Commission defers Florida Power & Light fuel rate increases

The Florida Public Service Commission on Tuesday afternoon voted 3-2 to spread Florida Power & Light's requested fuel rate increase over 17 months instead of allowing the utility to recover all of the money this year.

The commission reached the same decision earlier in the day for Progress Energy. As in the Progress Energy decision, commissioners Katrina McMurrian and Nancy Argenziano dissented.

McMurrian though the utilities should be able to recover all of the increase in fuel costs this year. Deferring the payments over 17 months means interest charges will be added on, increasing the cost to customers. Plus, additional fuel increases may be likely for 2009 if fuel rates continue to soar, leading to "rate shock" in 2009.

Argenziano insisted that she would not allow fuel cost recovery until the commission had the opportunity for a broad review of electricity bills.

Tampa Bay energy roundup

There's a bunch of energy news around Tampa Bay in the last few weeks. Rate increases are coming so fast and thick it's hard to keep track of what it's all for.

Let's start with this week's news. Tomorrow, Progress Energy and Florida Power & Light, as well as some smaller Florida utilities, will ask the Public Service Commission for a rate increase for fuel. (My story in Sunday's paper explained why fuel is getting so expensive.) The gist is that utilities are not allowed to profit from fuel. It's a "pass through" charge. If approved, it will hit bills on Aug. 1.

Tampa Electric isn't asking for a fuel rate increase yet, but it has asked for a base rate increase. Utilities can profit from base rates. (From a shareholder point of view, utilities had better show a profit.) Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas, both owned by Tampa-based TECO Energy, requested base rate increases that it hopes to add to bills by next May.

As if this news isn't enough of a bummer, there are more increases on the horizon. First, fuel again. Every Fall, the utilities estimate what they will pay for fuel the following year. Fuel costs are up nationwide, and Florida is no different. (If a hurricane hits the Gulf coast, fuel costs could get a lot worse.) Progress Energy has already predicted that it will ask for additional fuel rate increases that will start in January. (This is on top of the increase sought Tuesday.) Expect similar news from Tampa Electric, Florida Power & Light, and pretty much every utility that buys fuel to run its power plants (i.e., every utility.)

Hurricanes & global warming: Is there a connection? Or is there a bigger threat?

In Al Gore's Oscar-winning Powerpoint-turned-movie An Inconvenient Truth, hurricanes became symbols of the danger of global warming, with the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina as his Exhibit A. But the reality is more complicated.

Scientists are locked in a debate about whether global warming is spiking the size and intensity of hurricanes. Even those who agree that humans are causing global warming disagree about whether it is making hurricanes worse.

Climatologists are so desperate for clues they are boring holes along Florida's coastline, trying to discern from grains of sand how many tropical storms pounded our shores in past centuries. The one thing they all agree on: Overdevelopment of flood-prone coastal areas is a more immediate problem. Here's the rest of the story.

[Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina from NOAA]

--Curtis Krueger

State short of cash to help with electric bills

The increasing number of Floridians who can’t pay their electric bills may not be able to get the help they need because the state energy assistance program will likely run short of money.

“The bottom line is that our providers around the state are seeing a tremendous demand for services, a demand that will far outstrip the availability of funds,” said Jon Peck, spokesman for the Florida Department of Community Affairs.

At the same time, Tampa Electric reported a 27 percent jump in the number of customers facing disconnection. Progress Energy has seen cutoffs increase 15 percent since last year. Paying for power could get even harder in the coming year. Both utilities plan to increase monthly bills by 10 percent or more.

Highlights of the Miami Climate Change Summit #2 from solar to PHEVs.

Looking back at Governor Crist's Climate Change Summit this week, here are some of my favorite moments, featuring a former day-trader turned solar enthusiast, Progress Energy's plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius, a new $20 million clean energy prize offered by the Scottish government, a Spanish company that is investing $8 billion in alternative energy in the United States, a new $20 million clean energy prize, and of course, the return of Arnold, The Terminator, and much, much more .....

Highlights from Florida's 2008 Climate Change Summit

Florida Governor Charlie Crist's second Climate Change Summit this week was never going to match the novelty of last year's groundbreaking event.

Even so, Crist once again deserves enormous credit for bringing together a wide-ranging group of policy makers, businessmen, researchers and activists in another thought-provoking, two-day search for answers to the challenge of global warming. He even managed to get his Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, to join in the debate, with a passionate plea to save what remains of the world's rain-forests.

Last year's summit established climate change action as a state priority. "This year it's time to make it happen," Crist said on Wednesday.

Continue reading below for some of what I consider to be the highlights of the summit so far.

Crist's 2nd Climate Summit: defining "our next step forward"

Florida Governor Charlie Crist opened his second climate summit in Miami this morning saying he hoped the meeting would "chart the course of the green future of the Sunshine State."
He used the occasion to sign the state's new Energy Bill #7135, calling it "Florida's most comprehensive energy economic policy in the history of our great state."
When he hosted his first summit last year, Crist said people were not entirely convinced about his plans. "After one year everyone is on board," he said. Now it was time to "define our next step forward," he added.
That meant exploring every possible way to protect Florida from the threat of global warming by tapping into its "entrepreneurial spirit." He compared the task ahead to the challenge in the 1960s set by the Kennedy administration to put a man on the moon. "Just as America continues to reach for the stars from our great state, Florida can once again launch America into the coming green tech business boom," he said.
In order to "liberate us from our current addiction to fossil fuel ... we must be innovative, we must reach higher," he added.
That meant training new talent and expertise to fill a new era of "high wage, high demand jobs" in the green tech field. "We must equip our workforce ... a trained workforce is key to developing the alternative and renewable energy sources and energy efficiency we must have in order to reduce our carbon emissions," he said.

- David Adams

Florida launches second Climate Change Summit

Florida Governor Charlie Crist hosts his second Climate Change Summit in Miami Wednesday and Thursday.

The Governor will use the occasion to sign the state's new Energy Bill passed by the legislature, which includes provisions to establish a cap and trade system to control the gases believed to cause global warming. In an overview of the summit published in today's St Petersburg Times I take a look at what has been achieved since last year's landmark summit.

Watch the summit live here.

- David Adams

Florida holds its first carbon neutral MLB baseball game.

The Florida Marlins staged the first carbon neutral baseball game in the state last night. The team says an estimated 450 metric tons of greenhouse gases from the game will be offset by funding reforestation in Southest Florida with the help of  Carbonfund.org, a non-profit provider of certified carbon offsets.

As a die-hard Marlins fan I would have enjoyed the game more had we won (especially after loading the bases with one out in the 9th!). Final score: Florida Marlins 4, Tampa Bay Rays 6.

- David Adams

Revolutionary new Cyclone steam engine -- could it replace the internal combustion engine?

Since this blog began nearly two years ago we have been constantly on the look out for interesting new technology that might contribute to the search for alternative sources and methods for producing energy.

Here's an original one, with seeming commercial potential, I read about this morning in The Miami Herald.

It's called the Cyclone engine. Its inventors, Cyclone Power Technologies, are based in Pompano Beach. Its inventors say this revolutionary new engine is cleaner and more efficient than the internal combustion engine. It can run on any liquid or gaseous fuel, including (ethanol, biodiesel or propane), and uses water instead of motor oil as a lubricant!

Instead of a typical combustion engine ignited by sparks, the Cyclone operates like a super-charged steam engine. Fuel is combusted by a centrifugal, or cyclonic, motion, allowing the fuel to burn more efficiently. Heat is used to generate high-pressure steam to drive the engine.

The result is a highly efficient, cleaner burning engine, the company says. It has patented the technology and has won important engineering awards, as well as a contract from a big defense contractor, Raytheon.

Click here to read the article in The Miami Herald.

David Adams

Floridians more worried about gas prices than property taxes

Floridians are more worried about cutting the cost of energy than they are about holding the line on property taxes, according to a poll released Thursday morning.

Economic woes were top of mind for 47 percent of the 800 likely voters polled, according to the results from Public Opinion Strategies. The threat of a recession topped the list for most of, followed by inflation.

Next on the list: 15 percent of those surveyed thought the most important problem facing their families was growth and transportation -- particularly gas prices.

Asked what should be the top concern of Florida's elected officials, 26 percent said "improving the job and economic situation," 21 percent answered "cutting the cost of oil and energy" while 17 percent replied "holding the line on property and other taxes."

The poll was sponsored by SUEZ Energy of North America, which is developing a liquefied natural gas port 8 to 10 miles offshore in Broward County. The press release that went along with the poll results claimed that Florida voters "support expanding Florida's use of natural gas and favor the construction of the Calypso LNG Deepwater Port."

China-Cuba oil drilling is a myth, says Sen. Martinez; pro-drilling GOP leaders keep peddling the story as true

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Florida, took to the Senate floor today to try to put the kibosh on a growing myth on Capitol Hill, being spread by members of his own party: That China is drilling for oil and gas just 60 miles off Key West, closer to Florida than American companies can drill.

"China is not drilling off the coast of Cuba," Martinez said. "Reports to the contrary are simply false. They're rumors, akin to urban legend."

The China argument is a favorite of pro-drilling forces on Capitol Hill who don't like federal restrictions on drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. With gas prices over $4 per gallon, Republicans again are trying to open up more of nation's coasts to drilling.

'Together' campaign promotes ways for consumers to beat climate change

A campaign to help consumers find easy ways to flight climate change is being launched in the US on Thursday.

The Together campaign is being adopted by several major cities, including New York, Miami, Boston and Seattle, and has the backing of leading American companies (JP Morgan Chase, Target).

The idea, which was launched last year in Europe by The Climate Group, is to promote the most environmentally friendly products and encourage green practices. This includes getting consumers to drop paper catalogues, and switch to efficient shower heads that cut water use.

Since its launch last year it has helped consumers cut 522,00O tons of carbon dioxide and saved them over $200 million on household energy bills, according to The Climate Group.

Click here to read more.

- David Adams

Grease theft war in Florida! Blame it on biodiesel

Some thieves steal money. Some steal jewels. But for an increasing number of thieves in Florida, grease is the word.

Yes, grease — that slick liquid that’s left over after you fry a chicken or cook a burger (with fries, of course).

“Florida has become a hotbed for grease theft,” said Chris Griffin, who’s in charge of legal affairs for Griffin Industries, one of the country’s leading collectors of restaurant grease.

[Photo: Dirk Shadd, St. Petersburg Times]

Higher fuel costs costs hit school budgets

Energy prices are about to hit our children's education.

South Florida school districts are bracing for a steep rise in electricity costs if a proposed fuel surcharge by Florida Power & Light is approved, The Miami Herald reports today.

Miami-Dade County projects its electricity bill would rise about $14 million if the increase goes ahead. That is $9 million more than the district had budgeted. Broward County is facing a similar problem.

FP&L says it needs to hike prices because of soaring fuel costs. The surcharge must be approved by the state's Public Service Commission. The new fees could begin to take effect as soon as August.

The news could not come at a worse time for local School Boards already battling huge state funding cuts. Miami-Dade is looking to cut out $284 million from next year's budget.

FPL nuke shutdown at St. Lucie: Loss of pump leads to one reactor down

Florida's largest utility, Florida Power & Light, shut down one of the two reactors at its St. Lucie nuclear plant yesterday, according to Reuters.

FPL officials told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission they shut the 839-megawatt Unit 2 at the Saint Lucie nuclear power station from full power due to the loss of a main feedwater pump, Reuters reported.  Unit 1 continued to operate at full power.

"The company said a heater drain pump tripped resulting to then trip of a main feedwater pump that caused the water level in the steam generators to decline," Reuters reported. "Operators tripped the reactor due to the lowering steam generator level."

[Photo from Google Earth by John Panicci]
--Craig Pittman

McCain to talk energy in the Everglades

Our colleagues over at The Buzz, the St. Petersburg Times' political blog, report that Republican nominee John McCain will use a trip to the Everglades on Friday as the setting for a broader discussion of his energy policy in the coming week.

"He will discuss his vision for balancing our energy needs with the goal of a cleaner environment," campaign spokesman Jeff Sadosky told Times reporter Alex Leary, declining to elaborate.

Here's a question: Does the setting mean Sen. McCain will be opposing coal-fired power plants? Last year, under the influence of Gov. Charlie Crist, the state Public Service Commission turned down Florida Power & Light's plans to build a huge new coal-fired plant near Everglades National Park because of its greenhouse gas output. Here's another question: Reckon Gov. Crist, a possible VP pick who has made the fight against global warming a major policy initiative, will be joining Sen. McCain in the Glades?

(Of course there will also be some fundraising along the way, too.)

[Photo courtesy South Florida Water Management District]

--Craig Pittman

Florida's largest utility asks for fuel rate increase

Florida Power & Light announced today that it will raise residential electricity bills 16 percent. The news follows Progress Energy's decision last week to ask for an 8 percent increase.

“We recognize that higher electric bills will be a burden on our customers. We never like having to increase the price customers pay for electricity, and it’s especially painful during difficult economic times. However, the increase in fuel prices that we have been experiencing is extraordinary," said FPL President Armando Olivera.

Florida faces rising seas; Gov. Crist's team trying to counter greenhouse gas emissions

Those folks who keep saying the science on global warming and sea level rise isn't settled yet may want to take a look at the latest report from the U.S. Climate Change Science Center, released today. The center is sponsored by 13 federal agencies that include the EPA, NASA and the Department of Energy.

On warming: "U.S. average temperatures increased during the 20th and into the 21st century, and the last decade is the warmest in more than a century."

On sea level rise: "There is strong evidence that global average sea level gradually rose during the 20th century, after a period of little change between A.D. 0 and A.D. 1900, and is currently rising at an increased rate. . . U.S. sea level data from at least as far back as the early 20th century show that along most of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, sea level has been rising 0.8 to 1.2 inches per decade."

Meanwhile Gov. Charlie Crist's "action team" met in Tallahassee, working toward turning in their report by Oct. 1. So far they have found "a range of potential options for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, including more than 300 total possible state actions."

[Image credit: NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission]

Florida, get ready for a changing climate

Florida should take specific steps immediately to deal with climate change, according to a report released Wednesday by a coalition that includes Environmental Defense, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Wildlife Federation.

The report recommends "Florida and federal officials discourage development in vulnerable areas, and work at restoring and protecting natural buffers such as coastal wetlands and near-shore reefs," according to a news release announcing the report.

It also recommends upgrading stormwater systems "to account for more frequent and heavier rainstorms, increasing water-use efficiency through conservation, and recycling treated wastewater for industrial use and irrigation."

--Craig Pittman

Leading, lagging and just plain absent - see how Florida's leaders in Washington vote when it comes to global warming and clean energy

Only a third of Florida's Congressional delegation earned high scores when it came to important U.S. House and Senate votes on clean energy and climate change, according to a new report card from the political arm of a regional environmental group.

"We think it shows that we clearly have some leaders here in the Southeast, particularly in Florida," said Jennifer Rennicks, political director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Action Fund. "It also shows that we have some people who might talk about clean energy and energy independence and energy security, but don't vote that way."

The report card scored six senate and eight house votes that the action fund deemed critical to reducing greenhouse gases and promoting clean energy. The votes included tightening car mileage standards, repealing oil subsidies and requiring electric companies to get power from renewables. Only nine of the state's 27 representatives scored 75 percent or more.

"Leaders" who won perfect scores include Reps. Corrine Brown, Kathy Castor, Kendrick Meek, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Sen. Bill Nelson. "Laggards" who earned goose eggs from the group included Reps. Cliff Stearns, Connie Mack, Dave Weldon and Tom Feeney.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times Staff Writer

Gas prices force new commuter habits. Tri-Rail use is up. So is "slugging" on MOV lanes. Send us your tips.

Miami's mass transit system is one of the most limited of any major U.S. city. But rising gas prices are forcing more and more reluctant commuters to turn to the underused Tri-Rail train system which has one line linking south Florida's tri-county area.

Tri-Rail this week broke it's ridership record, exceeding 16,000 passengers for only the second time in its history. The record was in June 2006 when 18,452 passengers used it to attend the Miami Heat victory parade.

Other commuters are turning to "slugging," a system whereby solo drivers pick up passengers for free in order to take advantage of the 'Multi-Occupancy Vehicle' lanes that can cut commuting time in half.

Click here to listen to a feature about "slugging to work" on NPR's Morning Edition. Not only does this save time, it also saves money on gas.

Are you changing your commuting habits? Let us know what tips you have in your area for getting to work faster and cheaper.

- David Adams

Florida solar energy chief says new nuke plants are a bad idea

Last year, Gov. Charlie Crist featured the director of the Florida Solar Energy Center as one of the speakers at his Climate Change Summit. The governor has frequently listed both solar and nuclear power as alternatives to burning coal for power, because they don't produce greenhouse gases.

But now Florida Solar Energy Center Director Jim Fenton says nukes are not the answer. Even though Crist still backs the nuke plants, Fenton contends they're too expensive and take too long to build. Instead, he argues, the state should combat climate change primarily by conserving energy.

In fact, Fenton contends, conservation is better than building ANY alternative power sources -- even solar.

"Can we afford to wait ten years for a nuclear power plant to provide our electricity, even if it produces little to no carbon emissions?" Fenton writes in the latest issue of The Energy Chronicle. "We should focus on using less energy rather than trying to find alternative ways to produce energy. Since 51 percent of Florida's electricity needs come from our homes, we should make our existing homes more energy-efficient rather than building more power plants."

After all, Fenton points out, unlike with the new nuclear plants that have been proposed in Levy County and in Miami-Dade County, "you don’t have to wait 10 years to start seeing the advantages of having an energy-efficient home. Once your home is made more energy-efficient, you’ll start seeing the savings right away."

A spokesman for Progress Energy, which wants to build a new nuke plant in Levy County, says energy efficiency is good but it's not enough all by itself. "We believe the best answer combines several approaches," including nuclear plants, said Buddy Eller of Progress Energy.

--Craig Pittman

'Maybe Just Maybe,' Miami's climate change rap. Harvey Ruvin, aged 70, turns to YouTube to spread the message.

Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts Harvey Ruvin is one of South Florida's veteran champions of the environment. Aged 70 he's been at the forefront of efforts to raise awareness about the threat of rising sea-level on the Florida coastline.

Inspired by his teenage son, he's now turned to rap to spread his message to a wider audience.

"I'm always saying to him that I don't hear these artists talking about the important issues that they're going to be facing," Ruvin, who grew up listening to Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, told The Miami Herald. "One of those times, he turned to me and said, `Why don't you write one?'"

Check out the two minute song on YouTube, which was written by Grammy winner Rudy Perez accompanied by Ruvin's voice and video images he put together himself.

Here's a taste of the lyrics:

"Hey everybody, listen up.
Hey, don't act surprised when the sea levels rise,
Coz while the earth has been sweltering, ice caps have been melting."
....
"Everywhere you look, triple digits . . . . Our leaders in Washington, they're mental midgets."
Extremes all the time, the climate's out of rhyme.
More drought and more floods, it's like the Cripps and Bloods."
....
"Hey, if this generation don't get it, forget it!
Every day more species are dying,
Check the text, we could be next, I'm not lying!
Oil and coal is choking the earth. Mother Nature, gonna be cursing our birth.
Ah, but maybe, maybe just maybe, the world could take collective action,
Reduce emissions to a fraction,
Pull us back from the brink, so that maybe, maybe just maybe, we wont' become extinct."

Click here to visit harveyruvin.com

- David Adams

No more congressional gas guzzlers!

These days more and more Americans are buying small cars because they can no longer afford the big gas-guzzling SUVs, thanks to the soaring price of gasoline (which is fueling record oil company profits). Now one of the last bastions of big-car drivers has fallen as well.

We are speaking, here, of politicians and their wheels.

According to a delightful story in the Los Angeles Times, "a little-noticed amendment to last year's energy bill" now requires "House members who lease vehicles through their office budgets to drive cars that emit low levels of greenhouse gases."

The amendment was the handiwork of Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., "who figured that if his colleagues were serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and U.S. dependence on foreign oil, they ought to put their foot where their mouth is," the LA Times reported. Cleaver, incidentally, drives "a recycled airport shuttle he uses as a mobile office, runs on cooking grease."

Although Congress has mandated more fuel-efficient vehicles for the public, Cleaver says he has heard some grumbling from his colleagues about what he's forcing them to do.

"They want their Lexuses and their Cadillacs," he said. "I just think it's a poor example for us to spend so much time talking about energy independence and global warming and presenting to the people an image of fat cats living the fat life."

Among the objectors mentioned by the story were two Florida congressmen, Republican Tom Feeney and Democrat Alcee Hastings.

"I will start driving a green car once Pelosi starts ballooning back and forth from coast to coast to save jet fuel," complained Feeney, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California. (The story did not say what kind of car Feeney drives, however.)

Meanwhile Hastings defended his choice of an  Infiniti M45 because it is suited for the high speeds on Interstate 95 through Miami. He told the L.A. Times that on I-95, safety, not gas mileage, was his top concern.

"If you don't have some giddyup, you're in a lot of trouble," he said. "I really would prefer to be driving a tank."

--Craig Pittman

NY governor kills new LNG plant, says he wants to conserve energy instead

New York's new governor, David Paterson, killed plans to build the nation’s first floating liquefied natural gas plant, which had been proposed for Long Island Sound, the New York Times reports today.

“Shame on us if we can’t develop a responsible energy policy without sacrificing one of our greatest natural and economic resources," said Paterson, who replaced Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned when caught spending money on prostitutes. Spitzer had been leaning toward approving the plant, according to Newsday.

Instead of a new eight-story high facility that might ruin the sound, Paterson outlined a $1-billion, 10-year program to increase efficiency and to reduce energy consumption on Long Island.

“By reducing the amount of energy demand, and aggressively pursuing new responsible supply, we can get our state on a path toward lower energy costs, economic revitalization and a cleaner, healthier environment,” Paterson said.

The natural gas plant had been proposed by an energy consortium made up of Shell Oil and TransCanada Pipelines. "The group conducted a public relations campaign in hopes of convincing officials and residents that by increasing the supply of natural gas to the region, the project would reduce the utility bills of local residents by up to $300 a year after the terminal was put into full operation in 2011," the Times reported.

Incidentally, a Norwegian company called Hoegh LNG AS has proposed a floating liquefied natural gas terminal just 28 miles from Tampa Bay.<