Gov. DeSantis Rejects $377M in US Energy Funds Despite Florida Suffers from Extreme Heat

Despite Florida experiencing increasingly hot temperatures, Governor Ron DeSantis recently declined $377 million in free federal energy-efficiency funds as the Biden administration's promotion of its prominent climate law in crucial swing states.

Rejecting US Energy Funds

Florida Republican and 2024 presidential contender Governor Ron DeSantis silently declined hundreds of millions of dollars in federal energy funding. According to a report from Electrek, the funding is intended for energy-efficiency rebates, electrification, and other initiatives outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act and funds from the bipartisan infrastructure legislation passed in 2021.

The Department of Energy was notified last month by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to confirm its withdrawal of applications for the funds. This came after DeSantis issued a line-item veto for a federal grant of $5 million for the state to set up programs to distribute the rebates.

In the midst of President Joe Biden showcasing the positive impacts of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, all Republicans voted against the approval of his signature climate law. This law allocated approximately $374 billion for clean-energy programs and tax credits. Aside from this, these efforts were heavily criticized by Republicans (including DeSantis), calling them "woke" standards.

DeSantis put forward a proposal for tax credits specifically for gas stoves in February, as part of his campaign for accusing liberals of taking away gas stoves in the market. Interestingly, natural gas, which is the real cause of escalating electricity bills for Floridians, seemed to be overlooked in this initiative.

Bloomberg reported that the governor also turned down a federal grant worth $24 million from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, intended to enhance rural wastewater systems. These grant funds were part of a larger set of line-item vetoes totaling around $511 million, which DeSantis executed before signing the state's $116.5 million budget into law the previous month.

Florida Heat & El Niño

WUSF Public Media reported that 2023 has already been Miami's hottest year on record. But this change is felt around the globe, not just in Florida as the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction stated July 3rd earned the hottest global average day since at least 1979. While this was just only a one-day record, this is a sign of things to come as the world continues to warm.

Although climate change remains the primary cause of elevated temperatures, a natural global weather phenomenon known as El Niño also contributes. This results in increased heat retention in the atmosphere and causes abnormally high temperatures in various regions worldwide.

University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Research Senior Associate Brian McNoldy stated that this is crazy to see as we are still not even at the hottest point of the year yet. "As El Niño continues to form this year, that's going to help these records keep jumping out above the average," he added.