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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Decision on Energy Efficiency Expected Today in Florida

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Tuesday, November 25, 2014   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A decision expected Tuesday from Florida's Public Service Commission (PSC) could impact how much the state's consumers pay for energy usage for years to come.

The PSC has been deliberating on requests from utilities, including Duke Energy, to cut benefits offered by money-saving energy efficiency programs and reduce incentives to incorporate renewable energy. Kelly Martin, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign, says if big power companies get their wish, consumers will be getting a lump of coal.

"People's bills will go up because they will have to pay for new, big, polluting power plants, and they won't have the advantage of cost-saving measures through energy-efficiency programs," she says.

The PSC is expected to side with utilities Tuesday after its staff recommended they do so, despite the recommendation of environmental groups they maintain or even increase their energy-efficiency programs. The staff recommendation noted energy-efficiency goals were set five years ago and that natural gas prices have dropped by roughly half since then, making a reliance on fossil fuels less costly.

Martin says she hopes the PSC will surprise them with a decision she says is in favor of the Florida consumer.

"We certainly hope the commission will serve the public interest by rejecting the utilities' proposals, and instead set high goals for energy efficiency which saves consumers money," she says.

Some environmental advocates are suspicious of the PSC's potential ruling in favor of utilities, particularly after Duke Energy and Florida Power and Light spent more than $2.5 million to help re-elect Governor Rick Scott and other Republicans.


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