Advocates showing their support for RGGI

Our Partners at the Virginia League of Conservation Voters released a joint statement, signed on by VCN and several of our Partners, addressing the absence of language for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in the new budget.

“The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has been one of our best tools in Virginia to combat climate change while returning investment to the communities across the Commonwealth that need it most. At a time when we’re seeing extreme weather events happen more regularly, and as we head into what forecasters are saying will be another summer of scorching temperatures, it is incredibly disappointing that lawmakers aren’t doing everything they can to stand up to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s illegal RGGI repeal and gutting of a program intended to protect vulnerable communities from flooding and lower energy costs. This governor deserves to be held accountable for attempting to unilaterally override Virginia law, and this capitulation by the General Assembly unfortunately sets us back.

“Staying out of RGGI, and foregoing the hundreds of millions of dollars it generates each year, further burdens already disadvantaged communities on the frontlines of pollution and flooding impacts, and who shoulder disproportionate household energy costs. Furthermore, cutting this dedicated source of funding without a plan to address flooding, at a time when severe weather events are becoming more and more common, is reckless and bad public policy. And without funding for energy efficiency programs, the families least able to afford it will continue seeing rising energy costs as we head into the hot summer months.

“To be clear, Gov. Youngkin got us into this mess. But it is incumbent on lawmakers to do everything they can going forward to protect vulnerable communities from climate change and rising energy costs, and to secure a clean energy future.”

• Virginia League of Conservation Voters
• Virginia Conservation Network
• Sierra Club Virginia Chapter
• Appalachian Voices
• Virginia Interfaith Power & Light
• Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund
• Environment Virginia
• Wetlands Watch

To read the full statement, please refer to VaLCV’s official release.