Ag Commissioner Putnam calls for continued energy policy conversation during Orlando summit

Ag Commissioner Putnam calls for continued energy policy conversation during Orlando summit

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam on Thursday called for a continuing discussion on energy to build on the passage of a modest energy bill earlier this year.?

Putnam spoke at the 2012 Florida Energy Summit, which he is hosting in Orlando. The summit includes several key players on energy policy, but they only provided hints Thursday of possible legislation in 2013.

There were partisan undertones as keynote speaker, retired Shell Oil Co.?president John Hofmeister, criticized President Barack Obama's policies and made the case for increased energy production, including controversial offshore oil drilling.?

Putnam said his goal is to secure "a stable, reliable and diverse supply of energy." HB 7117, signed by Gov. Rick Scott despite opposition from a few tea party and conservative groups, included energy studies and tax breaks for renewable energy.

"Now that we have proven we can pass one (energy bill), we have to continue to advance the conversation about energy," Putnam said. "Because it is a foundational issue for all of the other conversations that follow."

On a separate panel discussing HB 7117, Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood and the House energy committee chairman, and Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, offered hints of what they would like to see in future legislation by pointing out regrets about the 2012 legislation.

Plakon said he regretted the removal from HB 7117 of language directing the Public Service Commission to consider the need for fuel diversity when it reviews energy projects. That language was left out of the Senate bill version because of support for current low natural gas prices, but Plakon said he would put it in another bill next year if re-elected.

If natural gas prices skyrocket in the future as Florida becomes more dependent on it, "that would wreck our economy," Plakon said later during the panel discussion.?

Williams, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said he still thinks there should be a renewable energy requirement, called a "renewable portfolio standard."

The Public Service Commission, at the direction of the Legislature, in 2010 recommended a 20-percent renewable standard. A bill establishing a 15-percent standard passed the Senate in 2010 but wasn't voted on by the House.

"I still think when we have other states in the union outpacing Florida from a renewable portfolio standard, we still got to get there," Williams said to a smattering of applause. "I think it's a job creator. We've got to get everybody at the table."

Hofmeister, founder and head of Citizens for Affordable Energy, said the United States is headed for a decline in its lifestyle and energy security because of its dependence on imported oil. He didn't mention President Obama during his presentation, but did so during a question-and-answer session.

Although President Obama says he promotes an "all of the above" approach to energy, Hofmeister said the president has discouraged new coal-fired power plants.

"I can't give him my vote," said Hofmeister, a registered Democrat. "? He is presenting a view that only takes us to more expensive energy."

Also Thursday, sprospective Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney named Putnam a national chair of his "Farmers and Ranchers for Romney Coalition."

Related Research: Read Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam's statement from the 2012 Florida Energy Summit in Orlando.

Reporter Bruce Ritchie can be reached at britchie@thefloridacurrent.com.

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