Comments of concern...
I am concerned with the responses I have gotten from Senator Mel Martinez. He seems to be seeking a balance between the dollar value of clean air and water and the true calamity that we face...The loss of our planet...Our inability to survive in the way that we believe we should.
Lets see...Dollars on one hand....A livable planet on the other. So, tell me...Which should we be most concerned with?
The economy is important, and if we heal the earth it will bring in new technologies and improved standards that will drive the economy into growth...A dead planet, that is seas that can not yield fish for food, air that is not breathable, storms that we can not survive...A dead planet is in no one's best interest...
and when the elected representative of my state acts like our President has cared for our environment...When all of the facts say otherwise...then I think we have a problem...
It is time to take action...reduce our use of fossil fuels, stop allowing dumping into the rivers and oceans, and find alternatives for our demand for energy. Heal the planet...we don't have a choice. And if we don't start now we may not have a chance.
Bruce Kershner, the Executive Director at Florida Solar Energy Industries Association (FlaSEIA) gave me permission reprint a part of his recent article on the blog...Thanks Bruce, your effort and those of others are making a continuing...renewable difference to our planet.
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Solar Shines in Florida as Governor Signs Energy Bill
Against the back drop of the future site of the United States EnviroFuels Ethanol Production Facility at the Port of Tampa, Governor Jeb Bush signed into law today the "2006 Florida Renewable Energy Technologies & Energy Efficiency Act."
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Colleen Castille welcomed the governor and other dignitaries to the signing of this momentous legislation.
Hailed as a great first step toward reducing the stateÂs reliance on fossil fuels, Governor Bush praised legislators for producing a good piece of legislation. The governor stated that this comprehensive Energy Bill includes incentives for Floridians to help offset the rising cost of energy. In part, the bill creates the Florida Energy Incentives Program, which Governor Bush says the Sunshine State will lead the nation in solar energy. The Florida Energy Incentives Program was championed by Senator Paula Dockery (R - Lakeland) and Representative Dorothy Hukill (R - Daytona Beach Shores).
Governor Bush commented that he fully expects this incentive program to be a success and urged the Legislature to continue adequate funding of the program in the future.
One of the main architects of the Energy Bill, Senator Lee Constantine (R - Altamonte Springs), cited the LegislatureÂs vision in placing Florida at the forefront of energy policy as it sets out to "change the charts" in energy usage. Constantine concluded his remarks by saying that he felt this legislation puts Florida ahead of all states in the development of a comprehensive Energy Policy.
Adam Hasner (R - Delray Beach), who ushered the Energy Bill through the Florida House, pledged to continue to work on energy issues in the future.
Effective July 1, 2006, and extending through June 30, 2010, Florida consumers and businesses installing solar equipment, including solar photovoltaic (electricity), solar thermal (water heater) and solar thermal pool heaters, will be eligible for the stateÂs solar rebates program, currently budgeted for $2.5 million in the first year. Highlights of the Florida Energy Incentives Program are illustrated below:
Solar Energy System Incentives Program
Residential Commercial
Solar Thermal (Water Heater) $500 $5,000
$15 per 1000 BTUs.
Solar Photovoltaic (Electricity) $20,000 $100,000
$ 4 per watt up to a maximum rebate for a residence of $20,000 and $100,000 for commercial.
Solar Thermal Pool Heater $100 $100
The following are highlights of the bill:
Creates the Florida Energy Commission.
Purpose
The Solar Energy System Incentives Program is established within the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to provide financial incentives for the purchase and installation of solar energy systems.Any resident of the state who purchases and installs a new solar energy system of 2 kilowatts or larger for a solar photovoltaic system, a solar energy system that provides at least 50 percent of a buildingÂs hot water consumption for a solar thermal system or a solar thermal pool heater, from July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2010, is eligible for a rebate on a portion of the purchase price of that solar energy system.
If Wal-Mart really goes Green...
Consider the impact (a thought on an article by Marc Gunther, Fortune Magazine) if Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world, really were to go Green...
Hell, even a green tint...think of the impact.
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Take a look:
Huge footprint
He wasn't exaggerating. The company is the biggest private user of electricity in the U.S.; each of its 2,074 supercenters uses an average of 1.5 million kilowatts annually, enough as a group to power all of Namibia.
Wal-Mart has the nation's second-largest fleet of trucks, and its vehicles travel a billion miles a year. If each customer who visited Wal-Mart in a week bought one long-lasting compact fluorescent (CF) light bulb, the company estimates, that would reduce electric bills by $3 billion, conserve 50 billion tons of coal, and keep one billion incandescent light bulbs out of landfills over the life of the bulb.
If Wal-Mart influenced the behavior of a fraction of its 1.8 million employees or the 176 million customers that shop there every week, the impact would be huge. And because of the extraordinary clout Wal-Mart wields with its 60,000 suppliers, it could make even more of a difference by influencing their practices.
Walton was intrigued, but he had taken himself out of an operational role at Wal-Mart years ago. He didn't want to overstep his bounds. "We are really, really careful about mixing personal interests and the business," he says. Still, he agreed to introduce Seligmann to Lee Scott.
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You see, the thought that if we all acted locally we would have a global impact is true...and we need to pick up on that if we are going to
save the planet for future generations.
Below is a response to the recent comments I received from you:
Dear Mr. Bradley:
Thank you for contacting me regarding legislation addressing our nation’s ocean policy. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to respond to your concerns.
As an avid outdoorsman and fisherman I appreciate the value of our nation’s biodiversity and natural heritage, and consider it important that we fight to protect it. I want my children and grandchildren to enjoy the wonder that our Florida environment provides.
As you know, in December 2004, President Bush submitted to Congress his U.S. Ocean Action Plan,as a result of recommendations made by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. In response, a number of initiatives have been proposed in Congress to address the need for a comprehensive ocean policy in our nation that secures the sustainable management of our ocean resources.
With a coastline nearly half as long as the total U.S. Atlantic Coastline, the good stewardship of Florida’s coastal and ocean resources is fundamental for the economy and population of our state, including millions of registered saltwater anglers, boat builders, marinas personnel, and tackle shops. In addition, approximately 75 million tourists come to our state to enjoy its beautiful beaches and coastal habitat.
Please know that as a Floridian, I am fully aware of the importance of this issue for our nation, and specifically for our state. Rest assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind, as I work with my colleagues in the Senate to find viable solutions based on sound scientific practices that reach a balance between protecting our precious natural resources and providing economic growth in the United States.
As always, thank you very much for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any additional questions or comments. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
United States Senator
Heal the Oceans
In the 1770s, when Bostonians threw bales of tea into their harbor, we believed our oceans to be pristine and that they could cleanse themselves. Mistakenly industrialized-man held to that thought and poured his waste into the sea.
Our ignorance began a process, one followed worldwide today, of polluting our waterways…and devastating our oceans with chemicals, heavy metals, toxins, and high-nitrate waste from farming and community runoff. We are only now getting the full picture of what we have done, and we have yet to take effective action to slow, let alone reverse this tragedy.
The earth held less than 1-billion people in 1800, but by 1975 we were at 4,086,500,000, and at the turn of the century we reached Six billion with increasing waste and pollution affecting our oceans. We project over 9-Billion sharing this planet by 2050…how much pollution then?
We no longer have the luxury of time. Coral reef communities are dead and dissolving, aquatic species are dying… we must act now. National and global action needs to be taken to stop polluting our seas. Not just treaty… physical action to prevent pollution. States need to act locally, Nations must enforce within their boarders and the Community of Nations must come together to clean our oceans and return them to health.
Simply put, as a vacation play-land, Florida can not survive without clean oceans. As a State, we must take the lead to enact enforceable antipollution regulations, and we must push our Nation to lead the world in environmental wellness by eliminating the discharge of human and industrial waste into our oceans.
Each of us can make a difference. One man can surly stand against the tide…if his purpose is true. Demand action from your State and National representatives, focus local authorities on eliminating pollution, reach out to our children and teach them the importance of environmental protection and don’t sit quietly by. Demand change now…
Within our lifespan we will need to feed 3-Billion more. The seas hold the answer, but only if we have acted.
The Tribune group offers a 5-part series that examines our endangered seas and their struggle to deal with the torrent of waste humans pour into them every day. There are Billions of us dumping waste and trash into our waterways, and there isn't a body of water world wide that is not touched.
Even the most remote seas, like the Kara or the White Sea...once considered the purest of oceanic waters...are dead or dying because man has polluted them with nuclear waste or industrial poisons.
We can’t just stand by as mankind is returning the seas to a time when algae and jellyfish ruled. Crucial habitats are falling victim to the changing chemistry of the water. Take a look, and then take a stand.
It is time to stop and begin to reverse the course we have set and to begin to heal the earth around us.
