Originally Published Sept. 30, 2009

 

One despairs about current environmental protection, especially in Florida. We have abundant sunshine but minimal solar-energy usage and a governor who has abandoned us. Let's find some leadership to implement sensible actions:

•Pass federal legislation that addresses global warming, encourages renewable energy and drives increased energy efficiency. Congress has drafted legislation in both houses.

•Enact a gasoline tax, handling several critical problems in one swoop. Thomas Friedman's compelling arguments ("Observe 1st rule of warfare: Take high ground, tax gas," Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 22) should prevail. Given the tremendous upsides, we can resolve any inequities.

•Get mass transit moving, 30 years late. The arguments against SunRail have been absurd. The city of Phoenix provides a parallel example of how mass transit can help revitalize a city.

•Encourage native Florida landscapes rather than thirsty grass. Irrigation needs helped drive Seminole County's request to take millions of gallons of water daily from the St. Johns River. We need to conserve precious water resources.

•Adopt Hometown Democracy (Amendment 4) in 2010. Development proceeds even as population declines, without any master plan. Despite what developers (and their allies Floridians for Smarter Growth) say, this amendment would help control unbridled growth without disrupting worthy projects. Citizens could encourage new projects to be resource self-sustaining. We should focus on redeveloping existing sites rather then ruining pristine lands.

Michael Pillow

Winter Springs