Florida is the latest battleground in the fight over gas bans in buildings

On The Carbon Copy podcast this week:

At the start of the year, a city councilman in Tampa, Florida crafted a resolution to reach 100% clean energy by 2030.

The resolution was nonbinding and reflected an increasingly common trend. Nearly 200 cities around America have vowed to get 100% of their electricity from zero-carbon resources. 

But it also included language that would set off a political chain reaction in the state: an aspiration to phase out fossil fuels.

It scared the local gas and power utility, Tampa Electric, which used its lobbying power and money to launch a more aggressive counterstrike. And it spawned new Republican legislation that will restrict what cities can do about climate change.

This week, we look at what Florida tells us about the new front in the conflict over climate policy across America. 

Guest: Grist reporter Emily Pontecorvo, who co-authored a story about the gas industry’s influence on Florida’s new laws. 

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

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