Strange bedfellows, indeed.
The group Floridians for Solar Choice, which consists of several conservative groups and a couple of not-so-conservtive ones, announced Wednesday they're teaming up with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy in a petition drive to get a solar energy amendment on the state ballot in 2016.
The amendment, if approved, would allow businesses and property owners to generate and sell solar power directly to consumers as other, saner states have been doing for years.
But Florida is one of a few that don't, which many people blame on energy companies', um, cozy relationships with the Public Service Commission, the agency that is supposed to be regulating utilities, but is doing a shitty job.
While renewable energy is typically a cause embraced by liberals and environmentalists, the coalition is trying to frame the issue in a manner you'd think would be appealing to other conservatives: FREEDOM!!!!!!!
“This ballot initiative is about freedom of choice and the independence to decide from more than one option how you will power your future,” said Tory Perfetti, the coalition's chair and Florida Director of Conservatives for Energy Freedom in a written statement. “The consumer and business community will benefit in ways that are not possible at present. We will be taking care of the environment while practicing smart and sensible free market principles, thus providing a net win for this State and those who live here.”
Other groups represented in the coalition are Conservatives for Energy Freedom, the Florida Retail Federation, the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association, the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy, Christian Coalition, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Tampa Bay, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida and the Libertarian Party of Florida.
“Stores like WalMart and Publix ought to be able to take advantage of their rooftop space and work with third-party operators to construct solar power arrays,” wrote Randy Miller, Executive Vice President of Governmental Affairs with the Florida Retail Federation. “Locking in competitive energy prices will help keep costs for groceries and other goods from escalating while creating local jobs. The Florida Retail Federation stands in support of solar choice and competition.”
But even as the idea of expanding solar seems to have a pretty broad appeal, the petition would first have to get more than 683,000 signatures, and once it's on the ballot, at least 60 percent of the vote.
Given that monied interests (i.e. utilities) probably won't like handing the ability to generate and sell power over to non-utility people and businesses, one should expect a nasty fight. As the Tampa Bay Times'Ivan Penn reminds us, these are the guys who said solar power won't work in Florida because it's really the "partly cloudy" state.
"Solar power and other renewable resources will be an important part of Florida's energy future," Sterling Ivey, a Duke Energy spokesman, told Penn. "We believe our best opportunity to promote solar in Florida is to work with state leaders to help create a policy to incorporate solar over the long-term and that is fair to all consumers and solar energy power generators."