Tax Cuts Not Bad for the Environment — But They Don’t Help It Either

Charlie Crist and Arnold Schwarzenegger showed that Republican governors can be environmentally friendly when they convened the Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change on July 12 and 13 at the Hotel InterContinental Miami. To punctuate the importance of reducing emissions, Governor Crist signed a series of executive orders designed to reduce fuel emissions from state-owned vehicles and encourage energy diversity in utilities (Florida Power and Light) operating in the state.

“I know there are some who still debate global climate change. While debate is healthy, we must acknowledge that there is a strong body of scientific evidence indicating that global climate change is real,” Crist was quoted as saying during the conference.

But nothing was said about the mounds of garbage Floridians, like many Americans, dump in trash cans, bins and elsewhere. According to the Web site of America Recycles Day, a nationwide nonprofit organization that seeks to encourage Americans to recycle (particularly on Nov. 15 — its “annual national awareness event”), “The average American discards seven and a half pounds of garbage every day. This garbage, the solid waste stream, goes mostly to landfills, where it’s compacted and buried. As the waste stream continues to grow, so will the pressures on our landfills, our resources and our environment.” The Web site, americarecyclesday.org, goes on to explain that “reusing aluminum, paper, glass, plastics and other materials” will save “production and energy costs, and reduce the negative impacts that the extraction and processing of virgin materials has on the environment.”

Yet many state municipalities have no recycling programs to speak of. Take Miami Beach, for example, where residents with bulk trash of any kind can only bring their garbage to two points in the city once a month — the Sixth Street Community Center and an area at 75th Street and Dickens Avenue. Other than that, the only place to throw away any kind of garbage is the nearest all-purpose bin.

But now is not a good time to ask Miami Beach and other cities to invest in recycling programs. The Florida Legislature has mandated property tax cuts throughout the Sunshine State, forcing municipalities all over to slash their current services. Starting new services, such as recycling, will be nearly impossible — without at least some state assistance.

Since said state has deemed it fit to cut off the revenue source cities might use to start such programs, the Legislature should consider giving grants or incentives to local governments to start or enhance their recycling programs. Otherwise, the loads sent to incinerators at dumps all over the state will continue to grow. Surely that will not help Florida’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

And while we’re on the subject of emissions, it’s fine and dandy that state vehicles will become more energy efficient. But what about the thousands of vehicles owned and/or operated by cities and counties? Nothing in the executive order tells municipal and county governments to start switching to cars, vans, trucks or buses that burn less fossil fuels. And again, with the current budget crunches these governments will face, it may also be unfair to expect them to do so. From a financial perspective, it would be better for local governments to do whatever they can to keep their current petroleum-burning vehicles running rather than investing millions in new hybrid vehicles.

At the end of the day, Crist’s hosting of the Serve to Preserve summit and signing of his executive orders amount to good press for the governor because of cuts mandated by his own party. To have a meaningful impact on the environment, Tallahassee will have to get cities and counties involved in recycling and reducing emissions through laws and financial assistance. In short, if the state really wants to go green, it’s going to have to spend some green. With even more property tax cuts being proposed, that will indeed be a difficult prospect.