ed, Boca Raton in particular and Florida in general have more interest and more potential involvement in finding solutions to the effects of climate change than most parts of the country.
One small solution is for cities to add what planners call “transit-oriented development,” which means clustering homes near rail lines, to reduce commuting and thus emissions from cars. Boca Raton made this a goal years ago, and other coastal cities hope that Tri-Rail one day can move its trains to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks that run through most downtowns.
A large solution is for power companies to use cleaner fuel. Every analysis concludes that coal-fired power plants—the main energy source in China and some larger developing nations—emit huge amounts of greenhouse gases. Florida Power & Light, the state’s largest utility with roughly 4.6 million customers, generates only about 5 percent of its electricity from coal. Very soon, almost 70 percent will come from natural gas, which also is a fossil fuel but emits roughly half the amount of carbon dioxide compared to coal.
Few aspects of climate change policy, though, are easy. FPL is pushing ahead with plans for two new nuclear plants south of Miami. The company, which hasn’t made a final decision, touts the fact that nuclear power emits no greenhouses gases. True, but the plants would be very expensive—perhaps $20 billion—and would create more nuclear waste, for which Congress still has not developed a national storage plan.
Locally, the focus will remain on water. Obeysekera praises Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties for their efforts on water conservation. Boca Raton was an early advocate of using treated wastewater for irrigation, even as people worried aloud that they could get sick from sprinklers at Mizner Park. Bloetscher says that for Boca, Delray and other coastal cities another issue will be “access”—to roads and sewer systems during floods.
“Dr. Obey” does not minimize the challenge, but he also is not a pessimist. With enough effort in the right places, Boca Raton and the state can rise to the challenge of rising seas.
Delray city attorney candidate off to Coconut Creek?
Terrell Pyburn, the interim city attorney for Delray Beach, has announced her resignation according to a city spokeswoman. Sources tell us that Pyburn is expected to accept an offer to become city attorney in Coconut Creek.
Wednesday night, the city commission in Coconut Creek—a northwest Broward County city of about 55,000—voted unanimously to offer Pyburn the job, though there is not yet a contract.
Pyburn was one of four candidates for the permanent job in Delray Beach. She had been the interim attorney since January, when Brian Shutt resigned to work for a private firm in West Palm Beach (Pyburn was assistant city attorney under Shutt). The Delray Beach commission will interview city attorney candidates June 3-4 and probably decide immediately after the interviews are done.
I will have much more on this issue in next Tuesday’s post.
Everglades restoration hung out to dry
One key part of South Florida’s water/climate change strategy is Everglades restoration, the $10-billion plus effort that seeks, among other things, to redirect excess rainfall inland from the coast, rather than have that water just flow into the ocean.
So it was beyond disappointing to hear this week that the U.S. House approved a water projects bill that does not include the Central Everglades Planning Project, a key part of Everglades restoration. The Army Corps of Engineers, which must review all such projects, said there was not enough time to do so and get the project into the House bill. Though the Corps may bless the project as early as Friday, the Senate is set to vote on the water bill today, and it is unlikely that there would be any changes.
An official with Audubon of Florida notes, correctly, the Everglades still is “the largest environmental beneficiary” of the bill, which authorizes projects. Spending approval must come later. But it has been seven years since the last water bill, which came seven yea