Saunders bill aims to tackle global warming

By Julio Ochoa

Naples Daily News

Saturday, March 24, 2007

As the national discussion about global warming heats up, a local legislator intends to ensure that Florida has a prominent seat at the table.

But some environmentalists think legislators should focus on actions, not more debate, to reduce greenhouse gases.

A bill by state Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, would create the Florida Climate Action Partnership, a high-level task force headed by the governor with members that include national scientists, politicians, businesses and environmental organizations. The “think tank” would give state leaders guidance on how to deal with issues of climate change and could help them shape national policy, Saunders said.

“There are going to be federal mandates (on carbon emissions) at some point and we want to help shape whatever those federal mandates are,” Saunders said. “We don’t want folks in California running the show. We want to be running the show.”

With nearly 1,200 miles of coastline, Florida is in a position to be affected by global warming more than any other place in the country, he said. An 18-inch rise in sea level, as some are predicting, could put the Everglades under water and wreak havoc on coastal communities.

The goal of the task force is to come up with a mitigation plan that makes recommendations for all state economic sectors and gives guidance for meeting short- and long-term greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Cooperation is needed to bring about improvements, but leaders need to focus on solutions, said Susie Caplowe, a lobbyist for the Florida chapter of the Sierra Club.

The causes of global warming are well known, and one of the biggest culprits is carbon-dioxide emissions from coal-burning power plants, Caplowe said.

Yet Florida legislators are considering legislation that would allow another type of coal-burning power plant, which is suppose to be cleaner but doesn’t capture carbon dioxide, she said.

“Instead of studying everything to death, they should look at what they are getting ready to pass,” Caplowe said. “Why have another study commissioned when they are promoting and passing legislation that would allow for another coal plant?”

Meanwhile Florida Power and Light plans to build a coal-burning power plant in Hendry County, 70 miles north of the Everglades.

Instead, the government should support energy efficiency and conservation through building codes and the purchase of “green” appliances, Caplowe said.

That is one area where Saunders’ bill could make headway, said Rep. Trudi Williams, R-Fort Myers, the bill’s sponsor in the House.

The Florida Climate Action Partnership could create incentives for big businesses to come up with environmentally friendly products, Williams said.

“Companies that have green technology would be compensated,” she said. “It would incentivise corporations to become cleaner.”

It’s easy to say that state leaders need to take action, and no one debates that Florida needs to develop alternative fuels, Saunders said.

“But I challenge someone to come up with what those alternatives are,” Saunders said. “What are we going to do in the next 20 to 30 years? Stop producing energy?”

Some fear they’ve heard the talk before.

Florida is filled with examples of good legislation that was never carried out, said Monica Reimer, an attorney for Earthjustice, a nonprofit, public interest law firm.

Lake Okeechobee protections put in place in 1975 and a state requirement for local comprehensive plans, which mandated that growth follow infrastructure, are two that come to mind, Reimer said.

“I think this state has a history of planning and a very poor history of implementing,” she said. “We’ve seen what happens in Florida when you plan and don’t give people the teeth to get a hold of the problem.”

However, the new governor brings some optimism, Reimer said.

In his State of the State address, Gov. Charlie Crist listed climate change as the biggest and most significant challenge for Florida.

“I think Crist is absolutely, 100 percent committed to trying to make Florida a leader and we need to be,” Reimer said. “Florida is a state that is going to take a massive hit.”