Virginia is not an island - we are directly affected by the states around us, and we affect them. If we have any hope of protecting our air & environment from excessive carbon emissions, we need to collaborate and cooperate with our regional neighbors. Leaving this program tells the rest of the region (and, in truth, the country) that Virginia doesn't care about our shared air, and closes an important lane of communication. Until a federal, country-wide program is adopted, RGGI is the next best thing. 

The entire eastern seaboard, due to population density, is both a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, and also a significant victim of its effects. It's not just global warming - decreases in air quality increase rates of asthma, childhood respiratory problems, lung cancer, infant mortality, cardiovascular disease. There's even an economic impact in the need to administer a vehicle emissions program in part of the state, a direct result of the air quality status in Northern Virginia. And RGGI works - since its inception, CO2 emissions in member states have fallen at double the rate of the rest of the country. It has also raised $6 Billion that has gone directly to local communities, through the auction of carbon allowances. In 2020 alone, over $34 Million was used for direct-consumer assistance programs - helping those with financial hardship meet their energy needs.

When I was receiving my Environmental Sciences degree 6-10 years ago, the early RGGI program was lauded by professors and industry experts as an exciting sign, and an example of positive change in climate regulation. It was doubly exciting, then, when my own state decided to join that program in 2020. I can only imagine the disappointed and critical lectures to be given to future students if we decide to leave.