GREEN PARTY COMMENDS GOV. CRIST FOR INITIATIVE ON CLIMATE CHANGE, CALLS FOR STATE ENERGY POLICY BASED ON CONSERVATION AND RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

Gainesville, FL – (July 20, 2007) – The Green Party of Florida commends Governor Charlie Crist for hosting a climate change summit and calling for improved environmental policies in Florida.  Gov. Crist’s proactive and inclusive approach to coping with this looming crisis is a refreshing departure from the previous administration’s energy policy, which has been shaped by the narrow, self-serving agenda of Big Oil and a few powerful corporate and industry representatives.

While opposing Gov. Crist’s promotion of nuclear power as a “green energy” option, Greens applaud his apparent willingness to open the doors to a broad public discussion about the problems and challenges facing our state, our nation, and our planet. 

The Green Party is encouraged by promises Gov. Crist made at the Florida Climate Change Summit; in particular, his promise to “engage state, regional, national and international leaders, as well as significant members of the business and environmental communities…” Additionally, we urge Gov. Crist to go one step further and promise to engage academics, scientists, engineers, and most importantly, the public, to more fully examine all the options before investing in a new energy policy for the state. To be sure, it would be shortsighted to leave this critical issue entirely in the hands of politicians who too often are unduly influenced by special interests.

“It is time to focus on how to make Florida a leader in developing long term solutions for solving environmental problems,” says Green Party of Florida co-chair Michael Canney.  “With leadership from the Governor’s Office and full public participation in the process, we could forge a path toward a truly forward-looking energy plan for the state.”

Government must lead the way and quicken steps to deal with the problem of climate change. California's renewable energy initiatives are appropriate examples for Florida to follow, and investment in such projects would provide economic development and employment opportunities for Florida communities, while providing meaningful economic incentives for a large scale conversion to clean and renewable energy

“In the past, massive government subsidies have gone toward the promotion of oil, coal and nuclear power generation as solutions to our energy needs,” saysGPF national delegate Barbara Rodgers-Hendricks of Bay County. “It is time to stop subsidizing the polluters, and start funding the technologies that will end our dependence on coal and nuclear plants, as well as oil.”

“The Green Party will only support responsible and serious efforts to impact the climate change crisis,” says GPF spokesperson Alan Kobrin of Miami. “Corporate welfare schemes designed to benefit industries that enrich politicians with campaign contributions have no place in this discussion. Even the smallest amount of global warming will have a huge impact on Florida. Simply put, we cannot afford to be wrong on this issue.”

Greens support an immediate push for energy conservation as the first priority for any state energy plan. “Without a serious commitment to reducing energy consumption across the board, from transportation systems to buildings and community development, we will fail to get this problem under control,” says GPF spokesperson Aaron Czyzewski of Hillsborough County.

Since its inception, one of the key values guiding the Green Party has been to maintain an ecological balance within the resource limits of our communities. Furthermore, we seek to move to an energy efficient economy using clean, renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power generation.

The specific objectives and purposes of the Green Party of Florida are to foster greater understanding and to advance the authority and reality of the Green's Ten Key Values in society: Ecological wisdom, grassroots democracy, personal and global responsibility, nonviolence, decentralization, community-based economics, gender equality, respect for diversity, social justice; and future focus / sustainability.

For more information:

GREEN PARTY OF FLORIDA
www.floridagreens.org

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
www.gp.org