TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A Senate committee on Tuesday voted to advance an energy bill backed by Florida House Speaker Paul Renner after adding a ban on offshore wind turbines.
The state Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government voted 6-3, with Democrats opposing numerous aspects of the wide-ranging bill.
The bill also strikes policies adopted by the Legislature in 2008 that sought to reduce carbon emissions that contribute to climate change and reduce dependence on foreign oil. The bill was amended to match the House version with the ban on offshore wind turbines or those within a mile of the coast.
Henry Kelley, an officer and shareholder with BlueWind Technology in Pensacola, which manufactures housing for wind turbines, told the committee there are no wind energy projects now planned off Florida. He said the Legislature should drop the ban and explore the issue further.
