Author name: bruce

BY THE FLORIDA TRIBUNE Officials battling an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico can’t claim victory simply by keeping the oil offshore with the use of chemicals, a Florida State University researcher said Monday. BP says 315,000 gallons of chemical dispersants have been used since the oil spill began April 21 off the Louisiana […]

An environmental author told an environmental summit in Tallahassee Thursday that the spreading oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico is only the most visible aspect of the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. Bill McKibben is a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College in Vermont, founder of 350.org and author of “Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities

The oil spill remained far offshore from Florida Thursday though some began washing ashore in Louisiana, coating beaches, marshes and sea birds with greasy oil. The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded on April 21 and sank the following day, causing about 200,000 gallons of oil a day to gush from a well under 5,000 feet

A combination of mild weather and a favorable current could keep the Deepwater Horizon oil spill from reaching the state’s beaches for at least three to five days, state officials said on Wednesday. “Mother Nature has played in our favor so far,” said State Meterologist Amy Godsey. Godsey explained that winds right now are blowing

The Florida Public Service Commission is moving forward with rules to define prohibited “ex parte” communications. Bills to define such prohibited communications in commission failed to win legislative approval. The bills were offered in response to news reports last year of communications between commissioners’ staff and utility representatives during rate hearing requests. PSC staff told

A proposed biomass gas electric plant in Port St. Joe will be delayed by 18 months because of siting difficulties, according to Progress Energy. Biomass energy supporters say such plants will provide needed renewable energy in Florida. But several projects have been delayed or relocated because of various problems. The Florida Public Service Commission on

Gov. Charlie Crist toured the Gulf of Mexico oil spill again Tuesday while one federal official said the response effort had been given “the gift of time” with good weather. A leaking well from an oil rig that exploded on April 21 continues to pour what had been estimated at about 200,000 gallons per day

Gov. Charlie Crist said the Gulf oil spill provides a clear message about the need for renewable energy and he hinted that the topic could be included in a special session of the Legislature. The governor said the timing of the spill was “pretty extraordinary” considering that the Legislative session last week had bills dealing

A bill that supporters said would establish an innovative renewable energy program in Florida passed the Legislature, but another bill that would have encouraged utilities to buy more renewable energy failed. HB 7179 would establish the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program to allow local governments to finance renewable energy and storm-resistance improvements. There are

Florida House of Representatives A bill that provides a path for the state towards reaching a 75-percent recycling goal by 2020 was adopted by the Legislature Friday and is being sent to the governor. Florida now recycles about 28 percent of its waste, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The Legislature in 2008