TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida, perhaps the state most vulnerable to rising sea levels and extreme weather, is set to repeal what remains of a decades-old law. 16-year-old who ranks climate change as a priority in energy production. political decisions. Instead, the state would make energy affordability and availability its primary focus.
A bill awaiting signature by the Republican government. Ron DeSantis would remove the term “climate change” from much of state law and reverse a then-Gov. policy. Charlie Crist defended as he built a reputation as one of the few Republicans fighting to promote green energy over fossil fuels.
While Florida is notable for its immense coastline and flat character (Miami’s average elevation is about 6 to 7 feet (2 meters) above sea level), the chairman of the Florida Strategy Committee The House infrastructure said it also faces unique challenges and climate change language in the law. makes meeting them more difficult.
“We protect consumers, we protect consumer prices, we protect them with high reliability and we protect to make sure we don’t lack energy security in our state. That’s where we’re moving forward as far as our policies,” Republican Rep. Bobby Payne said.
But critics say now is not the time to turn back the clock on climate change policy, including Crist, who is now a Democrat who last served in the U.S. House of Representatives .
“It’s disappointing to see a continued drift in the wrong direction, especially when Florida, with its coastline, is probably the most vulnerable to sea level rise. I mean, if we don’t get this right, Who’s gonna do it?” » said Crist. “It breaks my heart.”
In 2008, the bill aimed at combating climate change and promoting renewable energy was unanimously adopted by both legislative chambers. Crist signed the bill amid fanfare at an international climate change conference he hosted with guests including then-Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
But Payne said the Crist-era law makes it harder for the state to be more flexible in meeting its energy needs.
“When he invited Arnold Schwarzenegger to Miami for the environmental summit, that was a good indication that his ideologies clashed with those of the public from a reliability and cost standpoint,” Payne said.
After Crist left office in 2011, Gov. Rick Scott, now a U.S. senator, gutted much of what Crist had signed into law. This year’s bill repeals what’s left of it. The bill passed the Legislature with support from Republicans and opposition from Democrats. It was sent to DeSantis on Friday and he has until May 15 to act. His office did not respond to several emails asking for his position on the matter.
Payne, who spent nearly four decades in the power industry before retiring, said he is not convinced that humanity’s energy consumption is destroying the planet. He also notes that three-quarters of the state’s energy is provided by natural gas, making it vulnerable to market fluctuations.
The massive energy legislation he pushed through Parliament prevents local governments from adopting certain energy policy restrictions and downplays the importance of clean energy by banning wind turbines or wind installations offshore or less one mile (less than 2 kilometers) from the coast.
It eliminates the requirement that government agencies hold conferences and meetings in hotels certified by the state environmental agency as “green lodging” and that government agencies make energy efficiency the top priority when the purchase of new vehicles.
Brooke Alexander-Gross, of the Florida chapter of the Sierra Club, said removing climate change from state law won’t make the problem go away, but she’s not optimistic that DeSantis will veto it to the bill.
“Having this language really encourages a lot of people to think about what climate change actually is and it’s disappointing to see a governor in a state like ours remove this language, which is really just ‘a way for him and his administration to ignore everything that’s going on,’ she said.
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