the 941

Rain forests cool the planet. Forty to 75 percent of all species on earth live in tropical rain forests — species that most of us have never seen. It has been estimated that millions of species of plants, insects and microorganisms are still undiscovered within the world of the rain forest. We need rain forests.

Rain forests are known as the “world’s largest pharmacy” because of the large number of natural medicines that are discovered there. And they are also responsible for 28 percent of the world’s oxygen “turnover” – oxygenation through photosynthesis from carbon dioxide and storing it as carbon through a process that is called biosequestration.

But rain forests are also a primary source of revenue for many nations.

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This was a press release that I received last Saturday:

Boynton Beach, FL.: The Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy (FARE) believes that Florida must accelerate its diversification of energy producing sources beyond its current dependence upon fossil fuels, nuclear and natural gas. Providing renewable energy sources as additional choices for Florida’s consumers will introduce competition, spur technological advancement, create jobs, and bring new manufacturing and investment dollars into our State.

We urge the Florida Legislature to adopt a long term renewable energy public policy through the creation of an incentive-based funding source, which is dedicated to the growth of solar, wind, hydro and bio mass. Through the passage of a comprehensive, production-based incentive fund, renewable energy is capable of producing more energy than all other sources combined.

FARE does not support the coupling of future revenues from coastal oil exploration as a viable long term funding source for the creation of renewable energy incentives. Further, FARE believes that any funding which will encourage greater customer usage of renewable energy should be a production-based incentive.

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Carrying Messages of Climate Action to Sens. Nelson & LeMieux

This coming Sat., Oct. 24, is the International Day of Climate Action. All week long there will be events happening all over the world to promote the importance of an international climate treaty.

Washington, D.C.: Throughout this week, business owners, decision makers and faith leaders from Florida will travel to the nation’s capital to carry a message of action on climate change to Sen. Bill Nelson and George LeMieux. This diverse group of community leaders represents the broad range of concerns and opportunities that Floridians have about climate change. With 825 miles of coastline, our state is uniquely vulnerable to the threats of global warming like sea level rise and stronger storms, yet we also have excellent renewable resources available at our fingertips and are called through a moral imperative to take action immediately. On Sept. 30 Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) released a draft of the Senate’s Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act of 2009. The Senate is expected to vote on critical climate and energy legislation later this year.

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It has been long understood that the best way to combat climate change and reduce CO2 emissions is to become a more efficient community with our energy use. Average Americans have the ability to take action by creating an environment in their home that will use the least amount of energy in order to create a comfortable setting. And business owners have the same opportunity through the buildings that house their businesses.

Not only can we reduce the CO2 emissions that we put into the atmosphere, we can also help our monthly expenses when it comes to paying for the electricity that we purchase from our utility company. But when we decide to do this, where do we turn for help?

The utilities are truly the best people to evaluate your efficiency because they are the most familiar with how you use your electricity. They essentially have the inside scoop on what makes you happy in your home and office. But if your utility is an Investor Owned Utility (IOU), the problem is also just as plain as the answers on a cheat sheet. It is in their best interest not to be too efficient with their evaluation because they, like many other businesses, have a profit margin figured into their business plan. Promoting energy efficiency encourages you, their customers, to use less energy. With less electricity being purchased, their profit margin will also decrease.

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National Health Care has become the most important issue of the day. With the passing of Sen. Kennedy, more attention will be called to his legacy of wanting health care for all. This is a conversation that took place over the Internet between myself and two others. Michael Ashcroft is a graduate student in London, England, and Benjamin Newton is a Logistics Manager in southeast Ohio.

Michael Ashcroft
I still don’t understand how anyone can argue against universal health care.

Susan Nilon
People over here (in the United States) are saying that the people of England hate their health care and are advising us against it.

Michael Ashcroft
We don’t hate the NHS (National Health System) as a concept, but we get annoyed when billions of pounds (dollars) disappear into the financial black hole it seems to be. Just because it could be improved it doesn’t make the idea worthless.

Three years ago I dislocated my knee playing tennis. I waited four hours for the ambulance as it had other calls to attend to and I was in the middle of nowhere, but it came eventually. They took me 45 minutes to the nearest hospital, gave me gas to ease the pain and on my request, sedated me when they put my knee back into place (I didn’t want that memory — though the brain forgets pain, it doesn’t forget the movement of bone sliding against bone, I’ve discovered). The doctor didn’t have to put me out but I asked and he did. I woke up with a neoprene support (instead of a cast) on my leg, x-rays and was sent home.

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I recently attended a meeting with local business people who are working on promoting a Renewable Energy Dividend program for the state of Florida.  In attendance was Michael Antheil, the Executive Director of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy.

If you had to explain in simple terms, what is FARE’s main objective?

FARE’s objective is to achieve rapid, widespread deployment of renewable energy in Florida. Our goal is to see solar and other types of renewable energy on every rooftop and property in the state. Most importantly we want to see this outcome delivered in a reliable, safe and cost efficient manner to the consumer.

Last year, the city of Gainesville, Fla., adopted a Renewable Energy Dividend (RED) program to promote the use of renewable energy with its municipal utility. Your organization lobbied this past legislative session to support a bill written by Rep. Fitzgerald for a statewide RED. Why do you feel REDs are the direction that Florida take on a statewide level?
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While the citizens of Sarasota are very supportive of renewable energy and promote sustainability, our state representatives pretty much ignored any renewable energy legislation that was introduced this past legislative session. Rep. Keith Fitzgerald wrote a bill for a Feed-In Tariff (now called the Renewable Energy Dividend) that would have created legislation requiring all utilities within the state of Florida (municipal or otherwise) to purchase energy at a retail rate from residents and businesses who elected to participate in the program. These participants would generate energy themselves by placing solar panels on their homes, fields, or buildings and hooking up to the grid through net metering. They would then sell any unused electricity back to the utility company for a profit to help offset the costs of the equipmen

The purpose of this bill was to support a renewable energy market that would create jobs and promote industry. This bill had bipartisan support in the House, but was never introduced for a vote.

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WASHINGTON—In advance of today’s vote on the American Clean Energy and Security Act in the House of Representatives, Greenpeace USA Deputy Campaigns Director Carroll Muffett issued the following statement:

“Since the Waxman-Markey bill left the Energy and Commerce committee, yet another fleet of industry lobbysists has weakened the bill even more, and further widened the gap between what Waxman-Markey does and what science demands.  As a result, Greenpeace opposes this bill in its current form.  We are calling upon Congress to vote against this bill unless substantial measures are taken to strengthen it.  Despite President Obama’s assurance that he would enact strong, science-based legislation, we are now watching him put his full support behind a bill that chooses politics over science, elevates industry interests over national interest, and shows the significant limitations of what this Congress believes is possible.

“As it comes to the floor, the Waxman-Markey bill sets emission reduction targets far lower than science demands, then undermines even those targets with massive offsets. The giveaways and preferences in the bill will actually spur a new generation of nuclear and coal-fired power plants to the detriment of real energy solutions. To support such a bill is to abandon the real leadership that is called for at this pivotal moment in history.  We simply no longer have the time for legislation this weak.

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This is the second installment of my interviews with our local state legislators. I met with Rep. Holder at his office to talk about his thoughts on where we’ve been and where we are headed.

Did the legislative session meet your expectations?

The legislative session was challenging to say the least. My expectations going in were simply our constitutional charge — which was to balance the budget. And that, in itself, was a challenge. It required the majority of our time. Did it meet my expectations? I am happy with the fact that we were able to balance the budget and at the same time increase funding per student for education. So many people love to look at the number which is allocated for education and if that number is lower than it was last year, then they say, “We cut spending.” … But that’s not true. What happens is that we have an exact amount that is allocated per student in the state of Florida and the number of students fluctuates every year. And because our student population has decreased by 6,000 students from the past year, then that number will decrease accordingly. So even though the entire amount was decreased, the “per-student” amount has increased. That is one thing that I am happy that we were able to do.

We were also able to continue funding health care to the most vulnerable in Florida. One of my biggest successes was to continue the funding for Coastal Behavioral and First Step programs.

The disappointments are that we have more work to do with property insurance and tax reform. My big focus for Sarasota is creating incentives for business to provide new jobs and revenue such as green development and a comprehensive energy plan.

Any idea on how you will go about doing that?

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Darren Samuelsohn and Ben Geman, E&E senior reporters:

Two powerful House Democratic committee chairmen announced terms of a deal this evening on a comprehensive global warming bill, paving the way for a vote later this week.

Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) told reporters today he would vote for the House climate bill — and bring dozens of rural lawmakers with him — after Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) agreed to make a number of concessions that had drawn the ire of farm state members.

Waxman agreed to put the Agriculture Department — rather than U.S. EPA — in the lead for management of the offset program that pays farmers and other landowners to conduct environmentally friendly projects. Congress will turn to the Obama administration for guidance on how to fold in EPA.

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