Hello,

I am a weatherization contractor serving low-income residents in Virginia and have found the RGGI and WDR funds to be game-changing in my field. 

We help residents utilize state programs to have upgrades done to their homes that drastically reduce their heating/cooling costs (ie. electric/gas expenses). Often, we would identify many opportunities to help these residents, only to have their participation rejected because of a pre-existing condition in their home, degrading or preventing us from performing the work, such as a bad roof, faulty electrical, or significant plumbing concern.

Before WDR funds, we would have to defer the resident until those repairs were fixed. Given their economic struggles, it usually never happened, leaving this resident to suffer through extraordinary utility bills along with a harsh winter and/or grueling summer.

WDR funds changed that. Now, we can identify those hurdles, fix them, and perform the necessary weatherization services for the resident saving them thousands of dollars in utility costs.

WDR funding has been the perfect supplemental "teammate" to the state's weatherization programs, allowing us to break down barricades that stood before a growing population of Virginia residents in desperate need of assistance.

I believe that doing away with these programs would be a step backward for the State and further strain an under-served population of Virginia residents who already have to choose between unmanageable utility costs or unbearable temperatures inside their own homes. 

I hope you can empathize with them, and make the right decision to continue support of the RGGI and WDR programs in the state of Virginia.

Sincerely,

Justin Bouck