I strongly support Governor Youngkin's plan to withdraw the Commonwealth of Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).  I cite the following points in support of my position:

• RGGI imposes a carbon tax that has cost Virginia electricity generators over $500 million over two years. This expense is passed onto consumers and represents a tax that Virginians never voted on, imposed by unelected officials outside our state.  
  
  
• Virginia generators and industrial energy users have already been moving away from coal and natural gas due to other laws and market forces. RGGI has not accelerated this trend. RGGI has not and will not lower CO2 emissions in the atmosphere.    
• The "green" policies have not accelerated the trend toward clean energy. We need to move in a different direction, such as small nuclear energy plants advocated by Gov. Youngkin. Such plants offer the cleanest energy available at commercial scale. Solar and wind are not sufficient, and have their own environmental drawbacks on nearby wildlife.  

Thank you for considering my comments.