-- Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda (D-Tallahassee)

Tallahassee – Energy is the fundamental and paramount challenge facing Florida and the United States in the 21^st century. “What we use for energy and how we use energy affects national security, economic development, jobs, public health, and the environment. Solving our energy problems would not only make us safer and more competitive but also create thousands of new jobs right here in Florida,” says State Representative Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda.

Rehwinkel Vasilinda is widely recognized as one of the most knowledgeable members of the legislature on energy policy (see Lobbytools).  Since her election in 2008, Rehwinkel Vasilinda has pursued an aggressive energy agenda that includes clearing the path for Floridians to lower their energy bills and have more control over their energy choices. She has developed proposals for a more free market approach to the energy industry that includes distributed energy opportunities for Florida’s businesses as well as solutions to help Floridians conserve and be more efficient in using energy to run and heat their homes and businesses while lowering their energy costs and preserving the environment.

At the heart of her energy strategy are policies that remove barriers to allow Florida businesses to compete in national and international energy markets and produce domestic energy for our peninsula. “Florida has everything it takes to be number one in renewable energy, conservation, and efficiency. We have the sun for solar energy, good wind in areas around the state, and the climate to grow three crops of biodiesel plants per year when most states can only grow one.  We also have an underutilized construction industry that could be put to work retrofitting homes and businesses to make them more energy efficient. This new industry cluster, if allowed to flourish, will create thousands of new jobs and hundreds of new businesses.” said Rehwinkel Vasilinda.

Please see the list of bills proposed for this session:

          HB 1427 – Comprehensive Renewable Energy Strategy (CREST)

          HB 743  – Energy Conservation and Efficiency Program

          HB 4031 – Repealing Nuclear Cost Recovery

          HM 1431 – Securing Nuclear Waste and Investing in Renewable Energy.

HB 743 – Energy Conservation and Efficiency Program (ECEP): This program would allow localities to adopt a half-cent surcharge to help fund loans, grants, and rebates for families who make energy efficiency improvements to their homes. The program gives priority to veterans, the disabled, and the low-income elderly in the area. By passing HB 743, we can also put construction workers back on the job to install new insulation, energy efficient windows, and rooftop solar panels.

HB 1427 – Comprehensive Renewable Energy Strategy (CREST): This legislation would help create a comprehensive renewable energy policy to make Florida the leader in producing and developing renewable energy. It requires the Public Service Commission to take into account public health and safety, environmental impact, national security, economic development, and jobs for Florida in making any determination. It further requires the Commission to use those same factors in analyzing power plants or authorizing long-term studies for new power plants. It also creates the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Trust Fund to provide a support mechanism for implementing these necessary energy policies. That fund is sustained by a twenty-five cent fee for utility bills.

HB 4031 – Repealing Nuclear Cost Recovery: Nuclear cost recovery costs ratepayers an astounding amount of money for an astounding lack of results. Progress Energy received some $164 million in nuclear cost recovery money in 2011. Each ratepayer saw an additional $5.53 per 1,000 kWh. Florida Power and Light similarly received $196 million last year. These dollars cover all construction costs for new nuclear power plants, but those plants do not have a definitive end date nor do they even need to be finished. Our money is better spent on developing a real renewable energy policy.

HM 1431 – Urging Congress to Stop the Construction of Certain Nuclear Power Plants and Confront the Problem of Nuclear Waste: This memorial urges Congress to stop funding the construction of certain nuclear power plants. Invest in renewable and sustainable forms of energy instead. It calls on Congress to contain, secure, and dispose of nuclear waste in an environmentally-sound way Recognizes that Congress has already spent $96.2 billion on Yucca Mountain, a cost that needs to be included in new nuclear power plant construction.