No: Mandate will hurt energy supplies and the state economy

Due to its tourism, growing economy and tax-friendly policies, Florida has been, and will continue to be, a destination for many. With theUniversity of Florida recently projecting that Florida’s population could reach 29 million by 2040, it’s clear that the state’s consumers will need increasing amounts of energy. The Florida Reliability Coordinating Council expects the state’s electricity demand will rise by more than10 gigawatts, or roughly 20 percent, through 2035.

With much of Florida’s economy dependent on tourism, millions of retirees calling the state home, and projected population growth on theway, it is essential that one of the largest energyconsuming states in the nation has a stable, abundant, and affordable supply of energy. However, a new set of rules announced lastweek by theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency puts Florida’s energy sector— and the economic security and stability that it supports— at risk.

The EPA’s proposal will set a national target of lowering carbon-dioxide emissions— from2005 levels— by 25 percent by 2020 and 30 percent by 2030. The rule won’t be finalized until next year, but then Florida will have only until June 2016 to develop and submit plans for cutting CO2 emissions by about 38 percent.

As a result, the proposed regulations will more than likely increase electricity prices. They will certainly add confusion and a larger regulatory burden on every man, woman and child in the Sunshine State, because the rules allowthe state so little time to prepare a sensible plan.

At a time when electricity consumption in the state is projected to grow, these new rules will require coal-fired power plants