once biologically-rich bottomland hardwood forests around him.

Article: https://justpaste.it/2axl6

WCJB: New bill at Florida House could prohibit GRU's annual budget transfer (archive)