Contributions to Florida Power and Light’s “Care to Share” program are down – even as demand for help paying utility bills is up.  Valerie Alker reports.
 

 

A switch to ETHANOL production is one way that U.S. Sugar wants to stay in business even after selling most of its sugar cane acres to Florida in the name of Everglades Restoration. Doug Phillips reports.

Tourism is Florida’s biggest industry, attracting millions of visitors to its beaches. That’s one of the main reasons the state’s tourism industry has long been opposed to offshore drilling…But not any more. State tourism officials now say they believe beaches and oil rigs can peacefully coexist. Trimmel Gomes has more.

Nuclear power is becoming a more popular option in the Sunshine State. But as Trimmel Gomes reports, the cost to build and upgrade nuclear plants is being passed on to consumers.

During GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s visit to Southwest Florida Monday, she promised states could make their own decisions about controversial off-shore oil drilling proposals. But she said the United States needs to achieve energy independence through drilling, alternative energy sources and other means.

Though a quarter-century moratorium on oil and natural gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts has been lifted, the waters off the western beaches of Florida remain off limits to energy development, for now. WGCU’s Amy Tardif has more.

Offshore oil drilling has long been resisted by Florida’s tourism officials because of fears it could damage the environment and put the billions of dollars generated by tourism at risk. But as public opinion shifts in favor of offshore drilling, tourism officials are giving the industry a chance to plead their case. Trimmel Gomes reports…

Fuel shortages in parts of the Southeastern U-S could persist as refiners continue to recover after hurricanes Ike and Gustav. But some hard hit areas in north Florida that have seen long lines and empty pumps are slowly recovering. Trimmel Gomes reports.

Right now crude oil is trading at its lowest price all year. Even so, motorists are paying more at the pump as a result of devastation by Hurricane Ike to the gulf coast of Texas. WGCU’s John Davis reports…

The energy policy legislation that Congress is scheduled to consider this week represents a sea change for Democrats because it reverses their long-standing opposition to offshore oil exploration. Republicans, however, say Democrats are just bending with the political winds. Doug Phillips supports:

Gas prices have shot up at some stations in Florida as concern spreads about what Hurricane Ike could mean for the nation’s fuel supply. But Florida's Attorney General says he’s concerned about possible price gouging - and yesterday issued subpoenas to four companies. Michael Hibblen has more from Miami.