Politics

Crist selects a green team

The governor names 21 people to create a long-term energy plan.

By STEVE BOUSQUET, Times Staff Writer
Published August 14, 2007

Gov. Charlie Crist, right, announces the formation of Florida Governors Action Team on Energy and Climate Change.
	[AP photo]

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist on Monday appointed 21 people, including several environmental activists, to persuade the Legislature to lower greenhouse gas emissions and lessen reliance on fossil fuels in Florida.

"We will create an energy and climate change action plan that will include long-term plans for reducing emissions," Crist said, adding that the plan will include proposals to the Legislature for 2008 "and beyond."

The so-called Energy Action Team will be chaired by Mike Sole, Crist's environmental secretary, with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker serving as vice chairman.

For the past year, Baker has chaired another study group, the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida.

On Jan. 3, the day after Crist took office, Baker told Crist that the commission was ready to recommend the state take steps to reduce emissions from cars, trucks and power plants.

"Becoming energy-independent and reducing net carbon in the atmosphere is the moon launch for America in the 21st century," said Baker, who drove to a countywide transportation meeting Monday in one of the city's new hybrid sport utility vehicles. "It is that important."

Though Baker has tried to promote his ties to the environment -- St. Petersburg was designated the first, and only, "Green City" by the Florida Green Building Coalition in May -- he has his critics.

Baker has not signed off on the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which calls for cities to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution.

Nearly 650 mayors, including Frank Hibbard in Clearwater and Pam Iorio in Tampa, have signed onto the agreement.

St. Petersburg also is one of the only major U.S. cities that does not offer curbside recycling. Baker has said in the past the program is inefficient, costly and potentially more harmful to the environment in the long run - because it would require using additional diesel garbage trucks.

Crist appointed five leaders of environmental groups, one utility executive, FPL Group president Armando Olivera, and three others he described as business community representatives.

A utility lobbyist criticized Crist for not naming more industry appointees.

"My first reaction was, I was disappointed there wasn't more representation from the electric utility industry," said Barry Moline of the Florida Municipal Electric Association. He emphasized that the industry would implement whatever recommendations are approved.

The environmental appointees include Gerald Karnas of Environmental Defense and Manley Fuller of the Florida Wildlife Federation. Karnas' group was among the underwriters of Crist's climate change summit in Miami last month, and Fuller was the lobbyist who introduced Crist to Terry Tamminen, California's former top environmental official.

In a February meeting, Tamminen helped sell Crist on the need for a climate change plan in Florida.

Also on the panel are Public Service Commission Chairwoman Lisa Edgar; Crist's consumer advocate, Jack Shreve; Florida Energy Commission Chairman Tommy Burroughs and three academicians with expertise in alternative energy.

The appointments follow Crist's issuance of executive orders last month calling for specific targets for cutting carbon emissions.

The panel will play a pivotal role in getting parts of Crist's climate change plan through the Legislature, including a skeptical House of Representatives.

House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, recently wrote an op-ed column in which he criticized Crist's climate change proposals as "European-style big-government mandates."

The four legislators on the group are Sen. Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, Rep. Stan Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, and Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach.

Crist's choice of Atwater, who's expected to be Senate president in the 2008-2010 term, signaled that the governor realizes it may take more than one year to achieve his climate change goals.

That poses another dilemma. As with his predecessors, Crist's clout with the Legislature likely will diminish each year he's in office.

Casting aside familiar labels such as "task force" or "study group," Crist said he chose "Energy Action Team" for a reason.

"I think it's important that we express the desire for action, rather than extensive and continual study. Things have been studied a lot," he said. "But I think the people of Florida deserve and demand action."

Staff writers Craig Pittman and Aaron Sharockman contributed to this report. Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or 850 224-7263.

Gov. Crist's Energy Action Team

The 21 members of Crist's Energy Action Team, which is charged with persuading the Legislature to lower greenhouse gas emissions and lessen reliance on fossil fuels in Florida.

- Chairman Mike Sole, Crist's environmental secretary

- Vice chairman Rick Baker, St. Petersburg mayor

ENVIRONMENTAL REPRESENTATIVES

- David Guest, Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund

- Debbie Harrison, World Wildlife Fund

- Manley Fuller, Florida Wildlife Federation

- Charles Pattison, 1000 Friends of Florida

- Gerald Karnas, Environmental Defense

BUSINESS LEADERS

- Jerry Montgomery, a senior vice president at Walt Disney World

- Mark Kaplan, former Gov. Jeb Bush's last chief of staff, now employed by Mosaic, a phosphate fertilizer producer, and major Hillsborough County landowner

- Kathleen Shanahan, a former Bush chief of staff and now chief executive of WRS Infrastructure and Environment, a Tampa engineering firm

UTILITIES REPRESENTATIVE

- Armando Olivera, FPL Group president

CONSUMER ADVOCATE

- Jack Shreve, senior counsel to Crist

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

- Lisa Edgar, chairwoman

FLORIDA ENERGY COMMISSION

- Tommy Burroughs, chairman

ACADEMICIANS

- Dr. Lonnie Ingram, professor of microbiology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida

- Camille Coley, executive assistant vice president for research, Florida Atlantic University

- Dr. James Fenton, Florida Solar Energy Center, University of Central Florida

LEGISLATORS

- Sen. Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach

- Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee

- Rep. Stan Mayfield, R-Vero Beach

- Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach

[Last modified August 13, 2007, 22:30:05]