Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed Wednesday that he was saving his state from “radical green zealots” by removing references to “climate change” from the state’s energy policy and banning offshore windmills.
DeSantis, an unsuccessful 2024 presidential candidate, signed a bill into law that also gives preferential treatment to natural gas companies and eliminates the requirement that vehicles purchased by the state be fuel efficient.
With 8,346 miles of coastline and water surrounding three sides, Florida is the most vulnerable state or close to being the most at risk when it comes to the impacts of climate change. according to a series of metrics.
“The legislation I signed today… will keep the windmills off our beaches, the gas in our tanks, and China out of our state,” DeSantis wrote in X. “We are restoring sanity to our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of radical green fanatics.
The White House and other Democrats attacked DeSantis’ action.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed Wednesday that he was saving his state from “radical green zealots” by removing references to “climate change” from the state’s energy policy and banning offshore windmills.
“The legislation I signed today… will keep the windmills off our beaches, the gas in our tanks, and China out of our state,” DeSantis wrote in X. “We are restoring sanity to our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green fanatics’
‘“It’s quite shameful,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Thursday’s press briefing.
‘And the president, as you know, has been the most progressive, he has done the most in climate change than any other president. That is why we are committed, committed to facing this crisis and achieving our objectives,” Jean-Pierre continued.
He added that it was “unfortunate that there are still climate deniers.”
Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Florida, posted on X: “We are on the front lines of climate change.”
“It promotes the destruction of our coastal communities and economy and fuels the insurance crisis,” he said. ‘DeSantis is finishing what [Sen. Rick] Scott started when he was governor and made sure our state didn’t stand a chance.
Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson, who represents part of Miami, said that “climate change is an indisputable fact, not an issue open to debate.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he was “restoring sanity” by removing references to “climate change” from Florida’s energy policy, even though the Sunshine State is one of the most vulnerable to the effects of the global warming in the nation.
“The dire consequences of the climate crisis are evident every day in Florida, and attempts to undermine efforts to combat this existential threat are absolutely reckless and irresponsible.”
Robert Reich, Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Labor, posted in X about how costly climate change has already been for the Sunshine State.
“Since 1980, there have been 87 weather and climate disasters in Florida with losses exceeding $1 billion each,” Reich said. “Taking advantage of the culture wars will not protect Floridians from the harsh realities of climate change.”
DeSantis and other Republicans have been antagonistic to President Joe Biden’s green agenda, and former President Donald Trump promised to roll back some of the Democrat’s climate provisions if elected to a second term in the fall.
The Florida governor abandoned his own presidential bid in late January after coming a distant second to Trump in the Iowa caucuses.
DeSantis endorsed Trump out the door and recently said he will start raising money for the presumptive Republican nominee.