October 24, 2022

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing on behalf of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) a non-profit nonpartisan organization that advocates for our country’s national parks to urge the Youngkin Administration to keep the Commonwealth of Virginia in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). NPCA is composed of 1.75 million members and supporters, including over 43,500 Virginians.  We oppose the repeal of Virginia’s participation in RGGI.

Virginia is fortunate to host 22 national park sites, some established to celebrate their natural beauty like Shenandoah National Park, and others to commemorate our nation’s history like Colonial National Historical Park. Over 20 million visitors come to national parks in Virginia and contribute over $1.5 billion in economic benefit from tourism. Our parks must have clean healthy air to thrive. RGGI reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves air quality. Decreased pollution translates into public health benefits for all Virginians.

Not only does RGGI improve our public health by improving air quality, it generates funding for important programs in the Commonwealth. RGGI funding allows low-income families to have access to energy-efficient homes and localities to better plan for and prevent the flooding we continue to experience during recurrent coastal storms. Rather than repeal this successful program, we urge you to reform Dominion Energy’s current monopoly on utility rates that hurt consumers.

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is working in Virginia, cleaning our air, improving our health, and funding important programs that help our citizens. We urge you to continue to build upon the success of this program by keeping Virginia enrolled in RGGI.

Respectfully,

Pamela Goddard

Senior Program Director, Mid-Atlantic Region

National Parks Conservation Association

777 6^th Street, NW, # 700

Washington, DC 20001

pgoddard@npca.org

202.604.3781