President Obama, FPL Solar Array, and Me.

This past Tuesday I had the distinguished privilege of riding in President Obama's motorcade while he paid a visit to Florida Power & Light's (FPL)Solar Array located in Desoto County.  With such dignitaries as Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, and Carol Browning, Asst. to the President for Energy and Climate Change, and local leaders like Representative Kathy Castor and Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, it was a pretty significant day for me. While I don't proclaim to have a hand in anything that was involved with the day, the fact that our President was here to promote something that I truly believe is the future of our state leaves me to feel pretty honored to have been included.

With the tumultuous relationship that our state has had with renewable energy, it is significant that we now have the largest solar array in the country located right in the middle of Desoto County.

"The DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, which uses more than 90,000 PV panels that turn the sun's rays into electricity to power more than 3,000 homes, is generating significant economic and environmental benefits. At a time when Florida is suffering from the worst economy in a generation, the solar project created 400 well-paying construction jobs. In addition, the DeSoto solar array will avoid 575,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions." - FPL

In a program that they are calling Energy Smart Florida, FPL pledges and investment of  $378 million along with the federal government funding of $200 million to promote a Smart Grid system for Florida. In anticipation of creating 6000 jobs, the project will promote

"revolutionary new technologies that will help FPL build a more intelligent network that is able to detect potential problems and automatically reconfigure the grid to minimize outages. In addition, smart meters will give customers the ability to see their usage online by the hour, day and month, enabling them to better understand their energy consumption and paving the way for them to make energy efficient, cost-saving choices." - FPL

The DeSoto plant was constructed ahead of schedule in less than a year and $22 million under budget. The plant will generate more than $2 million in additional property tax revenue for DeSoto County through the end of 2010 and $37 million over the life of the project. RTT News

I could go on and tout all of the wonderful things that are included in the press releases now being sent out, but I don't need to.  What I do want to call attention to is the underlining message that most of us seem to miss when we debate about the value of renewable energy and it's place in our state.   Unlike the effort that was easily quashed during the Carter years, this movement is nothing like it's predecessor.  Companies are taking stock in the innovation that is before us with renewable energy.  There is money to be made and and true capitalist is in tune with this.

FPL has continued to ask for state and federal support throughout this project. They will tell you that without subsidies and regulations that allow them to continue to promote innovation, it just can't be done. And I am the first one to promote legislation that will help the renewable industry and the people behind it because I think that we need it.

But the truth is there are plenty of good examples of people not waiting for the government to step in and help out.  From municipalities like Gainesville, Florida to small business owners like the Triple J Ranch in Sarasota who invested  $500,000 in solar panels to harness the sun's energy on their barns, people recognize that the renewable industry is their ticket to a better future.  They are quietly making their mark in solar, wind, bio-fuels, and energy storage systems without hesitation.  These people have realized that the future is in their hands.

Mayor Hanrahan of Gainesville will tell you that "Gainesville has 32 MW of solar feed-in-tariff contracts to purchase energy from rooftop PV systems, and also has a fair amount of net metering. Our prices have come down a fair amount in the last year, because we require open books, and receipts, for those who enter into contracts with us, and we have gone from one solar installer to six in the last year or so. The cheapest thing to do is to retrofit for energy efficiency. This can save at least 30% in energy use by most residential and commercial buildings."

While we fight over the need for the Cap-n-trade bill or the removal of the off-shore drilling ban, you must know that the smart people are not waiting for the government to lead the way.  Just take a look around and start to note what people are doing not what they are saying.

As for me and my day with our President.  Well, becasue I was a part of the motorcade, I missed his speech. He kept a tight schedule that day and I wasn't allowed the time to sit and listen.  "You need to stay here because when the President is ready to leave, we don't want to have to come and look for you," was the famous last words.  If it wasn't for my "need to go to the bathroom" I would have missed the opportunity for the pictures I took of the speech.  Don't ask if the bathroom was located right next to the podium...let's just say I got lost.

So I listened to his speech like most Americans these days - via the Internet.   The President's speech

"You can't put a mountain top back"

To see what coal mining is doing right in front of our faces, please take a look at this:

Leveling Appalachia: The Legacy of Mountaintop Removal Mining Video

Why can't we stop this antiquated way of producing energy!

Florida vacationers and Off-shore drilling: where oil and water don't mix.

The other night I had dinner with clients from Canada.  They own a place along our coast and have been vacationing down here for years.  In fact, as the years go by, they are spending more time here than they do at home.  And why wouldn't they?  Beautiful weather, beaches, sunshine...life in Florida for most of the year is "like being on vacation all of the time."

However, life in Florida is being altered for our tourists and snow birds.  The idea that Florida offers a beautiful and relaxing retreat from every day life is no longer a given.  Issues, such as off-shore drilling, are creeping into the fabric of our state and are beginning to make a difference to those that rely on Florida as a place to get away from it all.

When I asked my clients what they thought of the issue of off-shore drilling, I was secretly hoping that they would hear the cry of battle and ask where they can enlist. Their response was very sobering. They said that they were talking about relocating.  First they talked about moving down the coast, until they realized that the issues would just follow them.  In the end they confessed that they have been thinking about the Cayman Islands.  And why wouldn't they?  As much as I didn't like to hear that, it is a reality that we all must face.  A good portion of our state is made up of people who have a limited allegiance to Florida.  Florida serves a purpose for them, and when it no longer serves that purpose, they will find their needs met elsewhere.

And for those of you who will argue that the state needs an economy that is not based on tourism, don't be so quick to think we can live without them.  My clients, in particular, have been here for years.  Along with themselves, they have brought their family and friends who have in turn also purchased vacation property along our coast.  When they come here for a visit, they spend their time vacationing - which means an incredible influx of money spent on dining, shopping, and entertainment.  They have also purchased several condos through the years that have required remodeling.  All in told, they have spent millions of dollars on properties, contractors, furnishings, and trimmings in this state.  Multiply that by the people that come here because of them and you can see how it spirals.  When they leave, it's not just two people who will be leaving the state.  And if you can surmise from their reaction to how Florida is being governed, imagine how many other "vacationers" are feeling the same way.

The argument for off-shore drilling has always been underlined with the amount of revenue it will bring to the state.  And since our state is expected to be in the hole with a $2.6 billion deficit this year, its hard to argue that on face value.   But this argument is riddled with gross assumptions that are made, not only by the people that are working directly to make this happen, but also by the general public.  Nowhere in the current legislation that is being proposed does it include any revenue sharing like they do in Alaska.  Granted, it will give a quick shot in the arm to our state by what I like to call a "signing bonus", but the money in general, is years off and at it's best, vague on the overall affect it will have on the state as a long term solution for our economic woes.  Compare that to the immediate loss of the billions of dollars that will be leaving the state because of this issue and you will be hard-pressed to call off-shore drilling a "solution".

Consider the physical impact that off-shore drilling will produce to our visitors and our residents.   Forget about the concern for oil spills, just the exploration alone will bring about an immediate change. Here's an example of what is experienced:

 Oil exploration doesn't have to get to the point of drilling the well to do damage, because even the mapping of rock formations--which would probably occur prior to leasing--requires use of explosives-level seismic air guns. What's that mean? Here's a description from the Canadian group, Oil Free Coast: 

This deafening noise causes fish swim bladders to explode, it kills marine larvae and disrupts the traditional migratory paths of some fish species and marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins. In some places, these disturbances have resulted in reductions in commercial fish catches up to 50 percent, and have caused whales to leave waters where they are habitually found.

 Anna Maria Island has been tagged as the place where all things associated with "exploration" will be launched in our immediate area.  Docks, barges, large equipment, workers will call Anna Maria Island their new home.  And for those of you who have not had the good fortune of visiting Anna Maria Island, you should know that there isn't a spot left that has gone undeveloped.  It is a city  that is "a mere 1.5 square miles in size and has 1650 year- round residents." It is a vacation spot for thousands of tourists annually.  Anna Maria Island boasts that they will have over 400 weddings performed there this year alone.  So this pretty little island that is laced with old homes, modern architecture, a community theater, churches, restaurants, and white sand beaches will become a home base for Big Oil.

Is this a place where people will continue to consider when they make their plans for their wedding, honeymoons, vacations, family reunions, or company gatherings once the first nail is driven into a pier that will support off the barges for the exploration of off-shore drilling? Just the mention of that possibility is giving our tourists a moment of pause.

Most recently the Chicago Tribune reported the following concerns of NOAA - National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration :

In strong language, NOAA said it was "very concerned" that the Department of Interior's 2010-2015 draft leasing plan to open up new drilling areas in the Arctic coast, the Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico would have devastating impacts on marine life, commercial and recreational fisheries and the ocean's resources.

The agency's letter to Interior officials sharply criticizes the leasing plan's assessment of the risks of such catastrophes as oil spills, calling them "understated and generally not supported or referenced," according to the Chicago Tribune.

So when you consider your support for this effort and you are accused of being a "NIMBY" (Not In My Back Yard), don't shy away from the scrutiny.  It has nothing to do with being a hypocrite when you are fully evaluating the economic and environmental impact of such a large undertaking on your community.  Getting caught up in the talking points of off-shore drilling supporters is doing an incredible disservice to our state and the industry of tourism.  Realizing that the future impacts of off-shore drilling or "near-shore" drilling (as some fence riders like to call it), are here and now.  Now matter how you spin it, oil and water don't mix.

Greenpeace Analysis Shows Global Warming Solution Rests with Obama’s Leadership

WASHINGTON—In a new analysis of the climate legislation pending in both houses of Congress, Greenpeace cautioned the Obama Administration today that the bills are compromised by loopholes and handouts that do more to perpetuate our country's addiction to fossil fuels than to rebuild the economy with clean energy sources and avert a global warming catastrophe.


“Incumbent industry and energy interests have too powerful a hold on members of Congress. They have hijacked the legislation and structured it to serve their own special interests,” according to the analysis of the House's American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) and the Senate's Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (CEJAPA).

In light of the overwhelming advantage the bills give fossil fuel interests, patronage written into the very letter of the legislation (in some cases by corporate lobbyists themselves), the analysis concludes that in order for a bill capable of tackling the dual climate and energy crises to pass Congress, there is no alternative to “active and principled engagement from the Oval Office.”

Written in plain English and prefaced by a letter to President Obama, “Business as Usual” highlights areas where the proposed legislation threatens to undermine efforts to transition to clean energy sources, return the country to leadership in the international arena, and address the devastating climate disruptions that are now striking the world with greater frequency. The analysis concludes that the president must address the following five areas to preserve the integrity of a key environmental law domestically and lead the world toward a solution to global warming:

•  The Clean Air Act is Being Threatened. Congress is threatening to preempt the Clean Air Act from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from the biggest pollution sources in the nation. The Senate version provides some protections for the key environmental law, but it has already been suggested that this key authority may be traded away to earn more support for the bill.

•  The Carbon Cap Has Little Bite. Congress is adopting a false 2005 benchmark to make the proposed US carbon cap look significant, when in reality it pales in comparison to what the science demands and what our allies in Europe have adopted.

•  Coal is Anointed the Future Clean Energy Source of Choice. Dirty coal is the big winner of the legislation, being handed tens of billions of dollars to make itself clean. No other single truly clean technology – wind, solar or geothermal – comes close to receiving the same level of federal support.

• Handouts and Loopholes are Legion. The legislation will create a new form of carbon currency. Instead of auctioning the credits to make polluters pay for pollution, lawmakers are giving away the credits for free, with the lion’s share going to polluters. At the same time, Congress has created an enormous loophole – 2 billion tons of offsets – that will effectively postpone the need to reduce US industrial emissions for close to two more decades.

• Truly Clean Energy is Provided Insufficient Support. The outcome of the federal support for truly clean energy created by the legislation is less than what would happen if Congress did nothing. Support for truly clean energy development from state governments and private enterprise already surpasses the weak structure of incentives embedded in the pending federal legislation.

“Addressing global warming is a matter of national security and economic and environmental urgency of the highest order. Even though the business of America is business, the continuation of business as usual will usher in an unprecedented, sustained and irreversible period of national and global catastrophe,” the analysis concludes.

If these five points of maximum danger are not addressed, the legislation will succeed in perpetuating business as usual and usher in an endless fossil future. “Business as Usual,” was written on behalf of Greenpeace by David Sassoon, president of Science First Inc, publisher of SolveClimate with analysis provided by PointCarbon and ICF International.

Read Full Report At:
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/reports4/business-as-usual

Diverse Group of Floridians Travel to Capitol Hill to see Sens Nelson and LeMieux

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.

WHAT: Tele-press conference to hear concerns from coastal business leaders, decision makers, and experts about the impacts of climate change and the opportunities for jobs and new industries. This is a live tele-conference from D.C.

WHEN: 11:50am Wed., Oct. 21,

WHERE: 605-475-6333, Participant Access Code: 684607

WHO:

• Stephen Smith, Executive Director, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and featuring:

• Reverend Dr. Warren Clark, Associate Director, Faiths United for Sustainable Energy, Tampa, Fla.

• Wayne Gideons, President, Yaroke USA – bioenergy producer, Tampa, Fla.

• Mr. Kelly M. Kirschner, Vice-Mayor and Sarasota Commissioner, Sarasota, Fla.

• Rabbi David Weizman, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom, Clearwater, Fla.

Please feel free to call in and show your support!

Demetra McBride and David Benzing on WMNF Podcast

In case you missed it, here is the podcast of today's show:RadioActivity with Rob Lorei

Just plug in the date of 10/20/09 and it will pull it up.  They are the second half of the show (even though the whole show is worth the listen) if you are short on time.

Radioactivity: Live Call-In today!

Today at 1:30, Rob Lorei will interview on his show RadioActivity two people who have made their mark, not only in Sarasota, but also in environmental science.  This is a part of the effort to bring attention to Saturday's big event of the International Day of Climate Action.  Hosted by 350.org, organizations from around the world will participate in this main event to show how important it is that we reach an international climate treaty.

His guest are:

David Benzing

He holds a PhD in botany from the University of Michigan. He taught biology and environmental science at Oberlin College for 41 years. He's published four books, chapters in more than a dozen more volumes, plus about 75 research reports in technical journals including on titled "Climate Change". He has also taught a course on climate change to undergraduates. He currently occupies an honorary position at the Selby gardens.

Demetra McBride

Schooled both here and in Europe, Demetra McBride is a former lawyer, currently working for Sarasota County's Environmental Resource Management division. McBride regularly publishes and presents on climate action and urban heat islands, as well as mitigation/adaptation strategies and countermeasures to both. Most recently, she presented her peer-reviewed paper on eco-masterplanning cities as urban islands before an international audience of scientists and researchers at a conference hosted by Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories.

So please take the time to listen.  It will be a very good half hour.

(c) Daniel Dancer and Uden Partners

The O.K. Corral - A showdown of the solar industry of Florida

The Florida Solar Energy Industry Association (FLSEIA) went rogue last week and decided to join the supporters of Off-shore drilling(OSD). What appeared to be another blow to the environmentalists movement to promote renewable energy and fight off-shore drilling in this state, now seems more the setting of an old spaghetti western. What strange bedfellows...Big oil and the Solar industry. And while at first glance, you notice it as an odd pairing, you realize that if you look a little closer...something is rotten in the old state of Florida.

From that moment that FLSEIA announced it's relationship with Big Oil, the solar industry in Florida has been up in arms. A house divided, confused, and blind-sided by this decision to get into bed with their major competitor, solar reps found themselves fending off everyone from business owners to little old ladies who felt betrayed by this decision.

With the promise of future subsidies from our state and the oil industry, FLSEIA felt it was a win-win situation. Even though the subsidies are only a promise of future capitol, the road along that way was paved with continued help by the environmentalists who promote renewable energy for our state. Citing the "no confidence" argument when it comes to legislative support, what FLSEIA did appeared on the outside to be a shrewd business maneuver to remain prosperous during tough times ahead. To a pure capitalist, it was a brilliant move (no pun intended). "Keep you friends close and your enemy's closer" is the saying that comes to mind.

Last week, when FLSEIA held a board meeting to go over this issue, members came in from all over the state to attend. But instead of it being a strategy session for the money that was due to come in, it turned out to be a showdown of great proportions. One gentleman drove 3 hours to walk across the room, hand in his resignation to the board, and then turn around and drive home. It seems that it wasn't the FLSEIA who went rogue on the solar industry, but one chairman who went rogue on FLSEIA.

Like any good spaghetti western, you have the protagonist and the antagonist. And while the protagonist hasn't surfaced, the antagonist is standing under the light right now. It appears that the Executive Director of FLSEIA, R. Bruce Kershner, was speaking out of turn when he launched his support on behalf of the members of FLSEIA to Rep. Dean Cannon. In a letter to Rep. Cannon, Kershner wrote,

"FLASEIA believes that you proposal has the potential to provide and create a cleaner and wealthier future for Florida."

 But the truth is, not all members fo FLSEIA believe that.

What is futther comming into question is the real motive behind this move. The murmer in the crowd indicates that the lobbyists for the oil company and the lobbyists for FLSEIA might be one in the same. It's also in question what the board members of FLSEIA will do with this new divide.

Just yesterday I recieved a press release from Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy (FARE) where it stated the following:

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.

Therefore, FARE does not support the recent decision made by the Florida Solar Energy Industry Association (FlaSeia), to utilize revenues from the exploration for oil along Florida's coastline as a means to fund renewable energy expansion. FARE also does not support FlaSeia's decision to seek only a continuation of Florida's Solar Installation Rebate Program during the upcoming 2010 Legislative Session, rather than a broader agenda which incorporates a long term dedicated funding source, specifically, a production-based incentive policy. FARE calls into question the lack of foresight on the part of FlaSeia to endorse oil exploration legislation sight unseen and strongly urges FlaSeia to reverse their endorsement of any proposed legislation until such time that an actual Bill is introduced and the entire renewable energy industry has the proper opportunity to act as one unified voice.

I can only imagine that we will be seeing a lot more of these in the days to come.  So I suggest you belly up to the bar, it's going to be quite a show.

Rising Seas: Challenges and opportunities for the Low Country

Rising Seas: Challenges and Opportunities for the Lowcountry from Open Dome Studios on Vimeo.

Going Rogue - Florida Solar Energy Industries Association works out a deal with Big Oil

This past Friday, word went out the the Florida Solar Industries Association (FLSEIA)has decided to become a beneficiary of off-shore drilling along the coast of Florida. Unbeknown to the most of us are what deal was struck between the two entities - the Big Oil and the Florida Solar Industry. But the word around town is that the oil industry has agreed to allow the solar industry to benefit from a tax that would come from the drilling of oil off our coast. The payoff would not begin for another 10 years.

To explain the motivation behind FLSEIA's decision, here is a quote from their Executive director:

The Florida Solar Energy Industries Association has long been a vocal supporter of the Florida Solar Energy System Incentives Program to provide rebates to homeowners and businesses on the purchase of solar energy equipment, but due to the state’s budget crisis, the program did not receive state funding in 2009.

Instead, the program received temporary federal stimulus funds that will disappear in less than two years. Revenues from offshore drilling should be invested in making this program permanent, [FSEIA executive director] Kershner said. bnet

If we take a look back at the years past, the Florida legislature has done very little to help protect the future of the solar industry. Last year, proponents of the renewable energy industry, that included the solar industry, were close to getting that support with guidelines that were set by Governor Crist - 20% renewable energy by 2020. The Florida Senate passed a "Clean Energy Bill" with the help of Senator King (who has since passed away), but the bill was never acknowledged by the Florida House of Representatives, and therefore it died in the House.

Some people from the solar industry have been around long enough to know what happens when the support of the government dry up. When President Regan came into office, not only did he remove the solar panels that President Carter had installed on the White House, he ended any subsidies that were in place to help the budding industry. Most solar businesses could no longer sustain themselves during that time and those that survived don't want to see it happen again.

But the fallout from the agreement between Big Oil and Florida Solar has not been pleasant. Environmental groups that have been working side-by-side with the solar industry feel betrayed. This maneuver seems to feed into that divide-and-concur strategy that Big Oil uses to meet their goals. During the last week of the last session, Rep. Dean Cannon (R-Orlando) slipped in a bill for off-shore drilling that caught everyone by surprise. The House voted on the bill after only a few hours of presentation and it passed. When it arrived in the Senate, Senator King(R- Jacksonville) felt that more time was needed to study the bill and it died before it came to the floor. But that did not deter Big Oil. Only days after the session ended, the oil lobbyists were hard at work paying visits to the members of the Florida House and Senate getting ready for the next upcoming session.

Big Oil (and I use that term because they have yet to be identified) has hired 3 lobbyists for every member of the Florida Senate. They have hired 5 black lobbyists to appeal to the Black Caucus. And now this. Even Governor Crist has said that he would be willing to look at Off-shore drilling during the special session that might be called next month. The oil industry is showing the state, with the millions of dollars that they are spending just to get a bill passed, that they have what it takes.

What the oil industry wants you to focus on is bringing money into the state. Offering the promise of jobs and revenue, lawmakers see it as a similar opportunity that they saw in the state lottery and gambling. What environmentalists want you to focus on is what happened this past August, 2009 (just a few months ago) off the coast of Australia. A drilling rig, located 12 miles off the northern coast has been estimated to be leaking 470,000 liters a day. This rig is owned by Thailand-company PTTEP Australasia, and will rival the environmental damage produced by the Exxon-Valdez off the cost of Alaska in the 1980's - killing an enormous amount of sea creatures like turtles, whales, dolphins, sea birds and sea snakes.

The oil and gas spill is still not under control and is expected to continue leaking for two months. Depending on winds, the slick could be pushed to atolls like Scott and Ashmore Reef - areas that are globally significant for their unique wildlife Mongobay.com

The problem is that mainstream media isn't covering this, so the details are hard to find. But here is a photo of the event:

So where will that leave groups like the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense fund who have been working overtime to fight Off-shore drilling? What will this year look like when the Florida House and the Senate meet up once again to consider passing legislation that will help the Green industry in Florida? With this new partnership between Florida Solar and Big Oil, I wonder if they will see a need to do anything at all.