View this email in your browser Hi friends,   HUGE NEWS IN FLORIDA! As of today, thanks to young people from across the state of Florida, in a strategy led and supported by Our Children’s Trust, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) renewable energy rule, Chapter 5O-5: Renewable Energy, is effective!   This new rule - the most significant climate policy in Florida in over a decade! - sets the following renewable energy goals for Florida’s electric utilities: at least 40% by 2030, 63% by 2035, 82% by 2040, and 100% by 2050. These goals set by Commissioner Nikki Fried and FDACS were officially proposed in response to and using language from a petition for rulemaking Our Children’s Trust and local co-counsel filed in January 2022 on behalf of four youth climate leaders (all former plaintiffs in our Reynolds v. State of Florida case!) and over 200 fellow young Floridians. Valholly and Delaney, two of the lead youth petitioners who successfully drove this effort from petition for rulemaking to official rule! The rule requires Florida’s electric utilities to submit their 10-year energy plans to FDACS so that the agency can evaluate whether the utilities’ long term energy plans are consistent with the renewable energy goals. The rule also requires FDACS to report the electric utilities’ progress in meeting the goals every year to the Public Service Commission, Governor, and Legislature.   Thanks to the efforts of these young people from across the state - and with your invaluable support! - we are celebrating a huge stride forward toward climate justice in the Sunshine State! “This rule - the strongest climate policy enacted in Florida in over a decade - was only made possible because youth in Florida demanded climate action. Over 200 young Floridians signed the petition for rulemaking to set significant and achievable renewable energy goals, holding their government accountable for its contributions to the climate crisis and demanding meaningful action.” - Andrea Rodgers, Senior Litigation Attorney, Our Children’s Trust Thank You! Thanks to the actions of these young Floridians, the entire state of Florida is now headed toward a safer, more sustainable energy future. These young people made it happen!   Our sincere thanks to everyone in our community - both in Florida and around the world - who submitted a public comment in support of this proposed rule, donated in support of our legal efforts in Florida, and/or expressed solidarity online with these young climate leaders. We could not do this without you!   Lastly, our wholehearted and eternal gratitude to the hundreds of young Floridians who signed the petition for rulemaking, shared it with others, submitted public comments, and drove this effort from start to finish, especially the four lead youth petitioners: Delaney, Isaac, Levi, and Valholly!   Once again, young people have led the way to climate justice. Please join us in celebrating them!   To a safer climate future in Florida,   The team at Our Children’s Trust   P.S. Don’t forget to join us this Friday at 1pm PDT / 4pm EDT for an online community event: Juliana v. U.S.: Seven Years, Seven Calls to Action!   DONATE TODAY Copyright © 2022 Our Children's Trust. All rights reserved. OCT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.  EIN # 27-3094382 P.O. Box 5181 Eugene, OR 97405 Want to change how you receive these emails?        You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.