Global Warming In the News

Environment Florida and NovaCharge are urging Tampa and Florida lawmakers to adopt rules that encourage the use of electric and hybrid cars, lowering the nation’s dependence on oil and improving air quality.

It’s an especially important issue in Hillsborough County since the county had the worst air quality in Florida in 2008, said Sarah Bucci, an associate with Environment Florida, at a media conference Wednesday.

Helda Rodriguez, president of NovaCharge Inc., joined Bucci in downtown Tampa. NovaCharge, based in Tampa, is a provider of Coulomb Technologies for electric vehicles.

Tampa Councilwoman Mary Mulhern and Suncoast Electric Auto Association President Michael Clark also attended the media conference.

Powering a car with electricity would reduce emissions of smog by 93 percent and nitrogen oxide by 31 percent, the group said.

Elected officials must set clean car standards, offer financial incentives to buyers of plug-in electric vehicles, create a low-carbon fuel standard, promote renewable energy and adopt so-called smart-grid technologies, Bucci said.

Plug-in electric cars are cheaper to operate than gas-powered vehicles, Environment Florida said. The cost of electricity is equal to about 75 cents to $1.25 per gallon of gasoline.

The group also wants to ensure that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency keeps its authority to regulate global warming emissions.