The Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) plans to use OLD COAL technology which will pollute our Nature Coast and Taylor County with even more mercury and other poisons.. JEA does NOT plan to use any newer coal gasification processes in Taylor County. Once again, we will get the short end of the stick. This plant would pollute our land and water with mercury, sulfur oxides and many other pollutants; it would adversely affect our families\' health, and the health of livestock and wildlife. The EPA has already issued advisories on mercury for every lake, river and the entire coastline of Florida, warning people about consuming fish contaminated by mercury; we don\'t need more mercury adding to the problem! This plant would not help our quality of life in Taylor County. JEA ADMITS that their coal-fired power plants DO indeed POLLUTE! We MUST not stand for this when they are USING CLEAN ENERGY alternatives in Jacksonville, such as solar power! We MUST NOT LET THEM EXPORT the more POLLUTING ENERGY PROCESSES TO OUR COUNTY when we know that are putting safer gas-powered plants and solar power plants elsewhere. In fact, JEA powers 26 schools and the Duval City Hall with solar power. Why can\'t our electric companies in Taylor and Madison Counties (and surrounding areas including Tallahassee and Leon County) use solar energy and also other more modern non-polluting energy forms, such as wind power If it can be done in Jacksonville, why not in Tallahassee, Madison, and Perry JEA won\'t even guarantee that any percentage of the workers will be Taylor County residents. Instead, they admit that the construction workers to build such a plant and the regular workers after the construction will be hired by outside, probably Duval County contractors, who will bring their own workers here to construct and run the plant. Those jobs the development authority is so proudly talking about (and trying to sway your opinion with - making promises that they know they won\'t keep) are minimum-wage, no benefit, labor jobs just during construction; not regular higher paid plant jobs. Ron Whittington, JEA\'s spokesman, won\'t guarantee any percentage of the jobs will go to Taylor County residents. Remember, this JEA power consortium will NOT be paying ANY PROPERTY TAXES in Taylor county. And, a coal-fired power plant will use between 30 - 40 million gallons of YOUR water per day, which they plan to pump from the Floridan Aquifer. We have to pay about $1 per gallon for drinking water now.............why should JEA be allowed to use and dirty OUR water for free JEA and this power company consortium should not expect us to suffer the effects of this poisonous power plant, especially when we will receive NO POWER from it, only pollution. With their plan, they get the power, we get the pollution! Why should we suffer with more pollution, so that other areas can have lower power bills What about us I believe that you, your family, your friends, and your neighbors DO NOT want this bad proposal for Taylor County! Contrary to what some want you to think, it is definitely not a done deal. We haven\'t said they can come here. As we learned last year, our elected officials sometimes do not represent us well, but yet are not even embarrassed when later we are proved to be right, and that WE worked for the best interest of our county. Aren\'t you tired of that kind of representation yet Make your County Commissioner know how you feel on this issue, and make him/her represent YOU. It would be the wrong thing to do to our children and grand-children if we allowed such a polluter to locate here. We want a clean environment, clean air and water for them. We want clean, safe jobs for them too - not dirty, unsafe coal-fired power plant jobs. Let\'s don\'t get the short stick again! We must join together and EDUCATE ALL of our friends, family and neighbors and have them sign our petition to the County Commission. Please sign the online petition if you cannot sign the printed petition and have your friends sign it. Send questions to: cleanairnowintaylor@yahoo.com

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