UPDATED: 05/05/23: On March 9th, the gas rebate issue finally went before the City Commission. GRU presented their reasons for wanting to retain the rebate program and Utility Advisory Board (UAB) chair Barry Jacobson gave excellent rebuttals to their arguments. However, the commission decided to take no action so the rebate program will remain in place for now and we do not expect any changes to the program in the near future. In addition, market forces are aligned against future home gas use and, while it will take longer than we would like, we believe the gas rebate program will eventually die from attrition.
On May 11, we expect the commission will hear a presentation from GRU on gas infrastructure plans and their reasons for continued expansion of gas pipelines in western Alachua County. We are against adding more gas infrastructure for the same reasons we are against the rebate program and will be redirecting our efforts toward preventing this expansion. Additionally, given that federal policy and market forces are currently running counter to the use of residential use of natural gas, investing in more gas infrastructure makes no financial sense for GRU.
