Misc

Witnesses for an environmental group and utilities wanting to build nuclear power plants sparred Tuesday before the Public Service Commission over the predicted costs of construction and how to pay for them. Florida Power & LIght and Progress Energy Florida each have proposed building new nuclear plants and are asking the PSC for approval to […]

Florida’s oldest business group today said it wants the Legislature to take up oil drilling during an expected special session this fall. Gov. Charlie Crist said Tuesday that he may call a special session in October to adopt a gambling revenues agreement with the Seminole Tribe and that he would like drilling to be on

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility says Gov. Charlie Crist has abandoned carbon emissions cap-and-trading in his quest for a U.S. Senate seat, but a state Department of Environmental Protection response suggests it’s all untrue. PEER, a watchdog group of former government employees, says the state, under Crist, has decided to to drop its cap-and-trade rule

The Gulf Restoration Network today said Florida gets a D+ grade for its efforts to protect water quality, which was about the average grade for Gulf coast states. In a report card for the Gulf states, the group particularly faulted Florida for not setting specific limits for nitrogen and phosphorus in waterways, giving it an

Environmentalists today met with House Speaker Larry Cretul to urge his support for Florida’s conservation land-buying program, but the issue of using oil drilling revenue to buy land was not discussed. Supporters of offshore oil drilling in the Legislature continue to promote the idea of using oil revenue to pay for the land-buying program, which

Few people who drive along Franklin Boulevard east of the state Capitol notice a ditch between the lanes of traffic or realize it may have historical significance. The ditch was once a stream called St. Augustine Branch that flowed towards a waterfall that became a landmark in the siting of Florida’s capital city in 1823.

A state climate panel today rejected a commissioner’s recommendation for Florida to replace its test for analyzing energy programs — a test that environmentalists have argued is a barrier to conservation. The Florida Energy and Climate Commission instead voted to recommend that the Public Service Commission use a revised version of the “rate impact measure”

During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson and Smokey Bear presented a national wildfire prevention award to Melissa Yunas, wildfire mitigation specialist in the Florida Division of Forestry’s Okeechobee District office. Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet on Tuesday approved a new conservation lands purchase list but only after Agriculture Commissioner Charles H.

Environmental groups say this algae bloom July 31 on a tributary of the St. Johns River was fueled by excessive nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous. Environmental groups say a settlement agreement in a lawsuit over Florida’s water quality standards will help begin the restoration of springs, lakes and rivers across the state. Under a

Florida could be out of money for buying conservation lands by Oct. 1 unless new bonds are issued to allow purchases. The Florida Forever land-buying program is the largest in the nation. But the state has delayed borrowing money — despite Legislative approval to do so — because of the weak bond market, according to