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200+ Anti-Fracking and Conservation Advocates to Gather in State Capital

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MEDIA ADVISORY

Advocates will rally for a fracking ban, conservation funding, and more

On Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., more than 200 anti-fracking and conservation advocates from the Panhandle to Miami will rally ahead of a statewide lobby day. Advocates will urge legislators to pass a statewide fracking ban, increase support for renewable energy, ensure Florida’s waters are protected and fund land conservation.
A bill proposed this year would dedicate $100 million annually to Florida Forever, the state’s premiere land conservation program. Legislation to ban fracking in Florida has also been introduced in both the state Senate and House with bipartisan sponsorship.
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
State Rep. Kathleen Peters (R-Treasure Island)
State Rep. Ben Diamond (D-St. Petersburg)
Dr. Lonnie Draper, Physicians for Social Responsibility
Kim Ross, ReThink Energy Florida
VISUALS: More than 200 anti-fracking and land conservation advocates from across the state, colorful signs and banners
WHEN: Wednesday, January 31st at 10:30 am
WHERE: Waller Park (in front of the dolphins), 400 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32301 (Florida State Capitol)

Statement on Florida potentially being back in the drilling plans

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Contrary to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s tweet from a few days ago, the acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Walter Cruickshank, stated at a Congressional hearing this morning that Florida is not off the table for offshore drilling activities.
“The administration is playing hokey pokey with Florida’s coasts,” said Jennifer Rubiello of Environment Florida. “First they put them in, then they take them out, and now this morning we hear they aren’t out after all. We’re getting shaken all about.”
“Opening up Florida’s coastal waters to drilling means opening them to potential disaster — destroyed beaches, lost sea life and ruined fishing grounds. It makes no sense to endanger our beautiful coasts and beaches, and way of life here, all for a little more oil,” added Rubiello.

Offshore drilling proposal threatens Florida’s coasts and marine wildlife

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Bidding for offshore oil and gas leases could begin as early as 2019 in almost all federal waters, including the Gulf of Mexico under a new Trump Administration proposal. Environment Florida denounced the plan, which would open vast new areas of the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf to drilling.
“Oil and gas drilling is an inherently dirty and dangerous business. There is simply no safe way to drill,” said Jennifer Rubiello with Environment Florida. “By allowing offshore drilling in more of our coastal waters, the Trump administration increases the chances of a dangerous oil spill. Opening these areas to drilling endangers sea life including whales, dolphins, and sea turtles, as well as the life and livelihoods of Floridians and all Americans in coastal communities.”
Public opposition to the proposed plan could still make a difference. It did during the Obama administration.
During President Barack Obama’s second term, his administration, under pressure from coastal communities and environmentalists, created a five-year plan that protected the Atlantic and Arctic from drilling. Then, just before leaving office, President Obama announced additional protections for parts of the Arctic and Atlantic. But after President Obama left office, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order vacating these additional protections. The matter is currently being litigated.
Today’s proposed plan is only the second stage in the approval process — and it is open to public comment. Once the Trump administration formally releases the plan, the public will have an opportunity to comment.
“Everyone who cares about clean and healthy oceans should make his or her voice heard by commenting against this proposal,” said Rubiello. “We will fight for our coasts by fighting this plan.”
By opening these areas to drilling, the Trump Administration will be acting counter to the best available science — and the will of coastal residents. The past two years has seen an outcry against drilling. Thousands of Floridians including business owners and a bipartisan coalition of local, state and federal legislators oppose drilling off of Florida’s shores. Similar organizing has also taken place up the Atlantic Coast and across the country in California.
“Instead of threatening our waterways and marine wildlife, President Trump should pay attention to the thousands of citizens, fishermen, and business owners along the Floridian Coast and the millions of Americans from Alaska to Maine who have already said ‘no’ to offshore drilling,” concluded Rubiello. “Today’s action is the wrong decision and we will do whatever it takes to block proposals to drill off our coasts.”

17 Florida Mayors Join National Call to Embrace Solar and Support Strong Policies

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17 Florida mayors are among 70 U.S. mayors nationwide calling for solar energy to power their communities. A statement released today by Environment America includes Florida mayors from cities ranging from Naples, Fla. to Pinellas Park, Fla. who agree on the need to tap into clean energy from the sun.
“There is no downside to solar energy,” said Naples, Fla., Mayor Bill Barnett. “It’s a win-win for all involved.”
Solar energy continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Latest figures from the Solar Energy Industries Association show that the U.S. now has enough installed solar capacity to power the equivalent of over 9 million homes. Cities that prioritize solar power have helped to drive this growth. In 2016, just 20 cities accounted for as much solar power capacity as the entire country had installed in 2010.
“Cities are natural leaders when it comes to solar energy,” said Emma Searson with Environment America. “They have high energy demand and lots of rooftop space suitable for solar panels. By pursuing local policies that prioritize solar, cities can maximize their solar potential, reduce pollution and improve public health.”
Environment America’s “Mayors for Solar Energy” statement has 70 signatories and continues to grow. It comes as state and local officials grapple with ways to promote renewable energy and work to address climate change, amid actions by the Trump administration to withdraw from the Paris climate accords and consider massive bailouts for outdated coal and nuclear power plants.
“Regardless of what’s happening around us, Austin will not stop fighting climate change,” said Austin, Texas, Mayor Steve Adler. “Worldwide, cities will lead in achieving climate treaty goals because so much of what’s required happens at the local level.”
Many cities are using solar to meet ambitious renewable energy targets. Traverse City, Mich., will build a solar project to meet its goal to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2020.
“Just last month we signed a contract in conjunction with Heritage Solar in conjunction with Traverse City Light and Power, our municipally owned power company, for a 1.2 megawatt local solar project,” said Traverse City Mayor Jim Carruthers. “We are currently working with other area providers to add to our renewable portfolio to meet our aggressive goal.”
Cities like Santa Monica, Calif., are going beyond municipal solar installations, creating local policies and utility arrangements that support solar energy.
“We support solar by installing it at public facilities, creating incentives for residents and businesses to do likewise, adopting policies like our Reach Code and our most recent action to join a public power agency to procure electricity for our residents and businesses with a much greater proportion of renewables than provided by our local utility,” said Santa Monica Mayor Ted Winterer.
Cities like Philadelphia are receiving recognition for their progress.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said, “Philadelphia is proud to have been designated a SolSmart Gold City by the US Department of Energy for our efforts to remove barriers to solar energy growth, and we are committed to supporting the growth of additional clean, renewable solar energy as a way to reduce costs and pollution.”
In the wake of devastating hurricanes this year, solar energy offered critical community resilience to some in Florida.
“Following Hurricane Irma,” said South Miami, Fla., Mayor Philip Stoddard, “we plugged our fridge into the inverter on our roof-top solar system. It kept the beer cold and the Klondike Bars frozen until the utility power came back up a week later.”
Mayors of towns large and small signed on to the letter, including Nederland, Colo., population 1,445.
“Solar is the obvious path forward for small towns like Nederland to reduce their emissions and impact on the planet,” said Nederland Mayor Kristopher Larsen.
The letter notes many positive aspects of local solar development that many cities are already achieving with commitments to clean energy.
“The transition to a clean energy future is one of the greatest opportunities of the 21st century for cities to improve community health, quality of life, environmental sustainability, and a vibrant and robust economy,” said Orlando, Fla., Director of Sustainability Chris Castro. “More than 50 percent of the world’s population now lives in cities, we have to be the ones that are leading on the important issues such as climate change, resilience, and urban sustainability.”
What Selected Mayors Have to Say About Solar:
Glenn Hendricks, Mayor, Sunnyvale, Calif.: “Given that we’re a ‘sun’ namesake, Sunnyvale supports solar by definition! Our commitment to renewable energy sources like solar is evident by Silicon Valley Clean Energy, the local community choice energy agency we helped launch in 2017. Sustainability is part of our organization’s DNA and we’re continuing to work with our community to find new ways to meet our aggressive climate action goals.”
Bill Barnett, Mayor, Naples, Fla.: “There is no downside to solar energy, it’s a win, win for all involved.”
Chris Castro, Director of Sustainability, Orlando, Fla.: “The transition to a clean energy future is one of the greatest opportunities of the 21st century for cities to improve community health, quality of life, environmental sustainability, and a vibrant and robust economy. More than 50 percent of the world’s population now lives in cities, so we have to be the ones that are leading on the important issues such as climate change, resiliency, and urban sustainability. That’s why Mayor Buddy Dyer and the City of Orlando leadership has decided to show our support for this effort and will continue pushing forward to our 100% renewable energy goals.”
Steve Adler, Mayor, Austin, Texas: “Austin will not stop fighting climate change. Worldwide, cities will lead in achieving climate treaty goals because so much of what’s required happens at the local level. Regardless of what happens around us, we’re still Austin, Texas, and that means aggressively increasing the amount of power we get from renewable resources to 65% by 2027.”
Jim Carruthers, Mayor, Traverse City, Mich.: “Traverse City has set an aggressive 100% renewable energy goal for itself by the year 2020 and we are well on our way at meet this goal. Just last month we signed a contract with Heritage Solar in conjunction with Traverse City Light and Power, our municipally owned power company, for a 1.2 megawatt local solar project.  We also have an option to purchase 2 additional megawatts in the near future.  We are currently working with other area providers to add to our renewable portfolio to meet our aggressive goal.  As you may already know, Traverse City placed the first municipal owned and operated utility grade wind generator here 20 years ago.  Traverse City is proud to be leaders in the renewable energy market and we are doing everything we can to more efficiently operate our systems through alternative resources.”
Ted Winterer, Mayor, Santa Monica, Calif.: “Santa Monica has ambitious environmental goals, including carbon neutrality by 2050. Solar is an essential tool to reduce our carbon emissions. We support solar by installing it at public facilities, creating incentives for residents and businesses to do likewise, adopting policies like our Reach Code and our most recent action to join a public power agency to procure electricity for our residents and businesses with a much greater proportion of renewables than provided by our local utility.”
Jim Kenney, Mayor, Philadelphia: “Solar energy is a key tool to achieving our clean energy future. Philadelphia is proud to have been designated a SolSmart Gold City by the US Department of Energy for our efforts to remove barriers to solar energy growth, and we are committed to supporting the growth of additional clean, renewable solar energy as a way to reduce costs and pollution.”
Philip Stoddard, Mayor, South Miami, Fla.: “Following Hurricane Irma, we plugged our fridge into the Sunny Boy inverter on our roof-top solar system.  It kept the beer cold and the Klondike Bars frozen until the utility power came back up a week later.”
Kris Larsen, Mayor, Nederland, Colo.: “Solar is the obvious path forward for small towns like Nederland to reduce their emissions and impact on the planet. Not only is pursuing this goal the right thing to do, it’s strengthening our sense of community to do so.”

Florida congressional delegation fails to stand up for environment and families' health on more than 50% of votes

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Environment Florida today released its federal scorecard evaluating how the Florida congressional delegation has voted when it comes to supporting clean air, clean water and other environmental protections. Absences count against a member’s score. State Director Jennifer Rubiello released the following statement:
“The country is terribly polarized these days on all sorts of issues, including the need to protect our environment. It shouldn’t be this way and it didn’t used to be. Although we do have a number of champs from both political parties, unfortunately more often than not the Florida delegation is no exception.
“Overall, the U.S. Senate scored only 48% and the U.S. House of Representatives scored 45%, which does not bode well for our air or water. The two Florida senators averaged 50% and our representatives averaged 50%, so we are actually just at the national average.
“That said, we in Florida can be proud that 2 members from both branches, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and U.S. Representative Darren Soto, voted with us 100% of the time. 
“Many legislators were out of town in early September because of Hurricane Irma which means they missed votes. Were it not for the hurricane, based on past voting records and other work likely at least ⅓ of the Florida congressional delegation would have scored over 90%, had they been present. We are confident Florida’s environment and families are represented by many real environmental champs. These members include U.S. Representative Kathy Castor, U.S. Representative Charlie Crist, and U.S. Representative Ted Deutch.
“It’s also good news that ⅔ of members were willing to part with their Republican colleagues to protect the environment on a variety of issues. Of this group U.S. Representative Brian Mast, U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo stand out for their work.
“But, unfortunately Florida also had 6 members, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Representative Ted Yoho, U.S. Representative Bill Posey, U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis, U.S. Representative Dennis Ross, and U.S. Representative Francis Rooney, who voted with us 0% of the time.
“The Florida delegation is a mixed bag when it comes to the environment. Here’s hoping our Congresspeople uniformly start to show the kind of strong and effective leadership we need to reflect the core environmental values so many of us share.”

Florida congressional delegation fails to stand up for environment and families’ health on more than 50% of votes

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Environment Florida today released its federal scorecard evaluating how the Florida congressional delegation has voted when it comes to supporting clean air, clean water and other environmental protections. Absences count against a member’s score. State Director Jennifer Rubiello released the following statement:

“The country is terribly polarized these days on all sorts of issues, including the need to protect our environment. It shouldn’t be this way and it didn’t used to be. Although we do have a number of champs from both political parties, unfortunately more often than not the Florida delegation is no exception.

“Overall, the U.S. Senate scored only 48% and the U.S. House of Representatives scored 45%, which does not bode well for our air or water. The two Florida senators averaged 50% and our representatives averaged 50%, so we are actually just at the national average.

“That said, we in Florida can be proud that 2 members from both branches, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and U.S. Representative Darren Soto, voted with us 100% of the time. 

“Many legislators were out of town in early September because of Hurricane Irma which means they missed votes. Were it not for the hurricane, based on past voting records and other work likely at least ⅓ of the Florida congressional delegation would have scored over 90%, had they been present. We are confident Florida’s environment and families are represented by many real environmental champs. These members include U.S. Representative Kathy Castor, U.S. Representative Charlie Crist, and U.S. Representative Ted Deutch.

“It’s also good news that ⅔ of members were willing to part with their Republican colleagues to protect the environment on a variety of issues. Of this group U.S. Representative Brian Mast, U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo stand out for their work.

“But, unfortunately Florida also had 6 members, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Representative Ted Yoho, U.S. Representative Bill Posey, U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis, U.S. Representative Dennis Ross, and U.S. Representative Francis Rooney, who voted with us 0% of the time.

“The Florida delegation is a mixed bag when it comes to the environment. Here’s hoping our Congresspeople uniformly start to show the kind of strong and effective leadership we need to reflect the core environmental values so many of us share.”

Senate Tax Bill Threatens America’s Environmental Future

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The U.S. Senate is voting on a tax bill today that would open America’s unspoiled Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling and maintains billion in tax breaks for fossil fuel producers while stifling the growing renewable energy sector. Environment Florida issued the following statement in response:

“With all the back and forth on who this tax bill benefits, the environment is the clear loser, with calamitous consequences for all Americans. The Senate is voting on handing over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling. And they’re simultaneously voting on killing the new solar and wind energy production we desperately need to combat the growing effects of global warming — while keeping subsidies for fossil fuel production. After months of global warming-fueled extreme weather and wildfires, and decades of air and water pollution from burning coal, oil and gas, it has never been more important to shift our country — wholesale and quickly — toward renewable energy. The Senate bill takes us in exactly the wrong direction.

The bill opens up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the last truly wild places on earth, to irreversible damage from oil and gas drilling. The Refuge supports caribou, polar bears, black and grizzly bears, arctic foxes, moose, muskoxen and more than 200 species of migratory birds. Opening this rugged wilderness to oil and gas drilling would not only blight a pristine landscape, it would threaten these creatures and the ecosystem with spills and pollution.

The bill also continues massive incentives for fossil fuel production amounting to tens of billions of dollars over the next decade. Most insidiously, an obscure provision recently added to the Senate Tax bill would stifle development of solar and wind energy by hurting the financial viability of new projects. With no public debate or time for Americans to respond, the Senate is threatening one of the keys to a livable future for our children and grandchildren.

The House tax bill isn’t any better. It also continues subsidies for fossil fuels, eliminates incentives for electric vehicles and slashes wind energy credits by at least one-third.

It’s time for Senator Rubio to join Senator Nelson in rejecting this bill to help ensure a cleaner, healthier energy future for our state, and to protect the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the places that makes all of the United States great.”

Pruitt Repeals Clean Water Protections for Nearly 2 Million Floridians

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt proposed repealing the Clean Water Rule, which restored federal protections to half our nation’s streams and thousands of wetlands across the country. Jennifer Rubiello, Environment Florida State Director issued the following statement:
Repealing the Clean Water Rule turns the mission of the EPA on its head: instead of safeguarding our drinking water, the Trump administration is proposing to stop protecting drinking water sources for nearly 2 million Floridians. It defies common sense, sound science and the will of the people of Florida.
Clean water is vital to our ecology, our health, and our quality of life. We are already seeing drinking water contaminated by algal blooms and a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico that scientists now estimate will be the size of New Jersey this summer. Just last year, Florida regulators also voted to increase the acceptable level of cancer-causing chemicals allowed in Florida’s rivers and streams. The last thing we need is the federal government weakening protections for our water as well.
Finalized in 2015 with widespread public and scientific support, the Rule restored federal protections to over 15,000 miles of Florida’s streams, which feed waterways like Tampa Bay and help provide drinking water to nearly 2 million Floridians. The rule also protects wetlands, which help filter out pollutants and provide wildlife habitat.
More than 800,000 Americans – including over 31,000 Floridians, business owners, local officials, farmers, and health professionals – all support the historic Clean Water Rule. On the other side, the most vociferous opponents of the rule include the oil and gas industry, coal companies, developers, and lobbyists for corporate agribusiness.
We call on the EPA to reconsider this reckless repeal and stand up for our drinking water, not for polluters.

Environment Florida's Response to Trump & Paris Agreement

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President Trump today abandoned the United States’ commitment to reducing pollution under the Paris Climate Agreement. This action increases the risks that the world will face from global warming – including dirtier air, water and food shortages, spreading disease, increasingly extreme weather, and loss of land mass to flooding.
Under the previous president, the country began making progress in reducing pollution. Now President Trump’s actions threaten to take the country in the wrong direction.
Jennifer Rubiello, state director of Environment Florida, made the following statement in response:
“When the nations of the world joined in the Paris accord, we all finally stood as one to begin to address the climate crisis. This embarrassing decision says to the world that the United States – the nation most responsible for global warming – feels no responsibility for cutting pollution, and pretends to prioritize the economy over the wellbeing of the world.
President Trump has got it exactly backwards: there’s no sound economy in our future without a healthy planet. If both our national and state leadership choose to ignore that reality, then mayors must step in to fill the leadership void to show the world that Americans will do our part to address the climate crisis.
Averting disaster would be easier with strong state and federal leadership, but it’s not too late to defend clean air and a livable climate. If President Trump won’t stick by the U.S. commitment to reduce pollution and if Governor Scott continues to bury his head in the sand, then it’s up to our cities and industries to take the lead in moving us towards a clean energy future.
Hundreds of cities  in the United States and around the world have pledged to accelerate carbon reductions to meet the goals of the Paris accord. Orlando, Florida is just the most recent of dozens of cities announcing a plan to shift to 100% clean renewable energy. To accelerate progress, every city in Florida and in the country must step up and take similar action. And clear-eyed players in the business community must lead on this issue as well.
In Washington, D.C., our U.S. Senators must act to protect vital pollution-cutting programs — including clean car standards and clean air standards — from any attack.
Ultimately, we all must work together to reduce and eliminate the pollution that is causing the world to warm. The health of Florida families and the world ecosystem are at stake.”

Senate votes to keep limits on dangerous methane pollution

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Today, 51 senators voted against an attempt to reverse an Obama-era regulation that tightens limits on methane emissions from oil and gas development on public lands.
“We’re thankful for Senator Bill Nelson for for voting today to stand up for our health, the environment and good science,” said Jennifer Rubiello, Environment Florida state director. “We’re disappointed to see Senator Rubio once again side with the interests of polluters rather than the health of Floridians.”
Environment America’s DC office director Anna Aurilio said the following:
“Our families and the planet we leave to future generations is a bit safer today thanks to the 51 senators who voted to keep in place limits on dangerous methane pollution.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20 year period when it comes to creating global warming. Thanks to the Obama Administration rule that will now stay on the books, oil and gas operations on public lands will need to clean up methane leaks.
The vote today is a good indicator that strong public support for our air and water and public lands can in fact win the day.”
Senate votes to keep limits on dangerous methane pollution.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20 year period when it comes to creating global warming. Thanks to the Obama Administration rule that will now stay on the books, oil and gas operations on public lands will need to clean up methane leaks.
The vote today is a good indicator that strong public support for our air and water and public lands can in fact win the day.”