HB 7185

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Florida Climate Action Partnership;
3	creating the Florida Climate Action Partnership; providing
4	purposes and duties; directing the partnership to develop
5	policy recommendations and a climate mitigation action
6	plan; providing criteria for the recommendations and plan;
7	providing for partnership membership; providing for per
8	diem and travel expenses; providing for meetings;
9	providing for staff to assist the partnership; requiring
10	that recommendations and a final report be submitted to
11	the Governor and the Legislature by certain dates;
12	specifying criteria for the report; providing for
13	expiration of the partnership; providing an effective
14	date.
15
16	WHEREAS, carbon dioxide produced by the burning of fossil
17	fuels is a leading contributor to global warming and is the
18	leading global warming pollutant released in the United States,
19	and
20	WHEREAS, the potential effects of global climate change in
21	Florida and the Southeastern United States, such as more
22	frequent and severe storm events and flooding, sea level rise,
23	water supply disruption, agricultural crop yield changes and
24	forest productivity shifts, water and air quality degradation,
25	and threats to coastal areas, tourism, and infrastructure, could
26	significantly impact the state's economy, level of public
27	expenditures, and quality of life, and
28	WHEREAS, this state is particularly vulnerable to the
29	possible effects of global climate change due to the low
30	elevation of its 1,300 miles of coastline, susceptibility to
31	more intense hurricanes, the effect of drought conditions on the
32	state's unique environment, and the spread of infectious disease
33	to vulnerable populations, and
34	WHEREAS, the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida
35	released its first annual report to the Governor and the
36	Legislature and prominently stated, "There may be no more
37	pressing issue in our state than the impact of our country's
38	current level of use of fossil fuels on the state and global
39	environment. The relationship between our energy sources and our
40	security, economy and environment demand a bold vision. Of all
41	the states, Florida has the most at stake--and must take a
42	leadership role," and
43	WHEREAS, the Legislature adopted a number of clean energy
44	initiatives in 2006, including Senate Bill 888, which
45	established the Florida Energy Commission for the purposes of
46	encouraging energy conservation and efficiency, developing
47	renewable energy sources, and recommending a comprehensive state
48	climate action plan, and
49	WHEREAS, actions that make homes and workplaces more energy
50	efficient enhance energy security and affordability, may reduce
51	emissions of greenhouse gases, spur greater resource
52	productivity and business innovation, provide cost savings,
53	improve air quality and public health, and enhance economic
54	development, job creation, and quality of life, and
55	WHEREAS, the President of the United States has called for
56	a reduction in the use of fossil fuels and has asked the United
57	States Congress to enact a mandatory fuel reduction and
58	renewable fuel use expansion requirement, and
59	WHEREAS, the state is almost totally dependent on energy
60	imports from out of state to satisfy its energy needs, and
61	WHEREAS, as a major agricultural producer, the state is
62	capable of producing large quantities of biofuels in order to
63	help meet the President's goal of replacing fossil fuels with
64	ethanol-based alternative fuels but currently lacks the
65	infrastructure to convert to that system, and
66	WHEREAS, legislation has been filed in the United States
67	Congress that seeks to address the issue of climate change and
68	global warming through a series of initiatives and changes to
69	the laws of the United States, including a limit on the amount
70	of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, and
71	WHEREAS, the state seeks to develop market-based and other
72	economically sound emissions reductions approaches, such as a
73	cap-and-trade system, that create private-sector opportunities
74	and incentives, and
75	WHEREAS, a deliberative stakeholder process to address
76	solutions to climate change risks may enable the state to have
77	greater influence in eventual climate change policy
78	determinations at the regional and national levels and ensure
79	that businesses in the state are in the best position to benefit
80	from possible future federal climate change policy actions, NOW,
81	THEREFORE,
82
83	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
84
85	Section 1.  Florida Climate Action Partnership.--
86	(1)  PURPOSE.--There is created the Florida Climate Action
87	Partnership (FCAP) to serve as a catalyst for a cooperative
88	dialogue related to efforts needed within our state to comply
89	with proposed federal limits to lower carbon emissions in the
90	atmosphere over time. The partnership shall seek partners in
91	Florida's communities, businesses, academic institutions, and
92	governments to participate in this effort. As part of this
93	process, the partnership shall take advantage of economic
94	opportunities for the state in the effort to find new sources of
95	energy, identify and create incentives for technology
96	innovation, and seek private-sector solutions and market-based
97	mechanisms to help solve problems related to reducing carbon
98	emissions. The partnership shall identify a range of
99	opportunities to reduce carbon emissions in all sectors of the
100	state's economy, including the trading of carbon emission
101	credits and the creation of offsets for energy savings.
102	(2)  MEMBERSHIP.--
103	(a)  The Florida Climate Action Partnership shall be
104	composed of 25 members as follows:
105	1.  The Governor or his or her designee, who shall serve as
106	the chair.
107	2.  The President of the Senate or his or her designee.
108	3.  The Speaker of the House of Representatives or his or
109	her designee.
110	4.  The Commissioner of Agriculture or his or her designee.
111	5.  The Chief Financial Officer or his or her designee.
112	6.  Eight members appointed by the Governor.
113	7.  Five members appointed by the President of the Senate.
114	8.  Five members appointed by the Speaker of the House of
115	Representatives.
116	9.  Two members appointed by the Commissioner of
117	Agriculture.
118	(b)  Members appointed to the partnership must hold
119	positions of leadership within their respective fields.
120	(c)  Members of the partnership shall serve without
121	compensation, but the Executive Office of the Governor and the
122	Legislature shall reimburse the expenses of their respective
123	representatives, and all other members are entitled to receive
124	reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses from partnership
125	funding in accordance with s. 112.061, Florida Statutes.
126	(3)  MEETINGS.--The partnership shall hold a minimum of
127	four public meetings in locations throughout the state to be
128	determined by the chair for the purpose of taking public
129	testimony and seeking input from interested parties.
130	(4)  ACTION PLAN.--The partnership shall develop a climate
131	mitigation action plan that includes policy recommendations for
132	all economic sectors within the state as well as recommendations
133	for meeting short-term and long-term greenhouse gas reduction
134	goals. The plan shall be fact-based and developed through a
135	statewide consensus-based stakeholder process. In developing
136	recommendations, the partnership shall consider the results of a
137	statewide inventory and forecast of energy use and greenhouse
138	gas emissions for each sector from all sources. The partnership
139	shall develop policy recommendations that address, but are not
140	limited to:
141	(a)  Clean, low-emission, and renewable energy supplies,
142	including advanced energy and power-generation technologies.
143	(b)  Energy efficiency and conservation for buildings,
144	equipment, appliances, and other building design elements.
145	(c)  Increased energy efficiency in transportation systems
146	and land use within the growth management system that decreases
147	travel and energy use.
148	(d)  Agriculture and forestry conservation that promotes
149	carbon sequestration and bioenergy.
150	(e)  Waste management, waste energy recovery, and waste
151	energy recycling.
152	(f)  The management of high-global-warming-potential
153	refrigerants and alternatives to such refrigerants and the
154	identification and sequestration of high-global-warming-
155	potential gases in industrial processes.
156	(g)  Limiting the amount of carbon emitted into the
157	atmosphere in order to reduce the buildup of greenhouse gases
158	that produce climate change.
159	(h)  The use of market mechanisms, including a cap-and-
160	trade system, and other means to reduce the buildup of
161	greenhouse gases.
162	(i)  Responding to climate change in ways that positively
163	affect the price and availability of property and casualty
164	insurance.
165	(5)  STAFF.--The partnership shall be staffed by the
166	Executive Office of the Governor.
167	(6)  RECOMMENDATIONS AND REPORT.--The partnership shall
168	provide a list of policy recommendations to the Governor and the
169	members of the Senate and the House of Representatives by
170	February 1, 2008, for consideration during the 2008 Regular
171	Session. The partnership shall submit a final report containing
172	a climate mitigation action plan to the Governor and the members
173	of the Senate and the House of Representatives by October 1,
174	2008.
175	(7)  EXPIRATION.--Unless renewed by the Legislature, the
176	partnership shall expire on December 31, 2008.
177	Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.