I oppose the attempt to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Virginia deserves the same benefits that RGGI has brought to other states, including: better public health, substantial reductions in climate-warming greenhouse gases and an influx of funds to states’ budgets. Virginia’s participation in RGGI is law, for the good reasons just outlined, and this administration should be ashamed to pursue this unlawful attempt to sidestep a law it disagrees with for reasons that have turned out to be purely partisan and political. The governor blames RGGI for high energy bills -- but if he really cared about bringing bills down, he would focus on monopoly utility rate reforms that bipartisan legislators in Virginia have been calling for, for years.

The way that Virginia's participation in RGGI was designed is especially important because money the state receives from the carbon allowance auctions has been allocated to critical programs that address two important issues: energy-efficient low-income housing, plus flood control and adaptation. Energy-efficient housing helps people spend less on energy – improving their financial stability –  while flood resilience projects help localities plan for – and avoid – devastating flooding impacts.

In my area, several localities (including Roanoke and Christiansburg) are already using RGGI money to address recurrent flooding, which is only anticipated to become worse due to climate change. We must continue to take action on climate and on flood resilience via the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Don't leave us in the lurch! Stay in RGGI!