Event rallies support for energy options, against climate legislation

TAMPA, Aug. 27, 2009– An energized crowd of more than 200 filled the Ritz Theater in Ybor City Thursday to rally in support of affordable energy alternatives and against proposed climate change legislation that has already been passed by the U.S. House and is being contemplated by the Senate.

    Those attending gave an enthusiastic welcome to a half dozen speakers representing a wide array of stakeholders who would be negatively impacted by the climate change legislation making its way through Congress. Among the speakers were John Hoblick, president of Florida Farm Bureau (FFB), Allan Douglas of the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and James Taylor of the Heartland Institute.

    Most who came to the rally signed three large poster boards addressed to the members of both the House and Senate. One board asked U.S. Sens. Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson to oppose the legislation. Another thanked the Florida members of the U.S. House who voted against the bill. The third board voiced disapproval to House members who supported the legislation.

    “Should this bill become law energy costs will go up and there will be little or no impact on worldwide carbon emissions,” said Hoblick. Florida Farm Bureau boasts 140,000 members and is the largest and most powerful general interest agricultural organization in Florida.

    Hoblick praised the efforts of U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and Florida Congressman Adam Putnam for mitigating some of the more damaging aspects of the House-passed bill.

    “Unfortunately their efforts simply took a horrible bill and turned it into a bad bill,” quipped Hoblick.

    Douglas, who is the Florida director for NFIB, which represents the consensus views of its members in Washington and all 50 state capitals, scoffed at the notion that climate change legislation will create jobs.

    “This legislation will cost America between 2 million and 4 million jobs,” Douglas declared. “The truth is that the legislation will create jobs in India and Mexico but it won’t create any jobs here.”

    Taylor, a senior fellow with the Heartland Institute, a non-partisan and non-profit organization whose mission is “to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems,” said that the average Florida household will spend another $7,000 per year in additional energy costs if the Senate passes this legislation.

    He noted that during the past decade world temperatures had actually been cooling and had his audience chanting, “Yes we can,” to questions such as, “Can we take back our jobs?” and “Can we take back our economy?’

    To open and close the one-hour program short videos featuring country music star Trace Adkins were presented. While Adkin’s popular country hit, “A Working Man’s Wage,” played in the background Adkins told viewers to ask Congress to provide reliable and affordable energy alternatives. “Help spread the word so that the men and women in Washington can hear you,” said Adkins.

    Near the end of the program, FFB National Affairs Coordinator Adam Basford thanked those who had attended the rally and urged them to let Florida’s U.S. senators know that “this climate change legislation was the wrong solution.” In mid-sentence Basford was interrupted by an audience heckler who demanded to know what the right solution was.

    Before Basford could respond the rest of the crowd responded for him by chanting in unison, “Drill baby drill.” They kept on chanting the refrain while security officers peaceably escorted the heckler from the theater. The audience refrain was in response to the government’s unwillingness to explore for oil in places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  

    While many organizations, including Florida Farm Bureau (FloridaFarmBureau.org), were co-sponsors of the rally, the event’s primary sponsor was Energy Citizens (EnergyCitizens.org), a nationwide alliance of organizations and individuals that was “formed to bring together people across America to remind Congress that energy is the backbone of our nation’s economy and our way of life.