Florida's Gov. Crist signs action plan on climate change

AEN News

Miami - Florida governor Charlie Crist stood beside Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday and signed three executive orders to help combat climate change. The two governors join a growing list of GOP lawmakers who oppose the Bush administration's stall tactics towards cooperating with Europe's collective drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb global warming.

Gov. Schwarzenegger called Gov. Crist "a new action hero" for taking a stand against emission levels of greenhouse gases from utlities and the auto industry.

Gov. Crist's actions in signing the executive orders committing Florida to craft a statewide action plan aimed at reducing pollution was seen more as a message aimed at fellow Republicans to get involved in climate control and help eleviate the growing amount of greenhouse gases being produced. But it was Gov. Schwarzenegger who seemed to be aiming his green sites directly at the Bush White House.

"People say the Republicans are supposed to fight the environment, protect business, protect the economy," Gov. Schwarzenegger said. "I think this is bogus. We won't have an economy if we destroy our environment. You can protect the economy and the environment; the two go hand in hand."

Bush attended a conference in Europe hosted by Germany's Angela Merkel where Bush was joined by Canada's Prime Minister in balking at moving to quickly to enact climate legislation that could curb economic development.

The German government will be drawing up an integrated program that will point the way forward for energy and climate policy up to 2020. The program will be based on the outcomes of the three energy summits held by the government. After the summer, the Ministry of Economics and Technology and the Ministry of the Environment will present the cornerstones of the new policy.

"This program is our response to the central challenge of the 21st century - climate change. At the same time we propose an economically sound perspective for power generators and consumers in Germany," declared Merkel at the close of the third energy summit, which she hosted on July 3 at the Federal Chancellery.

Matthias Machnig, state secretary of German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety was on hand for Gov. Crist's signing of the three initiatives. Crist also signed partnership agreements with Germany and the United Kingdom to work to reduce greenhouse gases. Government officials from both countries were on hand, pleased at the Republican gubernatorial leaders support for climate change.

"We've been waiting for something to change in this country on climate and environment issues," said Machnig. "Germany and the United Kingdom are recognized as worldwide leaders in actively addressing global climate change," said Gov. Crist. "Florida is honored to join these great nations in calling for a post-Kyoto Protocol that protects the planet’s climate systems by reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses beyond 2012."

Florida's Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Mike Sole said his department would immediately begin drafting new rules to implement the Governor's orders. Florida now plans on moving forward on a broad array of alternative energy sources, including solar and wind power and ethanol from crops, such as sugar cane.

Sole defended the initiatives when critics asked if Floridans would have to pay more to operate motor vehicles. "If you look at fuel efficiencies, the cost is readily offset, especially at today's gas prices," Sole said.

Representatives from Wal-Mart were on hand to say they'd saved millions of dollars over the last two years by employing cost-saving environmental measures in support of business' role in developing more environmental programs in line with Gov. Crist's directives.