PLATFORM

      Campaign 2006  Planks:      
    
        
      Energy         
   
      Florida doesn’t have an energy crisis. We have a shortage of imagination and innovation from the mainstream political parties. 

      There’s a reason they call this the Sunshine State. Florida is blessed by trillions of kilowatts of solar energy that fall on our state every year. 

      Solar energy isn’t some futuristic technology. A stalk of corn is a solar energy plant. Every sugar cane plant draws its energy from the sun. Even the waste from our citrus industry is packed with stored solar energy. 

      So far we haven’t had the political leadership to put Florida’s solar energy to use. I propose a major initiative to make Florida that nation’s leader in ethanol production. Corn, sugar, citrus and other agricultural products can make Florida the Texas of the 21st century. The difference is, this time, we’re taking about ethanol, not oil to fuel the nation’s energy needs. 

      Brazil has achieved 100% energy independence by putting its sugar cane crop to work as an energy source. Every gas station offers ethanol based fuels and 100% ethanol energy options. Brazilian automakers offer cars which run perfectly well on ethanol and ethanol blends. Florida has the potential to match Brazil’s leadership in independent energy production.

We can start taking steps right now to build a national-scale ethanol industry right here in Florida. We can encourage agriculture to grow in ways our forefathers never dreamed of. I

      ’m asking you to ignore the special interests who tell you the only road to energy independence is drilling for oil in the gulf. That’s too dangerous to our beautiful state. We can help solve America’s energy crisis by putting our most abundant energy resource to work: Florida Sunshine! 

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