Politics

How Florida could go green

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has repeatedly pointed out that Florida is more vulnerable to the effects of a changing climate than any other state, since it has "nearly 1,350 miles of coastline and a majority of citizens living near that coastline.

By CRAIG PITTMAN and RON BRACKETT
Published July 23, 2007

In his recent speeches about global warming, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has repeatedly pointed out that Florida is more vulnerable to the effects of a changing climate than any other state, since it has "nearly 1,350 miles of coastline and a majority of citizens living near that coastline." Here's a look at where greenhouse gases come from, what the new rules would do and how it could affect you.

We're a big producer

Florida is one of the world's top 25 producers of greenhouse gases, leading some small countries. Last year Florida produced nearly 300-million metric tons of greenhouse gases, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. More than 90 percent of the greenhouse gas produced in Florida is carbon dioxide.

Gobbling  up electricity

Even though Florida is the fourth most populous state, it's the third-heaviest consumer of electricity. Only Texas and California consume more.

Steps to change

• Over the next decade, Crist wants to cut the state's production of greenhouse gases to 250-million metric tons, then cut it again to 209-million metric tons - the level it was at in 1990 - by 2025. His ultimate goal is to cut it to 20 percent of the 1990 level, which would be just 41-million metric tons, by 2050.
   
  
• Crist plans to set new rules for the state's utilities - including Progress Energy and Tampa Electric Co., which serve the Tampa Bay area - that require them to cut their emissions to match the state's goals. He's also ordered a rewrite of the state building code to require more energy-efficient homes.

What it means to you

Don't worry, you won't have to sit in line at an auto inspection station. Instead, Crist has told automakers that beginning with the 2009 model year, they cannot sell any vehicles in Florida that do not reduce greenhouse gas pollutants by 25 percent for cars and 18 percent for sport utility vehicles. 

To make that requirement stick, though, Crist needs permission from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which so far has spent two years studying an identical plan from California.

This push for cleaner cars and power sources may increase some costs for consumers, but there could be savings from more energy-efficient homes and appliances.

Making a green buck

There's money to be made from battling global warming. One of the sponsors of Crist's summit was the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs, which has committed itself to investing $1-billion in projects that generate energy from sources other than oil and gas.

Earlier this year the state handed out $15-million in grants for projects researching the use of citrus waste and sugarcane for producing fuel. Among the recipients: the agriculture giant Alico and the University of Florida.

And if nothing changes?

Under an EPA grant, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council has studied the vulnerability of our area as sea levels rise. The green area of the map represents all land that is either within 10 feet of sea level or within 1,000 feet of the coast. According to the currently available guesses, there is a 50-50 chance sea levels here will rise 20 inches by the year 2100.

Sources: Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Times file photos; Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council

[Last modified July 23, 2007, 07:01:38]