By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Lakeland Ledger
04/30/08

TALLAHASSEE | For the first time in state history, Florida will be taking steps to curb greenhouse gases in a bill that is expected to head to Gov. Charlie Crist before the end of the week.

The massive energy bill (HB 7135) does not go as far as an ambitious "climate change" plan outlined by Crist last year that aimed at reducing Florida's greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent of the state's 1990 levels by mid-century. In the end, the Legislature exerted its power by giving the governor much of what he wanted but subjecting the new regulations to further legislative review.

And a last-minute amendment appeared to be a victory for the automotive industry, as lawmakers used the bill to block state environmental regulators from directly issuing rules that would require cars and trucks to significantly reduce their emissions.

Nonetheless, the governor, lawmakers and environmentalists hailed the bill - which cleared the House in a 108-0 vote Tuesday - as a major step toward cutting carbon emissions in the state. The bill still faces a vote in the Senate.

"Due to today's action, Florida is a step closer to implementing a comprehensive energy policy," Crist said in a statement. "This bill will protect our natural resources, stimulate our economy and reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

Among the major provisions in the bill is a proposal to create a "cap and trade" system that would allow polluters to buy and sell credits based on their ability to limit greenhouse emissions. The bill would require utility companies to generate a portion of their power from renewable resources, such as solar or wind. The bill, also for the first time, would create regulations that would reward utility companies that embrace conservation measures that actually get their customers to use less power - a move that drew the most praise from environmentalists.

"This will allow them to work with their customers to get them to use less electricity, which is not in the utility's best interest financially because they lose revenue on it," said Eric Draper, a lobbyist for Audubon of Florida. "But in fact, it's the most immediate and direct way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and imported oil."

But environmentalists said they were disappointed by an amendment added by Rep. Paige Kreegel, R-Punta Gorda, on the House floor Tuesday that blocked the Department of Environmental Protection's ongoing effort to write rules requiring cars cut their carbon dioxide emissions by 34 percent by 2015 - following a similar regulation in California. The amendment now requires those rules to be reviewed by the Legislature before taking effect.

Environmental lobbyists said the review provision would significantly slow down the state's effort to limit greenhouse gases, noting cars and trucks account for 43 percent of the carbon dioxide pollution in Florida, second only to power plants.

"There's no reason to delay the adoption of the Clean Cars rule in Florida," said Holly Binns of Environment Florida. "It basically puts the whole process behind a couple of years. If we're going to meet Gov. Crist's climate change goals, we need to be doing this."

In contrast, Binns said she had no problem with lawmakers reviewing the cap-and-trade and renewable energy rules, noting they were more complicated and would take more time to implement.

Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, one of the energy bill leaders in the Senate, said the car emissions amendment may be the only thing that keeps the Senate from sending the bill to Crist by as early as Thursday. Saunders said he would meet with the governor's aides to determine whether to strike the amendment and send the bill back to the House.

Otherwise, Saunders said the bill is a significant environmental achievement for the state.

"It's a very comprehensive energy package that covers an awful lot of things," Saunders said, citing requirements for new building codes and the encouragement of alternative energy sources. "I think it will place Florida really in the forefront of the nation in terms of dealing with energy efficiency."

Saunders also said passage of the bill will leave the state "better prepared to deal" with federal legislation on greenhouse gases. "We'll be at the table to help them structure that," he said.

Despite the praise, the bill falls short of some of the far-reaching goals outlined by Crist last year and highlighted at a "global climate change" summit last year in Miami that drew international attention and was attended by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the national leaders on climate change.

At that time, Crist was calling for utility companies to generate 20 percent of their power from renewable energy sources, like biomass or wind or solar power. The bill will allow state utility regulators to create rules - subject to legislative review - requiring companies to develop a renewable energy portfolio, but it does not specify any percentages.

Florida has a long way to go to match a state like California in renewable energy sources. Currently, the state has about 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy generation. To reach the governor's goal, it would require a tenfold increase to account for 20 percent of the roughly 50,000 megawatts of power generated in Florida. California, which has set a similar 20 percent goal, already generates about 11 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. Yet, supporters of the bill say the bill's positives far outweigh any shortcomings.

"This bill moves Florida from being at the back of the line to being closer to the front of the line in energy conservation," said Draper, the Audubon lobbyist.

return to articles