Press Mention Democratic Underground February 15, 2020
SACE Quoted
Guess That GOP "Conversion" Taking Longer Than Thought; Exactly 2 Climate Bills In FL Legislature
In this mention
Despite Republican acknowledgment of climate change, Florida's 2020 legislature is advancing virtually no greenhouse-gas reduction legislation. Only two clean-energy bills have received attention: one for EV charging infrastructure and another for school rooftop solar. Susan Glickman of SACE notes that without direct emissions-reduction measures, Florida's climate crisis will worsen.
But for bills to create a master plan for EV charging infrastructure, there isn't any legislation moving that would directly reduce greenhouse gases
Susan Glickman
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Guess That GOP "Conversion" Taking Longer Than Thought; Exactly 2 Climate Bills In FL Legislature
Despite recently acknowledging that climate change is real and increasingly dangerous, the Republican-controlled Legislature still is advancing virtually no legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Florida. Those gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels such as gasoline and coal, are accumulating in the atmosphere at a rate the World Meteorological Organization says will cause a climate disaster unless emissions are slashed radically and soon.
With sea level and heat steadily rising in Florida due to climate change, only two clean-energy measures have gotten any attention in Florida's 2020 legislative session. Neither would convert the state to clean, renewable energy. One of the bills would create a master plan for installing electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations on state highways. The other would allow public schools to use rooftop solar arrays to power their buildings
Seemingly going nowhere are proposals to convert state operations to 100 percent clean energy, create a state health report on climate-induced health problems, grant tax credits for carbon farming to reduce carbon in the atmosphere, and require improved energy efficiency in state facilities and fleets.
"But for bills to create a master plan for EV charging infrastructure, there isn't any legislation moving that would directly reduce greenhouse gases," said Susan Glickman, Florida director at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, which promotes EV usage through its Electrify the South initiative.