tampabay.com
A bill advancing through the Florida Legislature that would entice utility companies to invest in “renewable natural gas” could cost Florida residents if signed into law, according to energy watchdog groups.“Renewable natural gas” is made from a complex process that converts the climate-warming gas emitted by animal manure at large farms, for example, into a substance similar to the natural gas that is drilled from the earth. Proponents say it could help Florida become less reliant on natural ga…
2 months ago
tampabay.com
If you drive through parts of Texas, California, the Midwest — or look off the coast of several northeastern states — you can see enormous wind turbines, their rotations powering millions of homes as part of a push to make wind part of our country’s energy future.But not so in Florida, a state whose lower wind speeds have kept it from becoming a wind energy hotspot. And lawmakers are poised to pass a bill that could help keep it that way by banning offshore wind turbines in state waters.That ban…
about 2 months ago
tampabay.com
It’s a quintessential Tampa Bay image: hundreds of manatees swimming beneath Tampa Electric’s Big Bend plant in Apollo Beach, bobbing like russet potatoes in a pot as they bask in the warm water released by the facility.For decades, it’s been a Florida winter tradition for locals to delight visitors with this scene. It also shows how much manatees rely on humans to survive. Years of development and change to their natural habitats forced them to adapt. Soon, they’ll be forced to do so again.That…
about 2 months ago
tampabay.com
For the first time ever, a local agency has taken inventory of greenhouse gas emitted by the Tampa Bay area — quantifying how much our region contributes to climate change.The verdict: 31.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent were produced by Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties in 2021, according to the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.For months, metro areas, states, territories and tribal governments across the country have been doing the same, trying to pinpoin…
about 1 month ago
tampabay.com
TAMPA — When the lights dim and electricity crackles from the Tesla coils inside Amalie Arena, excited fans focus on the Tampa Bay Lightning players vying to win the game on the ice. But an enormous team extends beyond those players, comprised of more than 200 employees whose jobs revolve around making the game experience memorable.A control room full of people handles camera angles and graphics, seeing the game as a story that fans are experiencing in real-time. Ice maintenance staff ride Zambo…
about 1 month ago
tampabay.com
Renters in St. Petersburg who are struggling to keep up with rising utility bills have a new source of help, after the city and Duke Energy announced an assistance program at a news conference Friday.The Renter Utility Relief Program is open to renters who live in St. Petersburg or their landlords if utility costs are included in part of their lease agreement. The renter must make 80% or less of the area median income — which translates to $48,650 for a single person or $69,500 for a family of f…
about 1 month ago
tampabay.com
Ben Chapman shelled out enough gas money over the years — commuting from his Land O’ Lakes home to his security job in Tampa in a 2003 Ford Crown Victoria — that he began to suspect an electric car would help him save big.So when he spotted a used Fiat 500e for just $8,000, he snagged it. That was four years ago. This year, he said the car will have paid for itself in all he’s saved on gas.The environmental benefits were a “nice bonus,” Chapman said. But saving money was “the No. 1 thing for me.…
about 1 month ago
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Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office quietly helped write a bill to curtail wind energy in the state of Florida, email records provided to the Tampa Bay Times show.A version of that bill is now awaiting DeSantis’ signature to become law, which will ban offshore wind turbines in state waters. It also proposes to delete the majority of references to climate change found in state law, the Times previously reported. Florida lawmakers passed the bills, Senate Bill 1624 and House Bill 1645, in early March, even…
30 days ago
tampabay.com
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office quietly helped write a bill to curtail wind energy in the state of Florida, email records provided to the Tampa Bay Times show.A version of that bill is now awaiting DeSantis’ signature to become law, which will ban offshore wind turbines in state waters. It also proposes to delete the majority of references to climate change found in state law, the Times previously reported. Florida lawmakers passed the bills, Senate Bill 1624 and House Bill 1645, in early March, even…
30 days ago
tampabay.com
Tampa Bay’s two largest power providers requested to raise base rates for customers again in 2025.Duke Energy and Tampa Electric Co. filed thousands of pages of paperwork Tuesday with the Florida Public Service Commission, providing details into their requests to increase customers’ base rates next year. Base rates are one of several components that add up to the ultimate cost of customers’ monthly electricity bills.The Public Service Commission regulates utilities and must approve the companies…
24 days ago
tampabay.com
You might be reading this on a phone you charged at home last night or in a newspaper illuminated by lights in your kitchen.Either way, you probably rarely think about the company that provides your electricity, unless there’s an outage or you receive a steep bill.You likely think even less about the politicians who oversee those utility companies. But this obscure group of public officials, called the Florida Public Service Commission, has more power over your life — and the state’s contributio…
10 days ago
