Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Environmental Quality
 
Board
Air Pollution Control Board
 
Back to List of Comments
6/8/23  1:35 pm
Commenter: A Concerned Virginia Citizen

Proposed removal from the RGGI?
 

    Please don’t remove this environmental protection program from Virginia why would anyone consider doing that in the first place to save $1.22  or so on your monthly bill?                   “Bill Murray, Dominion’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communication, reported that “the average customer’s monthly bill is likely to increase by $1.22 over the next five years. “. If our country, states and others don’t think that environmental issues affect us just look now around, you? Yesterday and possibly today as well our state was in a code red health hazard due to extreme fires and smoke from Canada. Looks like LA. use to, New York, North Carolina, Virginia etc. throughout our country we are now suffering this effect. Our previous Governor Northam thought the RGGI was good for our state and the country, and I agree. It helps protect us our homes and our children which is more important than anything to me these days. We need programs like these and the clean energy and community flood preparedness act. As well as many others like it to protect our water, air, atmosphere from hazards like flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes which now it’s seeming are yearly occurrence throughout out the state the RGGI funding is needed to protect us. 
    The Virginia Pilot editorial’s “Were the governor to remove Virginia from RGGI — which, again, he cannot unilaterally do — there is no plan to replenish those revenue streams. In his budget proposal, the governor proposed allotting $200 million for flood-related projects, but that would be a one-time payment — far less than what RGGI now provides. It is not a long-term funding substitute for projects that will keep at-risk communities such as those in Hampton Roads above water. The governor did nothing to offset the loss of funding for low-income residents, who were apparently forgotten when the administration was drafting its budget plan.”

 

CommentID: 217106