Florida Gov. DeSantis erases climate change references from state law before hurricane season

TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis joined a loud chorus of Republican leaders combating efforts to ease greenhouse gas, signing into law a measure that removes references in state law to climate change and also bans offshore wind-energy generation in Florida.

With presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump dismissing climate change as a “hoax,” and vowing to undo President Biden’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, DeSantis’ action mirrors the GOP’s political messaging around the issue.

The legislation (HB 1645) was approved in March mostly along party lines in the Republican-controlled state House and Senate. DeSantis signed it Wednesday along with other legislation (HB 7071, HB 1331) that bars the state from investing any Florida Retirement System money in Chinese companies and from doing business with vendors that use forced labor.

"We’re restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots," DeSantis posted on X. "Furthermore, we’re going to ensure foreign adversaries like China have no foothold in our state."

He said that combined, the bills "will keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our tanks, and China out of our state."

Along with prohibiting offshore wind turbines – which currently don’t exist in Florida – the bill erases the few references to climate change and greenhouse gas that remain in state law. They were included as part of a 2008 global warming and renewable energy package approved by the state’s Republican-led Legislature and signed by then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist.

Rick Scott ended state’s carbon-reduction goals

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who succeeded Crist as governor, ended the state’s carbon-reduction goals and also worked to keep climate change out of the vocabulary of his administration.

The legislation DeSantis signed also bars cities and counties from approving energy policy restrictions. It also relaxes regulation on building natural-gas pipelines within the state, requiring state certification and coordinated permitting only of pipelines 100 miles or longer, rather than the current 15-mile standard.

With polls showing Republican voters far less willing to acknowledge climate change than Democratic voters, DeSantis has capitalized on the partisan divide with a range of legislation.

He’s already enacted a measure bolstering the dominance of cars by discouraging bike lanes and banning advertising and dark window tinting on city buses. DeSantis also signed another measure capping state spending on public transit.

DeSantis last year rejected more than $350 million in federal funding for energy efficiency initiatives under the Inflation Reduction Act, swiping at a centerpiece of President Biden’s economic agenda.

Weeks later, the DeSantis administration rejected $320 million in federal transportation money that the state was initially considering using to reduce vehicle emissions by creating more trucker rest stops, electric buses and roundabouts.

Resistance to climate change seems to be unifying force

Across Florida’s Republican state government, resistance to climate change seems to be a unifying force.

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis recently sent out a news release that rooftop solar panels could raise insurance costs and last year repeatedly raised alarms about the fire threat posed by electric vehicle batteries.

At the same time, Pew Research Center surveys last year showed a majority of U.S. adults saw climate change as a major threat to the country’s well-being.

But while nearly eight-in-10 Democrats felt that way, a 20% jump from a decade ago, by contrast, fewer than one-in-four Republicans see it as a major threat, a share almost unmoved from 10 years earlier.

Reaction to the bill-signing, was unsurprisingly, divided.

" Striking climate change language from the current law not only harms Florida’s future, but our present economy, too," said Greg Knecht, executive director of The Nature Conservancy. "This bill is a disservice to the renewable energy sector, local communities and all Floridians."

But the Florida Natural Gas Association praised DeSantis for removing federal and international control over Florida’s energy policies and allowing consumers to choose their energy source.

"We commend Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for proactively assessing and planning for resiliency and for protecting Floridians' access to energy," said Dale Calhoun, the association's executive director.

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com, or on X at @JKennedyReport.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis erases climate change from FL laws, strikes blow at windmills