Note to the Reader: This is our letter to the editor which was sent to the Eckerd College student news paper The Current, but was never published. The goal of this letter was to encourage the reader to follow a QR code to the original version of this website (seen in the current section "Original Template Letter") and send an email to Governor DeSantis.
To the Editor:
Here at Eckerd College, we are making changes through the student PIRGs 100% Renewables Project (RE: “PIRG springs into action with kickoff event” by Olivia Dydzuhn). However, this is not the case within Florida as a whole. The HB 741 Net Metering bill has been passed by both the Florida House and Senate, but it has not yet been sent to Governor Ron DeSantis. Once it has been sent to DeSantis, he will have 15 days to approve or veto the bill. The bill will automatically pass if no action is taken by DeSantis.
The Net Metering Bill would abolish the system in place where people can sell the excess energy they produce using solar panels back to the grid for credit in the next billing cycle. With each year after 2025, the bill would decrease the amount of credit solar users receive as payment of the sale.
Another result of the bill would be that the utility (the electric company) is allowed to recover its “lost revenue” from people who switch to solar energy in their home, (section H1, lines 120-125), meaning that people will be charged for something they DID NOT purchase. Florida citizens who make the personal choice of where to get their energy will be financially punished.
This bill, if passed, will make it so that solar energy is far more inaccessible than it is already. Solar panels are an investment that not everyone can afford. By adding the additional cost of being charged for “lost revenue” and taking away the option that solar panel owners can sell excess energy back to the grid, it would make it an irresponsible investment for everyday people. This source of energy would only be an option for those with disposable income, which is clearly unfair. Renewable energy should be an accessible option for all of Florida, especially since all will be reaping the consequences of Global Climate Change. We should all be able to participate in our part of the solution. The bill is short sighted, and purposefully ignores the environmental benefits of sustainable energy and lowers the main economic incentive for residents to convert to sustainable energy sources in favor of the outdated system in place.
This New Metering Bill is moving backwards while most Floida residents are trying to move towards renewable energy. It is NOT representative of what people want, but is rather the result of lobbyists of the fossil fuel based electric companies. It takes the choice away from consumers, making it so that you can either stay on the grid when you don’t want to, or leave the grid and pay the company for something you are not even using. It is a blatant show of disrespect to the people of Florida, and while it is not shocking that it passed, it is nonetheless devastating.
What I ask, is to please follow the QR code to a pre-written letter to Governor DeSantis. Please read it, then send it via email to Governor DeSantis, at GovernorRon.Desantis@eog.myflorida.com . Further action that you can take is also on twitter, by tagging @GovRonDeSantis in your own tweet, and make sure to use the hashtag #stopHB741. You can also call the Governor's office at (850) 717-9337 .
Written by Ellie Shea
Edited by Abby Parker