The Florida Legislature fails Floridians yet again on climate change

Who do you want making decisions about your health and safety? I want doctors and scientists making these decisions, not politicians.

We just came through another legislative session where the majority party made decisions that hurt you and your family.  They ignored what scientists and the medical community are telling them. They ignored facts. They ignored science. They ignored the public welfare. Put bluntly, our legislators turned their backs on the rational connections between facts and the choices they could have made for us. 

For example, in House Bill 1645, which overwhelmingly passed the Legislature and will soon be on the way to the governor, they did the “exact opposite” of what is needed to respond to climate change and protect you. They eliminated the words “climate change” in multiple places from the Florida statutes. This included language that directed the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services to consider energy efficiency, climate change and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of the state’s energy policy.

Instead, they substituted language, directing the department to focus on providing an adequate, reliable, and cost-effective supply of energy for the state which with other provisions in the bill favor natural gas. To accomplish that it eliminated the ability of local governments to prevent gas storage tanks including liquified natural gas tanks from being built in their communities and banned offshore wind turbines.