Changing Course towards an Energy-Efficient Future

One of the most significant recent developments in the area of energy and global warming has garnered little attention even though it is evidence both of a fundamental shift in our nation's approach to energy and the environment and of the crucial role lawyers will play in addressing climate change issues. While it goes to the heart of reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) and emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and mercury, it is not an international decision or action, a federal one, or a Supreme Court decision such as Massachusetts v. EPA, 127 S. Ct. 1438. Nevertheless, although this recent development does not involve any new pollution controls, it is central to addressing global warming while maintaining and growing a sound economy. The development in question is the June 5, 2007, order of the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC), rejecting (by a 4-0 vote) a proposal by Florida Power & Light to build a $5.7-billion 960-megawatt coal-fired power plant near Everglades National Park