Fasano asks Gardiner for some face time with Progress on its nuke mess

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, hasn't gotten had much success asking privately to bring Progress Energy before the Senate Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee, so he decided to ask publicly at a very short meeting of the committee on Monday.

Fasano said it's time the power company come before lawmakers "so we could ask them what’s going on." The company continues to seek cost recovery for a new nuclear power plant in Levy County that has yet to be built at the same time its botched repair of its existing Crystal River plant may cost its customers a shocking $2 billion.

"The amount of dollars to be borne by ratepayers is a lot more than what we thought years ago," Fasano said. "I would ask for you to ask Progress Energy to come before us." He said he wants answers on when the new nuclear plant is going to be built, what will the total cost be and why did the company decided to fix the Crystal River reactor crack themselves when they were warned not to go forward.

"I'm not here to embarrass anyone,'' said Fasano, employing his characteristic skill at seeking headlines. "I'm just representing my constituents. We're not talking about a few dollars. We're talking about billions of dollars from the ratepayers."

Regulators approve second fee increase for FPL beginning in January

State regulators gave Florida Power & Light permission Tuesday to add a second increase in charges to customer bills starting in January, bringing to $4.70 the total new charges approved for every 1,000 kilowatt hours a month in electricity used by customers.

The Florida Public Service Commission approved the $2.50 a month increase for 1,000 kilowatt hours of usage to cover the company's fuel costs. This follows a $2.20 a month nuclear cost charge approved by regulators last week -- for the same amount of electricity used -- to cover the cost of building and planning prospective nuclear power plants.

The PSC on Tuesday also approved slight decreases in fuel costs for customers of Tampa Electric Company and Gulf Power Company. The commission is expected to vote on a fuel cost charges for  Progress Energy Florida customers tomorrow.

The increase for Florida's largest electric utility also came on the same day Gov. Rick Scott told members of the black legislative caucus that "I don't want to do anything that causes the cost of living in the state to go up.'' Scott appointed two of the five commissioners sitting on the regulatory panel.

Energy advocates blast PSC ruling on nuke power as lacking oversight

Here's the release from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a nonprofit that promotes renewable energy, blasted the decision by state utility regulators to grant the rate increase request sought by FPL and Progress Energy to pay for speculative nuclear projects:

For the third consecutive year, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved Progress Energy of Florida (PEF) and Florida Power and Light’s (FPL) requests for hundreds of millions of dollars in advanced cost recovery for questionable new nuclear projects, despite the fact that neither utility has clearly demonstrated an intent to actually build the reactors. The commission’s unanimous vote today to approve a combined $282 million in cost recovery brings the total amount charged to customers in advance to more than $1 billion.
 
“It is a sad day for Florida ratepayers’ wallets when the Public Service Commission keeps approving millions of dollars for Progress Energy and FPL on nuclear projects that will likely never be built. It’s like free money for the utilities – talk up a project, sell the idea to the Legislature and PSC, delay it multiple times, and keep vacuuming up ratepayers' hard earned dollars,” said Dr. Stephen A. Smith, executive director of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

PSC approves $2 a month rate increase for average FPL customers

Florida Power & Light got the go-ahead Monday to increase the average household electric bill to pay for investments in nuclear energy — even if the utility never ends up building any new nuclear power plants.

The charge, which will amount to $2.20 every month for a household using the average 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month, was approved unanimously by the Public Service Commission, which regulates state utilities.

Under a state law approved by the Legislature in 2006, the company can collect the money for new nuclear plants without having to commit to building the plants. The commission approved the increase, arguing it was required to do so based on the statute.

“I find that the utility has done what the statute has asked for,’’ Commissioner Ron Brise said. He said it could hurt investment in the state if the PSC had decided not to give the utility what it expects. “We are implementing the statute as prescribed by the Legislature.”

PSC members focused on justifying a rate increase for nuclear power

Florida utility regulators have approved a $2.09 a month rate increase for Florida Power & Light's average customers beginning in January so that the company can pay for plans to build nuclear power plants.

Under a state law approved by the legislature in 2006, the company can collect the money but can change its mind and never build the facility. The commission unanimously Based on the debate this morning right out of the box, three of the five PSC commissioners sound as if they are prepared to give the utilities what they want and blame lawmakers.

Commissioner Julie Brown asked if the statute specifically calls for proof that the company needs to show that it intends to build a plant. Staff lawyer Keino Young said yes. Commissioner Lisa Edgar clarifies that's actually a PSC rule, not in the statute.

But, Young notes, the company doesn't have to decide to definitely build a nuclear plant in order to charge customers and collect money for it. "Is necessary that final decision be made prior to allowing recovery? No," Young said. "But I would note that pre your final order which interprets the statue and the rule calls for intent. If the company is engaged in siting, license, construction or construction of a nuclear power plant, they meet the intent requirement of your order." 

Utility Regulators Give Up Oversight of Landlines in Florida

   More people are giving up their home phones in favor of cell phones. Now, state utility regulators are stepping away from their oversight of landline telephone service.

Legislation passed earlier this year deregulated certain telecommunications in Florida. WLRN Miami Herald reporter Gina Jordan tells us the Public Service Commission this week repealed its own rules to comply with state law.

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Scott commends FPL's discount for companies that bring jobs

Gov. Rick Scott commended Florida Power & Light on Tuesday for agreeing to amend its economic development program to make it easier for companies to draw down incentive money. Since it was first proposed by his transition team, the governor has wanted to use electric policy to help attract businesses.

Under the plan, approved by the Public Service Commission on Tuesday, new commercial and industrial customers of FPL that re-use existing facilities, use at least 350 kW of electricity and hire at least 10 full-time employees by June 1, 2013, will receive a 20 percent discount in their base electric bill. After that, they must hire at least 25 full-time employees.

The cost of the program will be shared by all FPL customers, and new residential customers who move to Florida or move into existing residences in FPL's territory, will not receive a discount.

Here's the governor's statement:

“I commend Florida Power and Light Company’s efforts to attract businesses to Florida by expanding the opportunity for new and growing businesses to receive discounted electric service and also creating an Office of Economic Development within the company. It is initiatives like this that help stimulate our economy and get Floridians back to work. By providing these essential services to businesses, the company is adding to the reasons why Florida is the number one place to start, grow or move a business.”

Will Weatherford on redistricting, 2012 and more

UPDATE: Weatherford endorsed former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

State Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, sat down for a wide-ranging, one-hour conversation with the St. Petersburg Times editorial board this morning. The future House speaker has a busy summer going as he chairs the House redistricting committee and attends public hearings across the state. He covered a number of hot topics. Here are the highlights:

The redisctricting process: "It's putting a very complicated pie together that involves a lot of testimony, it involves a lot of law, federal law, state law, constitutional state provisions, case law, I mean, it’s a lot. And I had no idea what this was going to entail when I asked to be chairman of this committee."

Where will FL's new congressional seats be? "The two new seats … that’s probably further down the road in fall. I can tell you the greatest population increases have been I-4-based, really pretty much from Tampa to Orlando, the southwest Florida corridor, down there in Collier, Lee county … and then in northeast Florida, kind of between Jacksonville and Orlando, along that Palm Coast, I-95 corridor. Those are the three that have had the most. So we have two congressional seats, obviously, not three. I don’t know for sure, but my guess would be those are the areas with the most population, they could potentially be where a seat goes."

Getting lobbied by current members of Congress? "Yeah, I’ve had them call, 'Hey, how’s it going Mr. Chairman, what’s happening?’ All the sudden I’m a pretty popular guy to people who didn’t know who I was. I give them the same speech I give our members, which is, ‘Do me a favor, have your people come to hearings, we’d love to hear from you if you want to give us your opinion. But don’t talk to me about where you live, don’t talk to me about what your political agenda is. Talk about the communities of interest in your district, talk about how it can be more compact, talk about how it can follow geographic boundaries better. If your comments are tailored toward the district and not you, it’s okay. But anything you say to me can and will be used.' "

Gov. Rick Scott's low approval rating a concern for 2012? "I’m not concerned about it. I think it’s early. Just like when Gov. (Charlie) Crist in … 2008 his numbers were through the roof, I mean, absolutely through the roof and he got walloped in the polls. To me, if my election hinges upon the popularity of the governor, then I’m probably not a very good legislator for my district."

Endorsing for Republican presidential primary? "I'm flirting. I’d be jumping the gun if I told you. I have narrowed it down and there’s a couple that I really like and one in particular that I’m leaning toward. I’m not going to share it today because I’ll probably be coming out with something pretty soon. We’ll see." (Could it be Jon Huntsman? The former Utah governor is making several Tampa Bay area stops this weekend, perfect for an endorsement.)

What about FL's primary? “I think the goal is to be as close as we possibly can, hopefully like the fifth slot, without penalty. So we’re negotiating with the RNC as to how we get that done. There may be a penalty anyway, no matter what we do. ... but playing devil’s advocate, as Florida, if we were to go into it and say, okay, we’ll take the penalty, we’re going to go the Thursday before Super Tuesday  … Let’s say they take away half of our delegates, they’re worth more than Iowa’s, New Hampshire’s and almost South Carolina’s combined.”

FL Senate race: Won't endorse before the Republican primary. Says all of the candidates are friends.

Asked if PSC was wronged: “Gov. (Charlie) Crist politicized the PSC. The PSC is supposed to be a quasi-judicial branch that is supposed to look at facts and figures and make a determination based on what is in front of them and what they know, not based on political pressure. Gov. Crist, who I still consider a friend of mine, he’s a nice guy, but he went out there and campaigned on lowering people’s rates, he was very consumer-friendly, he wanted to make sure that the PSC was always fighting back and not approving anything that he thought could potentially increase rates for consumers. Well that goes against what the whole PSC was supposed to be. The reason we created the PSC was to take politics out of the decision-making process and make it a judicial decision on facts. Gov. Crist was calling PSC commissioners and telling them how to vote, minutes before the vote, a couple years ago. And so he politicized it first and I think the reaction of the Legislature was to depoliticize it."

Open FL waters to oil exploration? "Not interested. We’ve had the debate. Not interested.”

Scott to weigh in on energy policy with less conservation, more renewables

After remaining on the sidelines on energy issues since taking office, Gov. Rick Scott is now entering the fray, ordering up renewable energy legislation, asking that utilty regulators lower energy efficiency standards, and preparing a new energy plan, the governor's top policy advisors said Thursday.

Scott's new new Special Advisor on Energy Policy Mary Bane is hoping to find a solution to appease the warring factions that led to renewable energy bills dying in the last three legislative sessions, said Mary Anne Carter, Scott's policy chief.

By summer's end, Bane will have a proposed state energy policy that will address everything from offshore oil drilling off Florida's coast to clean coal and renewable energy, Carter told an assembly of about three dozen energy stakeholders in the Capitol's Cabinet meeting room. The first priority, however, will be to open the door to renewable energy and shut the door on what the governor considers expensive energy efficiency policies, she said.

Scott appoints former PSC director Mary Bane as energy advisor

Gov. Rick Scott, who proclaimed during his campaign for governor that he didn't believe in the science of global warming and urged the state to open its coastal waters to oil drilling, has used his veto message to announce a new-found commitment to energy policy.

"As the country's third largest energy consumer, Florida needs a comprehensive energy policy,'' Scott wrote. "In signing Senate Bill 2156, I am committed to making the development of a strategic energy policy a priority of my administration. As such I am appointing Dr. Mary Bane as my special advisor on energy policy."

Bane retired as executive director of the Public Service Commission in December 2010 after a tumultuous final year in which her staff admitted to socializing with lobbyists, attending a Kentucky Derby party at the home of a Flower Power & Light lobbyist and staff members of commissioners were found texting messages to utilities officials. Bane applied and was nominated for a commissioner position on the PSC but was rejected by Gov. Charlie Crist who had criticized the for becoming too close to the utilities it regulates.

Scott's announcement came as part of a veto letter of SB 2106, which transfers the Florida Energy and Climate Commission to the Department of Agriculture, because he said it was redundant with another bill that eliminates the commission, SB 2156. Scott used the veto to announce that he will put a new focus on energy policy -- which is the goal of the legislatively-created energy commission. Scott proposed eliminating the energy commission in his proposed budget.