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Advocate: House Energy Committee Passes Out Renewable Energy Bill?

Week 6 at the Capitol saw the acceleration of bills being passed on the floor of both the Senate and the House, and committees heard important environmental bills affecting local fertilizer ordinances, springs protection, aquatic preserves and renewable energy incentives. We anticipate a bill on nearshore oil drilling will emerge next week, and conference negotiations on budget issues will begin in earnest. Read on for updates and opportunities to get involved. Thanks for all your support this legislative session! ~ Audubon of Florida Policy Team

House Energy Committee Passes Out PCB EUC 10-06  Renewable Energy Bill

This bill would:   
  • provide incentives to allow utilities to build or buy up to 735 megawatts of renewable energy capacity (as much as two large power plants),
  • allow utilities to recover their investment in renewable capacity,
  • follow up on HB 7135 from 2008 which allowed cost recovery for 110 megawatts of solar renewable energy, and
  • require utilities to pay 80% of retail costs to renewable energy providers (redefines avoided cost).  This provision would reward existing renewable providers such as waste-to-energy plants.

FPL Opens Solar Plant at Kennedy Space Center

Audubon of Florida's Executive Director, Eric Draper, was at the commissioning of the Space Coast Solar Energy Center. Read more about this new solar plant.

Unfortunately, the bill also removes the important existing policy and intent language that promotes renewable energy.  An amendment by Rep. Gibbons (D-Hallandale Beach) reinserted new intent language which improved the bill.

Audubon and its allies continue to push for a renewable portfolio standard which would mandate that a certain percentage of electricity come from renewable sources. Some fear that without a mandate, utilities will not move forward with renewable projects.  House leaders have responded that they will not allow a renewable standard to move forward and will only allow incentives.  One committee member called having a specific standard "arbitrary."  All 110 megawatts of renewable capacity approved in 2008 have been used.   

On a positive note:  Rep. Horner did not offer his amendment to reverse the state’s commitment to conservation as a way to avoid building new power plants. Hundreds of members of Audubon’s Florida Conservation Network wrote to House committee members objecting to the rumored amendment.  Audubon learned that the House leadership urged Rep. Horner not to offer the amendment, so thanks to all who wrote.


Governor Crist Celebrates Florida Forever Day at the Capitol

Wednesday, the Florida Forever Coalition welcomed Governor Crist to Florida Forever Day at the Capitol, where he gave a rousing presentation to attendees and the Capitol Press Corps on the importance of Florida Forever to our state’s ecology AND economy. Coalition members from around Florida joined the festivities with exhibits from their areas, showcasing how important continuation funding for this program is to local communities. While historical funding levels for Florida Forever and Everglades have typically been annual bonded appropriations of $300M and $200M respectively, this year, funding is in jeopardy. Currently, The Senate budget includes bridge funding in cash amounts of $15M for Florida Forever and $10M for Everglades Restoration, and the House budget does not contain any funding for these important programs. Take action: Write your legislators and urge them to support funding for these essential programs, to ensure program continuity over the next year.

Springs Protection

Sen. Lee Constantine’s exhaustive water bill, SB 550, which includes long-awaited springs protection measures, passed out of the Senate Government Oversight and Accountability Committee, thanks in part to the supportive comments of Sen. Eleanor Sobel (D-Hollywood) and Sen. Dennis Jones (R-Seminole). Developers expressed concerns about regulations the bill includes that would better protect springs and other groundwater from contamination from septic tanks, and conservation groups cheered the same protections as long-overdue for springs' health. A revised version of the bill is expected soon, to address concerns with stormwater and nutrient aspects of the bill. Next stop: Senate Ways and Means, which could be a tough one. Lend your voice to Florida’s springs! Take action: If you haven’t already, write your legislators urging them to support strong springs protections.

Coast Guard taking samples from a site affected by an oil spill in Louisiana a few days ago. © USGS

Oil Drilling

While Speaker-elect Dean Cannon previously indicated his nearshore drilling bill would be released in Week 6, we expect instead that it will be debuted early next week (Week 7). On the federal front, the Obama Administration’s proposal to allow drilling in a larger area of the eastern Gulf, as well as allow seismic exploration for oil and gas off Florida’s Atlantic Coast was met with dismay by Florida Audubon. The Minerals Management Service has already scheduled public scoping meetings on the environmental impacts of seismic exploration in the Atlantic, and one such meeting will be held April 21 in Jacksonville. The waters off Georgia and Northeast Florida are the calving grounds of highly endangered North Atlantic Right Whales, a species potentially susceptible to harm from seismic exploration.


Bills Threaten Aquatic Preserves

One way that aquatic preserve rules protect the state’s valuable submerged resources is to limit the size of docks built into preserves from neighboring private property. Private property owners are allowed reasonable structures, with the intent of minimizing the impacts to seagrasses, emergent marsh, mangroves and listed species like manatees, American Oystercatchers and more. HB 831 by Rep. Janet Adkins (R-Fernandina Beach) proposes to grandfather docks built illegally in Nassau-St. Johns Marshes Aquatic Preserve—docks built without a permit, larger than allowed in aquatic preserve rule, and/or without a lease from the state for the submerged lands where they are built—so that their owners cannot be required to bring them into compliance. Despite testimony from Audubon and the Nature Conservancy, this bill passed the House Economic Development and Community Affairs Policy Committee Wednesday.

The next day on the Senate Floor, Sen. Stephen Wise (R-Jacksonville) proposed to amend companion language onto an unrelated docks bill by Sen. Thad Altman (R-Melbourne). Wise’s amendment would not only grandfather illegal docks in the Nassau preserve, but in all aquatic preserves statewide! Fortunately, Sen. Altman requested Wise withdraw the amendment, stating that aquatic preserve rules serve many purposes, including protection of neighboring property owners’ interests and protection of navigation. Audubon will continue to work on this bad language, which sends the message to would-be environmental violators that it is better to ask forgiveness than permission in aquatic preserves.


Local Fertilizer Programs Preempted  

Today in the House General Government Policy Council, Rep. Ralph Poppell (R-Titusville) proposed and won approval of an amendment to HB 1445 that would invalidate all existing and future local ordinances that protect waterways from nutrient impacts by limiting the sale of fertilizer. Many of Florida’s surface waters are impaired by an excess of nutrients—specifically nitrogen and phosphorus. One source of these nutrients is the overuse of landscape fertilizer which is washed into waterbodies by stormwater runoff. Some cities and counties concerned for their water quality have chosen to limit the use and/or sale of certain particularly harmful fertilizers within their geographic limits. With backing from the fertilizer industry, Poppell’s amendment says that these cities and counties no longer have the right to protect their water from fertilizer pollution by restricting sales.  Audubon, the Florida Association of Counties, Florida League of Cities, Hillsborough County, Sierra, and others spoke in opposition to this bad language.


Tomorrow is the Big Day: BIRDATHON!

Whether it’s 2 cents or $2 a bird, every pledge can help make a difference for Florida’s natural resources (and is tax-deductible to boot). Pledge now via email and we’ll let you know next week how our team fared, with all the juicy details!

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