After DeSantis Removed ‘Climate Change’ from State Law, Florida Begins to Waive Renewable Energy Targets

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Following a controversial law signed last week by Gov. Ron DeSantis, officials have begun moving to repeal the state’s renewable energy goals.

The 2022 targets call on utilities to gradually increase the amount of renewable energy they produce or buy until they reach 100% renewable energy in 2050.

But a proposal released Wednesday by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Energy would repeal the rule containing the goals, saying it is “no longer necessary.”

The bill (HB 1645) signed by DeSantis last week changes the state’s energy policy, including removing a portion of the law that directed the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to establish “goals and strategies for increasing the use of renewable energy in this state.”

More broadly, the law, which takes effect on July 1, will remove references to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, block potential offshore wind generation and call for encouraging “cost-effective and affordable energy supplies.”

Last week, in a post on the social media platform X, DeSantis claimed that state officials were “bringing common sense back to our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of radical green zealots.”

However, opponents of the bill say Florida should not reduce its emphasis on combating climate change. For example, the Cleo Institute, which focuses on climate change issues, reported on its website that “Legislative changes in Florida highlight a growing divide between state policy and public concerns about climate change, emphasizing immediate energy costs over long-term environmental balance.”

Renewable energy targets were approved in 2022 under the leadership of then-Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. They said utilities should aim to use 40% renewable energy by 2030; 63 percent by 2035; 82 percent by 2040; and 100 percent by 2050.

Fried, a Democrat, ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022 and was replaced by Republican Wilton Simpson.

In recent years, utilities have dramatically expanded the construction of solar facilities as technology improves and costs decline. The Chamber’s analysis of the new law shows that renewable energy generated about 6 percent of the electricity used in the state in 2021; this number is expected to reach 28% by 2032.

As an example of continued growth in renewable energy, Duke Energy Florida and Tampa Electric Co. proposed base rate plans this spring that include building more solar facilities. The plans are pending review by the Florida Public Utilities Commission.

But Florida’s electricity generation remains dominated by the use of natural gas to power power plants, and the new law reflects at least a philosophical shift by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

For example, it will eliminate part of the current law that states: “The Legislature finds that the state’s energy security can be increased by reducing dependence on foreign oil; that the effects of global climate change can be reduced by reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and that the implementation of alternative energy technologies could provide new jobs and employment opportunities for many Floridians.”

They will be partially replaced by sentences that read: “The purpose of the State’s energy policy is to provide the State with an adequate, reliable and cost-effective supply of energy in a manner that promotes the health and well-being of society.” public and economic growth. The Legislator’s intention is for the management of the state’s energy policy to be effectively aimed at achieving this goal.

The act will, among other things, relax regulations regarding the construction of gas pipelines. Pipelines in Florida that are 15 miles or more currently require certification under a law known as the Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline Siting Act. Under the new law, the requirement will apply to pipelines 100 miles or longer.

It also calls on the Public Service Commission to “assess the technical and economic feasibility of using advanced nuclear energy technologies,” including so-called small modular reactors, to meet electricity demand.

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