The last time I wrote about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, he had just approved a measure that banned the sale and manufacture of lab-grown meat in his state.
DeSantis has now gone even further in assuring his state’s prosperity while using sound science paired with good judgment. He has just signed a law removing references and requirements related to climate change from Florida policy.
Florida’s state government will no longer be required to consider climate change when crafting energy policy under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican.The new law, which passed the Florida Legislature in March and takes effect on July 1, will also prohibit the construction of offshore wind turbines in state waters and will repeal state grant programs that encourage energy conservation and renewable energy.The legislation also deletes requirements that state agencies use climate-friendly products and purchase fuel-efficient vehicles. And it prevents any municipality from restricting the type of fuel that can be used in an appliance, such as a gas stove.The legislation, along with two other bills Mr. DeSantis signed on Wednesday, “will keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our tanks, and China out of our state,” the governor wrote on the social media platform X. “We’re restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots.”
To say the climate cultists are in a tizzy would be an understatement.
Florida is already about 74% reliant on natural gas to power electric generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Opponents of the bill DeSantis signed say it removes the word “climate’ in nine different places, moves the state’s energy goals away from efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gases blamed for a warming planet.”This purposeful act of cognitive dissonance is proof that the governor and state Legislature are not acting in the best interests of Floridians, but rather to protect profits for the fossil fuel industry,” said Yoca Arditi-Rocha, executive director of the nonprofit Cleo Institute, which advocates for climate change education and engagement.
I will simply point out that smearing policies that are directed toward making energy affordable and reliable as “right -wing talking points” is a losing argument.
Outlets like the Washington Post and Tallahassee Democrat specifically highlighted how the legislation removed climate change as a priority for the state to address in it’s energy policy.The Post had reported that Florida focusing on “affordability and reliability” is “an echo of conservative talking points” against “renewable power.”The arguments came after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a slew of legislation on Wednesday, slashing climate agenda directives in Florida’s energy policy, placing a greater emphasis on nuclear energy and focusing on cost efficiency for Floridians.The bill also bans state holdings for Chinese Communist Party-linked companies, and bars state investments into companies that utilize “forced labor.”
Now seems to be a good time to note that under Biden’s “Green New Deal” policies, energy prices have skyrocketed nearly 30 percent.
Getting away from climate crisis Kabuki for a few minutes, I would like to explore DeSantis’ mention of small-cell nuclear technology research.
Interestingly, Geert Wilders’ Netherlands-first Dutch government will back plans for the construction of four new large reactors in the Netherlands.
Nuclear power is the sensible option for reliable, affordable energy that is civilization-worthy. Florida has access to a very helpful resource to pursue development of nuclear power.
The nuclear power industry is seeking to lure back thousands of retired engineers and older professionals as western companies try to fill a skills gap to deliver the biggest wave of new projects in decades.Reactor constructors are aiming to hire tens of thousands of employees as climate change concerns drive a revived interest in the low-carbon technology, according to developers and government officials.Countries such as India, the US, France, Britain and Poland are also planning new orders amid jitters about energy security and the threat to gas supplies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Retirees with decades of experience are in demand as a result after a golden era for the sector that began in the late 1950s gave way to a decline following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster — a slump compounded by the meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima plant in 2011 after it was damaged by a tsunami.
I wish the good people of Florida prosperity and success; meanwhile, we in California will continue to endure “bad luck.”
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