Action | Reduce and Cap Carbon Dioxide from Fossil Fuel Fired Electric Power Generating Facilities (Rev. C17) |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 3/6/2019 |
I support the proposal to cap Virginia's electricity sector CO2 emissions. It is critical that every locality, state, nation, etc. do everything they can to limit emissions and curb climate change. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shocked us all last fall by announcing we would be experiencing 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming by 2040, if we continue on our current path. This would be accompanied by famines, wildfires, mass migration, and other disasters. Just last month, research showed that ocean temperatures are rising 40% faster than expected, also as a consequence of fossil fuel use and climate change. Emissions also directly endanger human health, exacerbating respiratory issues. Fossil fuel industries play a major role in contributing to emissions, and it will benefit our society to limit their impact. Virginia must join the other states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initative and hold itself accountable to the Paris Climate Accords. Many large businesses are taking initiative on their own to limit their emissions, and our state must follow in their example. This rule would reduce the proposed 2020 cap from around 33-34 million tons per year to 28 million tons per year, and if the social cost of carbon is theoretically valued at $50, the rule equates to almost a $250 million gain to society per year. DEQ modeling estimates that the cap will not significantly increase the costs of electricity generation; the benefits of this new rule greatly outweigh the costs to our society.