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City Has No Leverage To Color TECO Green

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 4, 2008

Today, Tampa City Council members will hold the final vote on the city's franchise agreement with Tampa Electric Co. In the last few months members have gone back and forth about approving it, with at least three hoping to use the negotiations to push the utility toward cleaner environmental policies.

Opponents of the deal want to delay approval and work out a new deal. We're not sure that's necessary, but council should scrutinize the fine print.

This much is clear: The "green" provisions Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena and others pushed to include in the franchise negotiations should not be part of any final agreement. The council has no legal authority to make such demands.

State and federal governments have that power. The state Public Service Commission, unlike the city council, must address the costs to the company and ratepayers when making such requirements. A better approach to deal with such matters is what Mayor Pam Iorio has proposed - create a citizens' task force to study green initiatives and invite TECO to play a part in the process of developing and implementing a citywide energy conservation initiative.

There is no reason to believe the company wouldn't cooperate. The Tampa-based firm has been more aggressive than most power companies about cleaning up its operations.

Indeed, thanks to a series of improvements, by 2010 TECO's sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions will have been reduced by 90 percent and particulate matter emissions by 74 percent from 1998 levels. Five years ago the company replaced a coal-fired plant with its natural gas-powered Bayside Station.

Consumers do have cause to be concerned about the effects of coal-burning power plants. Almost everyone wants reduced emissions and cleaner air.

President-elect Barack Obama promised during the campaign to make burning carbon more expensive, and even many Republicans, including Gov. Charlie Crist, support cleaner power plants and the development of alternative fuels.

The city's 25-year agreement determines how much the utility pays for using Tampa's rights of way for power lines. It is not the instrument to push for green policies, renewable energy programs or to force the utility to reduce its reliance on coal.

Opponents also object to clauses that, among other things, could limit the city's ability to hold TECO accountable for complying with the terms of the agreement or prohibit the city from having a chance to buy the utility should it ever go up for sale. These do seem to be the sort of things that are appropriate for the franchise agreement.

But the Iorio administration is confident the agreement gives the city the necessary controls, and unless council finds otherwise, it should go ahead with the franchise renewals.

Saul-Sena cannot be faulted for wanting to see the utility pursue more environmentally friendly policies, but the city should go about it in the proper way. Council should not make unauthorized and unrealistic demands.

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