(Thanks to Monica Kennedy in Sarasota for spearheading this effort)


Fellow Floridians,

There has never been a better opportunity  to show your support for job creation, energy independence and renewables.   Florida Power & Light is increasing electricity rates and by law YOUR Florida Public Service Commission hears general statements from the public – YOU!  Don’t let this opportunity to show these hard working commissioners that we the people need a Feed In Tariff and a Renewable Portfolio Standard passed during the next legislative session.  Your representatives are back home now reading the papers and listening to their constituents.  Let your local media know that your group plans on attending the rally for job creation and renewable energy outside the doors of these public meetings.

Every electrician, plumber, roofer, youth group, school, place of worship, environmental group and concerned or unemployed citizen needs to attend.

These service hearing dates and locations are:   

There are two important points to be made for those that respectfully appear before the Florida Public Service Commission.    The Florida State Legislature receives recommendations concerning  energy policy from the Public Service Commission to guide the government in passing laws.  The meetings outlined above represent our single best chance of having our voices heard on:

1.        Florida is one of the last states to adopt a Renewable Portfolio Standard.  Not only do we not have one, during the last legislative session, nuclear was added to the standard that almost got passed.  Click on the following link and look at all the other state that have RPS.

http://www.epa.gov/chp/state-policy/renewable_fs.html

2.       We are the “SUNSHINE STATE” yet we don’t even qualify for the top ten list of solar friendly states!  The top 10 solar-friendly states, then, are by latitude and attitude, mainly how much support there is among the citizenry, the available incentive and policy programs in place, and days of sunshiny weather. We got beat out by NM, CO, PA, MD, MA, CT, NJ, CA, OR, and MN.  Yes, really, Minnesota!    http://solar.coolerplanet.com/Articles/top-10-solar-friendly-states.aspx

**For those unfamiliar with the Feed In Tariff  (FIT) or Renewable Energy Dividend, the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy website has a lot of information and the You Tube videos linked below are an easy way to familiarize yourself with this policy that helped Germany become the leader in solar energy, creating 250,000 GOOD jobs for plumbers, electricians, roofers, bankers, administrators, etc.   In a nutshell, a FIT requires no taxpayer dollars and is a renewable energy law that obliges energy suppliers to buy electricity produced from renewable resources at a fixed price, usually over a fixed period - even from householders. These legal guarantees ensure investment security, and the support of all viable renewable energy technologies. Supporters argue that the feed-in model, if implemented effectively around the world, would greatly assist the energy revolution that is so desperately required; through CO2 reduction, market creation and development, job creation and improved energy security.  As the Feed In Tariff policy is adopted by other states first, Florida runs the risk of all that investment capital and installers of these technologies fleeing the state to go where the Feed In Tariff policy is.  Do you want all of those resources flying north when we desperately need our friends, neighbors and colleagues back to work?

Below is a link to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory study that, with great detail (23 pages), proves that the Feed In Tariff is the quickest and most effective way to deploy renewable energy RAPIDLY and at the least cost to the ratepayer.  
 
Get your group’s commitments to be at these hearings or just yourself and send an email 3 DAYS IN ADVANCE IF YOU CAN to FARE farenergy@gmail.com and tell them how many will be attending what location so we can alert the media.  The more people that attend, the louder our collective voice.  Show up and be counted before it’s too late for Florida. 


NREL  study:  http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45549.pdf

Feed-in Tariff Policy: Design, Implementation, and RPS Policy Interactions

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, Colorado 80401-3393 303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC


Feed in Tariff You Tube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/farenergy1