Renewable Energy Fight In Cape Coral

Cape Coral resident Robin Speronis is using solar power and rain water for her home. Special Magistrate Harold S. Eskin told Speronis that she must pay for water service she does not use. Speronis uses waste water for her garden.

“I know how to live off the grid completely and in a sanitary way,” Speronis responded in an email to the action. “That's what seven months in living in the woods taught me. I do have an alternative toilet from my days of living in the woods.”

At issue is Speronis is not paying for waste water.

“This resident provided testimony at the code compliance hearing that she has been living in the home for the past year and using the city’s wastewater system without paying for the service,” said Connie Barron, a spokeswoman for the city.

Speronis intends to fight the Cape Coral city codes. I am interested in how this will play out. The Koch Brothers and ALEC are behind an effort to making solar panel users pay a fee to utility companies.

The solar power industry called the new rule a victory only because power companies in the state were demanding assessments of as much as $100 a month — more than high enough to deter families from considering switching to solar.

Renewable energy is not in the financial interest of the oil industry.

Tea Party Nation Does Global Warming Science and Fails

Alan Caruba ran a post on Tea Party Nation claiming that the media won't check websites that prove that global warming is a hoax.

The claim that carbon dioxide (CO2) is a pollutant is absurd insofar as it is, next to oxygen, the second most vital gas for life on planet Earth. It is responsible for the growth of all vegetation, including crops vital to feeding humanity and the livestock on which they depend as a food source.

If you want to learn the truth about CO2, you can visit:

http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/

http://sppiblog.org/

http://www.co2science.org/

http://www.nipccreport.org/

What Caruba is either ignorant about or fails to mention is that these global warming denier groups are funded by Exxon. The first link goes to the Science and Public Policy Institute. SPPI does no research since it only has three employees. SourceWatch reports that SPPI was denied tax exempt status.

Although in March 2011 SPPI's webpages described it as "a nonprofit institute of research and education dedicated to sound public policy...", in early 2011 Ferguson said SPPI had not been granted nonprofit status from the IRS[5], 3+ years after it was formed.

(An entry in Virginia's Corporation Records [1] for "Science and Public Policy Institute, The" (#0673507-0) shows SPPI's directors as Robert E. Ferguson, and two attorneys. But this was reportedly a shell corporation, with no income and no expenditures.[6])

The second link goes to the Science and Public Policy Institute blog. Apparently, Caruba places a lot of faith into an organization that does no scientific research. SPPI president Robert Ferguson has no scientific background. Ferguson has an undergraduate degree in history, Brigham Young University, and a master's degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University. Ferguson receives his pay through the Idso family. The Idsos run the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change. The funding for the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change comes from Exxon Mobil. The group has also been involved with ALEC.

Blogger Bart Verheggen has a good breakdown on the bogus scientific reports provided by the Nipccreport (Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change). SourceWatch reports that NIPCC releases scientific reports written by people who aren't scientists.

The 2008 International Conference on Climate Change led to the production of the "Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change." While the "NIPCC enlisted several hundred scientists from more than 100 countries to work over five years to produce its series of reports, the NIPCC document is the work of 23 authors from 15 nations, some of them not scientists," said Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post.[5] This report, edited by Fred Singer, alleged that "natural causes are very likely to be the dominant cause" of climate change and concluded that while anthropogenic sources of GHGs may produce some warming, "evidence shows they are not playing a significant role." [6] The validity of the NIPCC report has been highly questioned by RealClimate, whose scientists have labeled the report "disingenuous and misleading, if not outright dishonest." On their wiki site, they debunk the arguments, chapter by chapter, put forth by the NIPCC. [7]

2009's conference, with the theme "Global Warming Crisis: Cancelled," planned, as did the 2008 gathering, to call "attention to new research findings that contradict the conclusions of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report." [8]

In an interview conducted part way through the conference with NPR, New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin explained that "what I sense, they're realizing that they have such a varied array of scientific explanations for what is going on with the climate that they felt the need to ... square up their own story in some sense because otherwise they are in danger of losing credibility. What has caused this change? They're not gaining traction."[9] Revkin said that Russell Seitz, who had attended the 2008 conference[10], "felt stiffed and didn't really fit their script". 'He felt a strong sense that there is a political frame of the issue that supersedes the need for the science to be accurate. He was kind of frustrated," Revkin said.[9]

Mr. Caruba is right. Journalists will not be going to his recommended global warming denier sites. Not unless these journalists want a good laugh.

Who are the ALEC in the Florida Legislature

Guest post by Susan Smith of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida.

Who are ALEC legislators in Florida? From ALECexposed (I removed Sen. Lynn since she apparently hasn't been connected in 15 yrs.)

House of Representatives

• Rep. Larry Ahern (R-51), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Ben Albritton (R-66), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala), attended 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting, sponsored 2005 SB 436 "Castle Doctrine Act" based on ALEC model

• Rep. Michael Bileca (R-117), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Jeff Brandes (R-52), attended 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Jason Brodeur (R-33), ALEC Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force member, registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Rachel Burgin (R-56), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting (Submitted bill with ALEC intro in 2011)

• Rep. Matt Caldwell (R-73), ALEC member who has "attended one conference to date, having paid for the membership and any conference costs with my excess campaign account"

• Rep. Richard Corcoran (R-45), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Fred Costello (R-26), "could not afford the time out of my business to attend" the 2011 ALEC Annual meeting but looks "forward to attending ALEC in the future"

• Rep. Steve Crisafulli (R-32), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting[51] but "not a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council"

• Rep. Daniel Davis (R-13), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Jose Diaz (R-115), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Chris Dorworth (R-34), dues-paying ALEC member as of 2011[56], registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting • Rep. Brad Drake (R -5)

• Rep. Clay Ford (R-3), ALEC Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force member, registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Rich Glorioso (R-Longwood), attended 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Matt Hudson (R-101), ALEC Health and Human Services Task Force member, registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Clay Ingram (R-2), attended 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Ana Rivas Logan (R-114), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Debbie Mayfield (R-80), ALEC member • Rep. Peter Nehr (R-48), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Bryan Nelson (R-38), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Jeanette Nunez (R-Miami), attended 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Jimmy T. Patronis, Jr. (R-6), ALEC State Chairman[59], registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Ray Pilon (R-69); Public Safety and Elections Task Force • Rep. Scott Plakon (R-37), ALEC International Relations Task Force member, worked with ALEC in 2011 on "a proposed constitutional amendment that prohibits laws that would force people to join health care plans, an attack on federal health care changes"

• Rep. Stephen L. Precourt (R-41), ALEC Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force member, registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Lake Ray (R-17), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting • Rep. Kelli Stargel (R-64), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. John Tobia (R-31), attended 2009 ALEC Annual Meeting at a taxpayer cost of $1,150; in August 2011 claimed he has not attended another ALEC meeting and is not a member

• Rep. Carlos Trujillo (R-116), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. Will Weatherford (R-61), registered to attend 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Rep. John Wood (R-65), ALEC Health and Human Services Task Force member who calls himself "proud to be a member of ALEC and has attended two annual conferences - Atlanta in 2009 and most recently New Orleans in 2011"

• Rep. Dana Young (R-Tampa), attended 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting

• Former Rep. Bill Posey (now Congressman, R-Rockledge), ALEC Alumni in Congress[63] and 1999 recipient of ALEC "Legislator of the Year" Award

Senate

• Sen. Anitere Flores (R-38); Education Task Force

• Sen. Lee Constantine (R-22); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force

• Sen. Alan Hays (R-25)