Is Tampa doing enough to conserve energy and reduce its carbon footprint? Determining that will be one of many tasks awaiting a new citizens task force created by Mayor Pam Iorio that over the next several months will work on implementing a new citywide energy conservation initiative with Tampa Electric Co., the city's main utility. The task force will come up with recommendations for energy conservation, renewable energy and climate-change initiatives for implementation by city officials and TECO. ...more

March 18, 2009

Push TECO To Be Greener After nearly three and a half hours of facts, figures, opinions and pleas, Tampa City Council members Charlie Miranda, Gwen Miller, Thomas Scott and Joseph Caetano voted against delaying approval of the 25-year franchise agreement with Tampa Electric Company. The delay would have given all of us time see and hear the changes sought by President-elect Barack Obama pertaining to energy generation and its effect on climate change as well as the effect the fiscal crises might have on jobs and other opportunities in the near future. The delay would have given concerned citizens and groups time to work with the city and TECO to solve the problems pointed out by the 40-plus people present and the hundreds who communicated with council members with letters and e-mails. ...more

December 6, 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. ...more

December 4, 2008

Mayor Pam Iorio has proposed creating a citizens task force to study "green" policies and work on implementing a citywide energy conservation initiative. ...more

November 27, 2008

Mayor Pam Iorio has proposed creating a citizens task force to study green policies and work on implementing a citywide energy conservation initiative. The mayor's pitch comes one week ahead of a vote by the Tampa City Council on renewal of a franchise agreement with Tampa Electric Co. and amid criticism from environmental groups over her administration's reluctance to push for "green" concessions from the utility. ...more

November 26, 2008