I strongly support Virginia’s entry into RGGI. I am an 11-year-old Virginia resident and believe my opinion counts as much as anybody’s, if not more. My generation will live in the world yours gives us, no matter how beautiful or broken it is.

A few suggestions to make an effective carbon standard:

• Include biomass fuels in the program. A facility should be judged by how much carbon it emits, not by what it burns.

• Include generators that burn household and industrial waste in the program. Again, a facility should be judged by how much carbon it emits, not by what it burns.

• Keep the program going past 2030. If the program stops, carbon emissions will jump back up to what they were before the implementation.

• Include a way to make changes to the regulation if the environment, not the power companies, suffers negative consequences. If implemented wrong, we can harm the very environment we’re trying to protect.

Allow me to elaborate on the above suggestions:

INCLUDE BIOMASS FUELS IN THE PROGRAM

Even though biofuels can be considered carbon-neutral, this takes decades to centuries to actually break even. During those years, climate change will get so bad the biofuel won’t break even.

I know burning wood chips is a part of business for paper companies. However, the goal of this program is to promote innovation in clean energy. I do not mean to make fun of this situation, but paper companies can either buy allowances or innovate and find something else to do with wood chips.

KEEP THE PROGRAM GOING PAST 2030

The current draft proposes a plan until 2030. However, this program needs to keep going until the cap hits zero. Then the regulation can simply be that no carbon emissions are allowed.

INCLUDE A WAY TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE REGULATION IF THE ENVIRONMENT, NOT THE POWER COMPANIES, SUFFERS NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES.

We are trying this new regulation, but if it ends up not working, then we need a way to change it.