Dear Gov. Northam and and Secretary of Natural Resources Strickler,

The impacts of climate change are already being felt in Virginia, and it is time to act to limit these impacts.   The Commonwealth is taking a giant leap backwards when it approves unnecessary pipelines to move ever more fossil fuels through the state  Foremost should be a consideration of whether such decisions will contribute to climate change.

As we reach a tipping point, climate change will result in the unprecedented loss of animals species, and stress the availability of precious water resources.  It is foolish to wait to act until these losses reach a crisis proportion. State regulation is the only means of curbing the man-made impacts on climate change since voluntary means have proven to be unsuccessful.

Please act now to enforce a moratorium on fossil-fuel pipelines through the Commonwealth and on new fossil-fuel energy plants.  Please support regulations that provide generous incentives for both private and public production of energy sources, such solar and wind, that do not contribute green-house gases.  Please do not allow energy monopolies to continue to drive policies that allow ramping up fossil fuel production that contribute to climate change while discouraging private development of solar energy.

Thank you very much for your consideration of my comments.