Jul. 18--Gov. Charlie Crist is taking Florida for a ride aboard the environmental protection bus. On Friday, he steered the state onto the road paved in part by California and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the growing movement to stem global warming by educing greenhouse gas emissions.

Crist signed a batch of executive orders that day during a summit on threats to the environment. Those bold orders put Florida at the forefront of efforts to save the planet for future generations, and we applaud Crist's leadership in the growing activi m by states on the issue. To date, 19 states have set greenhouse gas reduction targets. We hope other states in the Southeast join the movement -- Florida is the first -- and force the Bush administration and Congress to institute significant change. Among his orders, Crist adopted California's motor vehicle emission standards -- a 22 percent cut by 2012 and a 30 percent reduction by 2016.

But the Environmental Protection Agency is battling California over those standards. The orders also: --Mandate that power companies cut emissions to 2000 levels by 2017, to 1990 levels by 2025 and to 80 percent of the 1990 levels by 2050. (Just last month, the state Public Service Commission -- citing global warming concerns -- unanimously shot down a plan by Florida Power & Light to build a coal-fired power plant near Everglades National Park. That, too, was a very promising development ) --Ask state regulators to insist utilities use solar, wind or other renewable energy sources to produce 20 percent of power by 2020.

--Require many state operations to lower emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 10 percent in 2012, 25 percent by 2017 and 40 percent by 2025. Exempt, though, are state universities, the Legislature and several state agencies. New sta e buildings and state vehicles must be energy and fuel efficient, respectively. --Rewrites the state's building code to require increased energy efficiency of new construction by 15 percent. That includes new requirements for appliances. Some home builders are crying foul over that last order, citing the sharp downturn in the real estate market.

The higher cost of constructing homes, they fear, will hinder a recovery. But Manatee builders are already offering "greener" homes. Last year, SMR Farms/Lakewood Ranch was honored by the Council for a Sustainable Florida for its dedication to green building practices and educating homebuyers. And Pat Neal, president of Neal Communities, listened to Crist expound on environmental protection last week in Orlando, telling a Herald reporter: "He spoke very generally on the idea that we have a special responsibility to preserve the environment, a d I concur with that philosophy." We salute that stand.

Besides, building greener homes will save homeowners money in the long run. And it's a great marketing tool. One thing Crist said Thursday during the opening day of his summit is raising some concern. In touting biofuels, solar and wind as clean alternatives to fossil fuels like coal, he also mentioned nuclear energy. While some environmentalists might be agha t at building more nuclear power plants, they offer advantages when it comes to carbon dioxide. Plus, nuclear plants have a solid safety record since the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979 and the explosion at Chernobyl in 1986.

A bigger hurd e would be the cost: billions and billions of dollars. Still, we support nuclear energy as an option. With his actions last week, Crist has demonstrated strong leadership on an issue that is not generally regarded as a Republican priority. The GOP's far-right wing disdains the entire concept of global warming. At least Bush finally admitted earlier this year that it is indeed occurring. That by itself was a breakthrough. Talk back Do you think Gov. Crist's emission reduction goals for Florida are realistic? Share your view in the Opinion section of Bradenton.com.