I am writing to strongly oppose Governor Youngkin's proposal to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and to urge Virginia's Air Pollution Control Board to do so as well.

It is inconceivable to me that any elected or appointed official with a responsibility to protect public health and safety could even contemplate ending my state's participation in this effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  In the neighborhood of 97% of climate scientists agree that global warming is real, and is caused primarily by our emissions of greenhouse gases through burning fossil fuels.  If 97 out of 100 doctors in your town examined you and said "you've got a tumor that looks a lot like cancer, you should have it removed"--or if they said that about your child--who in their right mind would say "my kid's tough, I don't think this is cancer, we'll skip the next appointment"?  

Withdrawing Virginia from RGGI would be a violation of law.  Consequently, attempting to withdraw from RGGI would not only send a signal to businesses that Virginia doesn't take science seriously and is not going to be competing for clean energy jobs and preparing for the zero carbon economy, it would also saddle taxpayers with frivolous legal fees.  That my Governor is ignoring the science and tilting at windmills to score political points with conservatives is a profound failure of leadership, and an embarrassment.

It would also cost us money, as Virginia has already received more than half a billion dollars from RGGI.  Reducing our air pollution also lowers health care costs, and helps address energy poverty by improve energy efficiency and protecting people from higher-than-necessary utility bills.

Please wake up to reality.  Withdraw this idiotic, short-sighted, and dangerous proposal, and keep Virginia in RGGI.