Virginia’s participation in RGGI is the law, passed and defended by our elected representatives in the General Assembly. An administrative board should not attempt to undermine this legislation. 

RGGI has a strong track record of cutting planet-warming pollution from power plants. Why would an Air Pollution Control Board try to stop our participation in this successful, bipartisan program? It simply makes no sense to leave RGGI, given the growing climate crisis. 

Half of RGGI money is directed to low-income energy efficiency programs, while 45% goes toward the Community Flood Preparedness Fund, a pool of money that provides flood assistance to communities and local governments. Virginia has received $452 million from RGGI in less two years—$203 million of that is for flood resiliency. But Gov. Youngkin wants to withdraw from RGGI with no replacement funds in place. 

The safety and welfare of our families are at stake. We are witnessing the destructive impacts of increasingly severe weather, here at home in Virginia and across the country, turbocharged by global heating.