By: Louis

Louis — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:51:54 +0000

Regarding “it’s refreshing to see a country where the moral imperatives of its population are driving corporate behavior”
Yes indeed. If you want to see the polar opposite of this mindset, look at Florida.
A local representative has admitted in a recent town hall meeting that when he joined the Florida Public Service Commission, he was told that there are various questions he cannot ask because it angers the utility companies…
And so the governor and legislature in Tallahassee have *declined* to set a renewable energy portfolio target for the state. A majority of other states have renewable energy targets and timelines, but not Florida. It’s pretty hard to achieve goals if the leaders are not setting any.
The “leaders” have also decided against any significant energy conservation efforts, arguing that this would cost ratepayers some money. The high cost projections for the conservation campaign were given to Tallahassee by… a utility company. No strong leadership message there.
As a result, you may not be surprised that Florida is one of the very rare jurisdictions on the planet who is still pursuing *new* nuclear plants. Everyone else may have concluded that the costs are too great (just the approval process with the NRC is expected to cost Florida subscribers $100 million), or that new nuclear plants put the US in an awkward foreign policy position when we try to tell Iran (and other oil producers with declining reserves, later on) that we can build nuclear plants but they can’t. So for the Florida policymakers, the recent succession of nuclear close-calls around the world is nothing to worry about. Surely an eventual accident and a radioactive exclusion zone wouldn’t affect tourism.
Our leaders are not concerned by costs, policy implications, or environmental impact. As I said, a polar opposite to those who seek to serve the public.

Comments on: Today in Green IT: Nuclear power fades in Germany, Japan

By: Louis