Greetings Director Rolband and Members of the Air Pollution Control Board,

I am writing on behalf of the City of Charlottesville to once again urge the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board to reject attempts to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

The $589,729,757 million that Virginia has earned so far since its first auction in March 2021 is supporting both working families and flood-prone communities.  This is unprecedented and irreplaceable funding for critical work.  RGGI has provided Charlottesville with an unparalleled level of funding to tackle projects involving energy efficiency in low-income housing and flood preparedness. 

• In Charlottesville, Piedmont Housing Alliance was awarded RGGI money through the Affordable and Special Needs Housing program to renovate and build over 230 homes in the region. They are committed to making future housing units more energy-efficient, but that may not be feasible if RGGI funding disappears.
• The City of Charlottesville has been awarded $541,561 through three separate grants from the Community Flood Preparedness Fund (CFPF) to pursue flood resilience planning and anticipates future project funding needs that match the CFPF intent.

Should Virginia continue to participate in the RGGI program through 2030, the Commonwealth stands to benefit from an estimated statewide economic impact of over $2 billion over the course of the next decade.  This will have tremendous positive impacts across the Commonwealth in terms of investments in much-needed energy efficient low-income housing, annual energy savings for those households, reductions in air pollution which means improved public health, and associated economic benefits - including the creation and sustenance of an estimated 2,000+ new jobs. Additionally, investing in flood preparedness across Virginia will help communities around the State be better prepared to withstand and recover from the anticipated increased intensity of rainfall and inland flooding.

We recognize the important role of energy in our society and the importance of a clean energy future. A predictable transition to a clean energy future will contribute to our quality of life, improve economic resilience, and foster responsible stewardship of our shared natural resources and climate.  RGGI provides the state policy framework and predictable structure needed to support that transition.

The City of Charlottesville urges the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board to embrace the numerous economic and environmental benefits of Virginia’s continued participation in RGGI.

Respectfully,

Kristel Riddervold

City of Charlottesville, Environmental Sustainability Manager