DeSantis Removes Clean Energy and Climate Change from Florida Politics – People’s World

Photos: AP / Illustration: PW

The three bills recently signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have all the trappings of a gift to the fossil fuel industry, only missing gift wrap and a bow. Thanks to the new laws, signed on May 15 and scheduled to come into force on June 1, the state government will no longer have to take climate change into account when developing legislation.

The act of signing such bills into law shines in a ridiculous light when you consider that in 2023, Florida experienced its hottest year on record since 1895 and saw entire homes washed away due to rising sea levels. The move was celebrated by DeSantis in a head-scratching and tone-deaf way in his comment to X (Twitter): where he noticed“The legislation I signed today – HB 1645, HB 7071 and HB 1331 – will keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our reservoirs, and China out of our state.”

The regulations actually eliminate offshore wind turbines and discourage restrictions or oversight of fossil fuel companies, including the aggressive expansion of natural gas in the state. It also allows the continued use of gas appliances – such as cookers – and thus stops the more widespread switch to electric appliances. The bills will also repeal state subsidy programs that promote energy conservation and renewable energy. They also remove requirements requiring state agencies to use climate-safe products and fuel-efficient cars.

“This deliberate act of cognitive dissonance is evidence that the governor and state legislature are not acting in the best interests of Florida, but rather to protect the profits of the fossil fuel industry,” said Yoca Arditi-Rocha, executive director of the Cleo Institute, a group that serves as supporter of education about global warming. “It is extremely troubling that leaders eliminated statutory language that recognized the dangers of climate pollution, the importance of energy efficiency, and the realities of increasingly frequent extreme weather events as the planet warms.”

In a comment at odds with such a rational assessment, DeSantis would rather portray such critics as “radical green fanatics,” according to his post on X. The governor, who suspended his presidential campaign in January and conceded to rival Donald Trump, described the legislation as a common-sense approach to energy policy. He likened it to restoring sanity, but even big money doesn’t unanimously agree with that; major insurers are pulling out of the state as financial losses mount as floods and increasingly extreme weather ravage the state.

“I have long feared that Florida was enacting policies that would kill the goose that lays the golden egg,” said state licensed geologist Dr. Robert Young. “The golden egg are these beautiful beaches, especially on the rib. Ignoring climate change in all its aspects will mean we don’t actually manage these resources in the way we should.

He added that rising sea levels are no joke. “We have been measuring this for over a century. This is not hypothetical. We measure this with tide gauges across the country, and sea levels have recently been rising faster than in the past. This coastal area and this beach is an economic resource for everyone in this community – not just the oceanfront property owner, but if you own a mom-and-pop hotel that’s three blocks from the beach, or a restaurant….”

“This is very much out of step with public opinion,” said Greg Knecht, director of the Nature Conservancy in Florida. The state, he commented, is suffering from a changing climate. “We are seeing hurricanes and flooding on sunny days with greater intensity, as well as higher temperatures early in the season. We turn around and say, “Yes, but climate change isn’t actually real and we don’t need to do anything about it.” We have so much renewable energy potential in Florida, so why not let Florida be a huge leader across the country in solving climate issues?” For example, he added: “You have a GE plant in Pensacola that makes wind energy parts. We want more economic development in Florida.”

DeSantis’ stance, however, is consistent with his overall behavior on global warming and clean energy. During last fall’s presidential debate, he stated that on “day one” of a potential presidency, he would “take all of Biden’s Green New Deal regulations and tear them up and throw them in the trash where they belong. ” This is the same governor who last year rejected $346 million in federal funds to help Floridians make their homes more energy efficient, ignoring a request from the state Legislature to accept the money.

According to Brooke Alexander-Goss, clean energy organizing manager for the Florida chapter of the Sierra Club, the passage of this legislation represents a failure to care for DeSantis voters. “Allowing this bill to go into effect endangers the health and safety of all Floridians,” she said, “further demonstrating that his top priority is appeasing large corporations and fossil fuel companies. We will pay more at the pump and in insurance premiums, and we will certainly see an increase in climate change-related disasters and deaths.”

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