3 December 28, 2023 - January 3, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ FLORIDA BURN, BABY, BURN! FLORIDA TURNS DOWN $320 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN I n the Sunshine State, public restrooms, school libraries, and Disney World have become ground zero for the DeSantis administration’s political skirmishes. The battlefield has now extended to the state highway system. In November, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) declined $320 mil- lion in federal funds to combat climate change and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, claiming the federal government is over- reaching and “politicizing roadways.” The move came two months after Gov. Ron De- Santis said liberals were trying to “politicize the weather” by suggesting hurricanes are growing stronger because of climate change. Florida is the only state to have turned down federal funding under the $6.4 billion Carbon Reduction Program, which is de- signed to help states track carbon emissions on their roadways and develop environmen- tally sound transportation infrastructure. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Trans- portation, FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue complained that the feds are attempting to legislate through administrative action. “Nothing within the law explicitly allows for federally induced mandates for states to track, or achieve a certain level, of reduced CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions,” Perdue, a DeSantis appointee, wrote to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “Rather than support the politicization of our roadways, FDOT’s time, money, and resources will be focused on building roads and bridges — not reducing carbon emissions.” In response, the nonprofit group Transit Alliance Miami pointed out in a statement that “[t]ransportation and land use are re- sponsible for 55 percent of Miami-Dade County’s carbon pollution. The $320 million in Carbon Reduction Program funds that FDOT has left on the table was intended to help our community tackle these problems head-on. Tala Habash, communication associate for Transit Alliance, tells New Times the state transportation department’s decision is in “flagrant disregard” for South Florida resi- dents’ concerns over flooding and climate change. “In the face of ex- treme weather condi- tions, this decision to reject this money just does not reflect the needs on the ground,” she adds. While Perdue boasted in his letter to Buttigieg that Florida has the “cleanest air on record with emissions continuing to fall as fast as our state grows,” FDOT’s own site notes that Florida is among the top 15 U.S. states for diesel emissions. “He’s making sure that you hear that buzz- word,” Habash tells New Times. “He’s not ac- tually talking about the real pollutants, not just the dirty carbon. He’s assuming that you’re not checking the facts on the record.” FDOT sent New Times a statement saying it declined to submit a plan under the Carbon Reduction Program because the U.S. DOT “failed to publish or provide guidance it com- mitted to in April 2022” regarding the process under which it will certify states’ transporta- tion emissions reduction. The DeSantis administration’s pushback against federal climate change initiatives has been on full display in recent months. In August, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton, railed against federal proposed rules to regulate carbon emissions at coal and gas-fired power plants — mandates that would force existing coal-fired plants to retire if they don’t drastically reduce emissions by 2040. “The proposed rules put states like Florida at greater risk, by attempting to force un- proven transitional energy practices ahead of generating the energy capacity necessary to meet the demand of our residents, visitors, and businesses,” Hamilton, a DeSantis ap- pointee, wrote to the feds. Florida was the state with the third-most funding allotted under the Carbon Reduction Program, behind California and Texas. Mark Merwitzer, policy manager for Transit Alliance Miami, says the funding could have been used to invest in bike infrastructure, traffic management, pedestrian safety, and street drainage. Rather than focusing on big-ticket highway projects, he says, the money could have helped improve the overall livability of South Florida. “We have people coming to Florida, mov- ing to Miami-Dade County, and then on a clear, sunny day, they will step outside and their block is flooded,” Merwitzer tells New Times. “That should be addressed with this money. That’s such low-hanging fruit that impacts everyone.” [email protected] GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Florida is the only state to have turned down federal funding under the $6.4 billion Carbon Reduction Program. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images “THIS DECISION TO REJECT THIS MONEY JUST DOES NOT REFLECT THE NEEDS ON THE GROUND.” | RIPTIDE |
