Your Action is Needed Now: 

We need your help to keep Florida clean and affordable!

The Florida Senate Fiscal Policy Committee is scheduled to hear Senate Bill 1624, Energy Resources, on Tuesday, February 27th, at 9 a.m. This is a dangerous bill that sets Florida back 15 years in addressing climate change and further locks Florida into the continued use of fossil fuels.

The House version of this legislation (House Bill 1645) is set to be heard on the Floor in the coming days.

What this bill does: This bill strips out many of the modest statutory provisions recognizing climate change and the need to transition to renewable energy and instead goes to great lengths to promote the expansion of compressed and liquefied natural gas. It does this by:

• Eliminating the ability of local government to prevent liquefied natural gas storage tanks and infrastructure from being built in their communities.
• Discouraging state agencies and local governments from purchasing EVs by striking the requirement that the most fuel-efficient models be selected.
• Increasing the length of natural gas pipelines that require certification under the Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline Siting Act from 15 miles to 100 miles.
• Removing language that directed the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services to consider energy efficiency, climate change, and technologies that reduce greenhouse gases as part of the state’s energy policy, and repealing grant programs focused on reducing greenhouse gases and promoting renewable energy.
• Prohibiting the construction, operation, or expansion of offshore wind energy facilities and wind turbines on all real property in this state or in state waters within one mile of the state’s coastline.
• Eliminating the Florida Climate-Friendly Preferred Products List for product purchases by state agencies.
• Expanding natural gas infrastructure by allowing utilities to charge customers for expenses.

It’s hard to believe that given the sea level threats to Florida’s extensive coastline and the availability of fresh water, the high insurance premiums resulting from the increased ferocity of hurricanes hitting our state, and rising summertime temperatures that affect our outdoor workers and the cost of energy required to cool our homes, that the Legislature would turn a blind eye to renewable energy and instead promote more extensive use of fossil fuels. It's simple: It's time for Tallahassee to stop selling out our homes and communities to the exclusive interests big corporations.

We're urging Florida League members to contact members of the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee to vote NO on Senate Bill 1624.

We're also encouraging members to tell Speaker of the House Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo not to agenda HB 1645 and SB 1624, and to tell their respective Representative and Senator to oppose the bills.

Tell the Senate Fiscal Policy members to vote NO on SB 1624!

Florida Senate Rules Committee

Bulk email addresses separated with commas:

hutson.travis.web [at] flsenate.gov, stewart.linda.web [at] flsenate.gov, albritton.ben.web [at] flsenate.gov, berman.lori.web [at] flsenate.gov, boyd.jim.web [at] flsenate.gov, burton.colleen.web [at] flsenate.gov, calatayud.alexis.web [at] flsenate.gov, collins.jay.web [at] flsenate.gov, diceglie.nick.web [at] flsenate.gov, garcia.ileana.web [at] flsenate.gov, jones.shevrin.web [at] flsenate.gov, mayfield.debbie.web [at] flsenate.gov, osgood.rosalind.web [at] flsenate.gov, rodriguez.anamaria.web [at] flsenate.gov, simon.corey.web [at] flsenate.gov, thompson.geraldine.web [at] flsenate.gov, torres.victor.web [at] flsenate.gov, trumbull.jay.web [at] flsenate.gov, wright.tom.web [at] flsenate.gov, yarborough.clay.web [at] flsenate.gov