Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, on the news that President Biden has announced a ban on the import of Russian oil, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried is again calling on the state to immediately divest from Russian-backed entities as well as to take action on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) proposed clean energy plan to move Florida towards sustainable energy independence.
“It’s extremely troublesome that a week has passed since my initial call for Florida to divest from Russian interests without any action plan shared by the Governor and State Board of Administration to do so. As I said at the time, it is imperative that we not only speak out against these attacks on democracy, but that we ensure Florida taxpayer dollars are not propping up the autocratic regime in Russia,” said Commissioner Fried. “Furthermore, it’s crucial for both our national security and our environment to prioritize clean energy and reduce our reliance on natural gases. I urge Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature to immediately take action to move our state towards clean energy independence to buffer the effects of geopolitics on our state’s gas prices as well as the ever present threats of climate change. I have a plan put forward by our State Office of Energy ready to be taken up today, and we should act on it as soon as possible.”
Background on Commissioner Fried’s Calls for Florida to Divest from Russia: Last month, Commissioner Fried wrote a letter to the Florida State Board of Administration (SBA) calling on the state to immediately divest from Russian-backed entities in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The SBA recently said that Florida currently holds about $300 million in Russian-domiciled investments. Republicans in the Florida legislature last week ruled against a vote on a proposed amendment to prohibit the SBA from investing Florida Retirement System assets in any company, Russian or otherwise, that does business with the Russian government.
Background on FDACS Energy Proposal: Commissioner Fried and FDACS Office of Energy have partnered with Democrats in the Florida Legislature to introduce bold clean energy proposals during the past two legislative sessions. The bill introduced this session (HB 491/ SB 548) is sponsored by Senator Tina Polsky and Representative Kelly Skidmore. The legislation would create an aggressive, statewide climate change mitigation strategy with the goal of reducing state greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030, 90 percent by 2050, and 100 percent by 2055.
The legislation would take a number of steps to improve energy efficiency and conservation, including:
- Creating a requirement for buildings that receive state funds to report their greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency;
- Instituting tax credits for farms that produce renewable energy, and financial assistance for producers who choose to implement recommended conservation programs;
- Prioritizing energy efficiency upgrades in low-income communities across our state;
- Implementing new standards for solar panel installations and consumer protections; and
- Allowing for a method called “floating solar” in which solar panels can be installed in retention pond systems.
