On Monday, President Obama announced his support for states to set their own stringent emission standards that would regulate automakers to provide it’s residents with more fuel efficient cars. Floridians were close to being ahead of the wave of fuel efficiency last year when Governor Crist tried to pass legislation that would do just that, but Auto Lobbyists supplied campaign contributions to Florida Congress legislators like Rep. Paige Kreegel, R-Punta Gorda and others who opposed the bill. “Kreegel introduced an amendment to Crist’s energy plan last year that stopped the governor from adopting the vehicle emissions rules without legislative approval.”
The argument given is that Representative Kreegal wants to wait for National Standards to be set. Rep. Kreegal doesn’t seem to be aware aware of Florida’s geography. Florida is a land mass that is almost entirely surrounded by water. In 2004, Punta Gorda (Rep. Kreegal’s town)made the national news when it suffered the devastation brought on by Hurricane Charlie. To locate Punta Gorda on a map, just follow the cost line directly south from Tampa. One would think that the effects of Global Warming would be a direct interest to a small fishing town like Punta Gorda. And yet Rep. Kreegal and others seem to feel that Florida can wait for the rest of the Nation.
I realize that Global Warming is a Global issue. But I also live in Florida. And for me, Florida is at the top of my priorities…then everyone else falls into place. Sorry for that, but it’s true. I also live in a coastal town, therefore the issues of rising sea levels and the destruction of our marine life are at the forefront of my priorities. This leads me to ask what our Representatives are thinking when they fight legislation that would help save our state.
People of Punta Gorda need to take a closer look at their Representative and ask who he is putting first. They need to remind him that his first priority should be the citizens of his district and then the auto industry.
I can understand why those companies with a vested interest in the status quo would want to fight it – the imposition of new regulation could cost thousands of jobs and have a huge impact on the economy, after all. In the short term, that is. If they can survive and produce efficient cars, they would be able to sell them internationally where emissions regulations are already far tougher: a market they are currently locked out of.