LOBBY DAY!

For Immediate Release:

Mike Antheil

Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy

561.703.4345

mikea@farenergy.org

www.farenergy.org

Renewable Energy Advocates Ask for Their Day in Court

TALLAHASSEE - Hundreds of solar and renewable energy advocates converged on Florida’s Capital City this Tuesday, walking the halls and meeting with each and every one of the state’s legislature and their staff. Their message: “Let the debate over the most effective renewable energy policy see the light of day”. Members of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy believe that the research they come armed with shows conclusively that the most cost effective solution to implementing renewable energy in Florida is through a mechanism known as a Renewable Energy Dividend, or RED, also known as a Feed in Tariff. This policy could create massive opportunity for investments in renewable energy production in Florida, creating thousands of jobs and stimulating local economies, a non-partisan effect that appealed to legislators on both sides of the aisle. In addition to economic stimulus, an inherent result of a RED policy is establishing energy security through widespread, distributed power generation, creating a stronger and more reliable electricity grid.

Businesses from Gainesville, Fl., the first municipality in the United States to implement a Feed in Tariff policy were on hand to testify in person the booming economic effect the policy has had on their city since its passage on March 1st. With over $35 million committed to projects in the city in a matter of weeks, renewable energy advocates say that it is time to duplicate this success on a statewide level. Paige Kreegel, Chairman of the House Energy and Utility committee, had previously committed to including a Renewable Energy Dividend in an energy bill coming from his committee, but now appears to have run in to resistance in letting this debate even take place. Renewable energy advocates say that all they want is their day in court, and if someone can offer a more cost effective way to achieve immediate, widespread deployment of renewable energy, that they would listen.

The Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy “FARE” is a coalition of individuals, businesses, communities, associations, policy makers, non-profits, and renewable energy producers. FARE is dedicated to educating and engaging Floridians on effective Renewable Energy Policies.

Let Sunshine Power the Sunshine State!

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Mike Antheil, Executive Director of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy (FARE), and Andrew Walmsley, Assistant Director of Agricultural Policy at the Florida Farm Bureau, discuss their lobbying efforts on behalf of renewable energy dividends (REDs),
recorded from Palm Beach County and Gainesville, FL, on March 19, 2009.