Florida Power & Light (FPL) has filed for a permit with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection asking for formal approval of plans to construct a huge coal-fired power plant near Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. In response, Environment Florida and other conservation groups have joined forces to send a clear message to FPL and Florida decision-makers that the proposal will be met with stiff opposition.

“This is the wrong power plant, in the wrong place, at the wrong time. To build a coal-fired power plant that will spew toxic mercury, smog, soot and global warming pollutants on the edge of the Everglades, without first looking to meet Florida’s energy needs with energy efficiency programs, is a dirty and dangerous proposition, and should be rejected,” said Holly Binns, field director with Environment Florida.

On Dec. 22, FPL filed paperwork that will begin the approval process for a 1960 mega-watt, coal-powered facility to be located five miles north of Moore Haven, Florida, in Glades County.

“It makes absolutely no sense for FPL to put a huge coal-burning plant on the border of the Everglades while the government is spending billions of dollars to protect this national treasure,” said Dr. Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

In November of 2005, local homeowners in St. Lucie County teamed up with clean energy advocates to hand FPL an unprecedented five to zero defeat before the St. Lucie County Commission on their proposal to build a similar power plant in South Florida. The expected increase in mercury and global warming pollution, FPL’s failure to consider cleaner alternatives like energy efficiency and coal gasification, along with a rejection of the heavy-handed tactics used by FPL to pressure local citizens were all given as reasons for the unanimous vote.

FPL has now moved the proposal inland to Glades County, which has a population of approximately 11,000 and increased the size of the facility but is still unwilling to consider cleaner technologies. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “The Everglades and other south Florida ecosystems are already stressed by the pressures of human development. Global warming will add additional stresses, such as higher water levels, increased salinity and warmer water temperatures.”

The proposed FPL facility will be one of the United States’ largest new sources of carbon dioxide, sending over 13 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the air annually.

“Knowing all we know about the impacts of CO₂ emissions, building a coal plant without regard for carbon capture is a giant step in the wrong direction,” said Susan Glickman, Natural Resources Defense Council’s Florida consultant. “The citizens of Florida deserve a better option than dirty coal and global warming.”

Signaling what appears to be a bias toward coal generation, FPL sought and received an exemption from the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) for the requirement to seek alternative plans on how to meet the energy demand through an open request for proposals (RFPs) process. FPL must file a “need determination” before May 1, 2007, or the PSC could revoke the wavier to the RFP requirement.

Advocates continue to raise the issue that FPL supports regressive policies made by the PSC that, if removed, would allow stronger conservation and efficiency measures to be implemented, thereby decreasing the demand for more electrical generation. For example, the “RIM Test” screens out valuable energy efficiency programs if they lessen profits for FPL.

Advocates plan to ask the incoming governor to review the state policy on building coal plants and to seek ways to increase energy efficiency and cleaner alternatives.