TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Today, Sierra Club Florida sent Governor Ron DeSantis a letter urging him to veto HB 1645, “Energy Resources.”
If signed into law, HB 1645 would have far-reaching and devastating consequences for Florida’s health, economy, and environment. The bill was designed to actively prevent local governments and state agencies from taking action on the environment by:
- Making “resiliency facilities” to store and distributing all kinds of gas a permitted land use in every county and municipality in Florida, including zones for shopping, restaurants, and daycare centers;
- Discouraging state agencies and local governments from purchasing EVs by striking the requirement that they select the most fuel-efficient models;
- Reducing public and local government input on and review of gas pipelines by extending the certification exemption for pipelines up to 100 miles in length (up from the current 15-mile threshold);
- Striking the genuine clean renewable energy grant programs in the state while providing cost recovery for the gas industry; and Prohibiting Florida from accessing wind energy on or offshore.
The letter makes clear that inaction on climate change is costly and that signing this bill would continue a clear trend of skyrocketing property insurance premiums, increased costs to tax and ratepayers, intensifying storms, and more. As the impacts of climate change grow ever more palpable and the solutions grow ever more beneficial to the health and well-being of Florida’s economy and environment, failure becomes less affordable.
Sierra Club Florida Political Director Luigi Guadarrama said, “Eliminating the few genuine, clean, renewable energy grant programs in the state and at the same time providing cost recovery for the gas industry is a slap in the face of hard working Floridians. It is not our responsibility to prop up large out-of-state corporations with higher bills each month.”
Sierra Club Florida Executive Committee Chair James Scott said, “Why would we trade the ability to set Florida on the right track and prioritize pumping toxic greenhouse gasses into our homes and throughout our communities? People should have a say on whether or not to let that into their neighborhoods.”
Sierra Club Florida stands firmly against HB 1645, and remains committed to holding lawmakers and the Governor accountable for their inaction on climate change and the negative impacts it’s had on Florida’s families and communities.
###