President Obama has invited Congresswoman Kathy Castor to join him in Arcadia on Tuesday as he tours the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center. The President and Castor will highlight one of Castor’s priorities as she worked this year to help put together the American Clean Energy and Security bill: promoting the use of renewable energy sources, including solar power.

As Florida’s Democratic member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Castor successfully fought to expand the use of solar power in Florida and other states. She added an amendment to the bill that clarifies that states are allowed to create incentives to promote renewable power, such as solar and wind energy. Also, Castor worked to ensure that Florida ratepayers would not see increases in their electric bills under the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

“The work at DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center is an example of taking critical steps in the right direction by fostering renewable energy sources that will improve our national security and lessen our dependence on foreign oil,” Castor said. “Solar energy is cleaner and less expensive than other energy resources. This exciting new energy center in Florida has created vital new jobs that are setting the foundation for a clean energy economy – jobs that pay well and cannot be outsourced.”

Other Florida cities are at the forefront of taking steps to promote renewable energy resources as well. Gainesville, for example, was the first city in the nation to adopt a feed in tariff for renewable energy sources. Gainesville’s embrace of solar has attracted new jobs in solar manufacturing and expanded the generation of electricity using this clean and local source of energy.

Castor urges the Florida Public Service Commission, at its Tuesday meeting, to require utilities to take meaningful steps to increase their energy efficiency and conservation.

“Any weak proposal should be outright rejected,” Castor said. “For our nation’s security and to help my neighbors’ pocketbooks, the PSC must ensure energy efficiency and conservation is a priority, not an after thought.”