As water temperatures around Florida exceeded 100 degrees in recent weeks, threatening the survival of coral reefs and the state’s tourism industry, and insurers flee Florida due to the skyrocketing costs of hurricanes and extreme weather, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis — who is running in the Republican presidential primary — has indicated he will refuse up to $354 million in federal money from the Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169) that is designed to help combat climate change.
In June, Governor DeSantis used a line-item veto to reject a $5 million federal grant for the state to set up a program to distribute the $354 million allocated to Florida under the Inflation Reduction Act for energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades.
Now, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is saying Florida’s loss should be Rhode Island’s gain.
In an effort to boost Rhode Island clean energy deployment and pass along greater savings to Ocean State consumers, Reed sent a letter asking the U.S. Department of Energy to redirect Florida’s rejected clean energy funds to Rhode Island and other states that can effectively use the money in a timely, appropriate way, as intended by the law:
“The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (RI OER) is eager to accept its apportioned $64 million. RI OER is working diligently to set up its rebate program and could utilize additional funds that Florida’s Governor may not accept for purely partisan reasons,” Reed wrote. “If Florida, or any other state, does not plan to accept these rebate funds, I urge you to do everything you can to make these funds available to other states, including the State of Rhode Island, that can put them to good use.”
The Inflation Reduction Act provides a total of nearly $370 billion toward energy security and climate change solutions with the goal of reducing emissions by 40 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030.
As part of the law focused on clean energy upgrades, Florida was slated to receive a $5 million planning grant to set up mechanisms in order to distribute a larger tranche of federal funds directly to eligible consumers: $174 million for energy-efficiency improvement rebates; $173 million for energy-efficient home appliance rebates for consumers; and $7 million for a training program for electrification contractors.
Reed says that if Florida is going to refuse $354 million in funds, other states, including Rhode Island, will happily take it. He is urging the U.S. Secretary of Energy to make the federal funding available to other states and says it is imperative that the funds be put to work helping the United States achieve its climate goals, regardless of whether Governors want to disadvantage their own residents.
“If Governor DeSantis wants to bury his head in the sand on climate change and turn down $354 million for Florida, other states should pick up the slack and put that money to work the way Congress intended. We are one nation and we have a shared goal when it comes to reducing pollution and America’s reliance on foreign oil. These newer energy efficient appliances save consumers real money. So it’s fine if consumers in Rhode Island and elsewhere get bigger savings at the expense of Governor DeSantis’s gambit. The main issue is putting that money to work and making progress for the American people,” said Senator Reed.
This isn’t the first time Rhode Island would benefit from a Republican Governor of Florida turning down federal funding to further his own personal political ambitions. In 2011, then-Governor Rick Scott pulled a similar move, turning down nearly $2.5 billion in federal high-speed rail funding.
Senator Reed urged then U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to make Florida’s rejected funds available to other states. LaHood agreed. Rhode Island officials then applied for and won $28 million to make rail upgrades in the Ocean State. Several other states used the federal funding for high-speed rail infrastructure upgrades as well.
“You feel bad for hardworking Florida residents who are missing out on significant savings. But the bottom line is: climate change is real. These clean energy savings are real. And Florida’s loss should be other states’ gain,” said Reed.
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