As a person of faith, I worked alongside others in Virginia who sought to have Virginia join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. I advocated for Virginia joining RGGI as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also providing revenue sources to help low income citizens dealing with flooding and other outcomes of climate change mitigate their adverse effect.

I oppose repealing Virginia's participation in RGGI for several reasons.  First of all, the 2020 law mandates that Virginia participate in RGGI. The administration can’t just brush aside the laws it disagrees with.

Secondly, participating in RGGI works for Virginia. Since joining RGGI, Virginia’s power plant emissions have consistently decreased, dropping 16.8% overall as compared to 2020 pre-RGGI levels. These recent reductions follow a decade without RGGI, where Virginia’s emissions were “fairly constant” with “no discernible trend”.

Thirdly, participation in RGGi improves public health. In just six years, participating states realized $5.7 billion in public health benefits thanks to RGGI.

Fouth, RGGI helps protect utility customers from high bills. Fossil fuel costs are soaring, significantly driving up customer bills. RGGI ensures that power plant owners steadily reduce reliance on fossil fuels, protecting customers from these volatile commodities.

Thank you for considering my concerns. Please stop this move to withdraw Virginia from RGGI!

Sally Naylor Johnston