As Acting Deputy Director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, I am submitting this comment on behalf of myself and 528 other Virginians who signed on to the following message as members, supporters, and volunteers with the chapter. 

Below is the content of our comment to the Air Pollution Control Board; 

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) benefits our health, helps our environment, builds local economies, and strengthens our communities.

We don’t have to sacrifice the health of our planet to grow our economy. A dozen major businesses with operations and employees throughout Virginia and across the U.S. have submitted letters in support of Virginia’s entering RGGI, urging Virginia leaders to follow through on adopting regulations to reduce carbon pollution in the Commonwealth. (https://www.ceres.org/policy/state/southeast/virginiarggi)

RGGI has generated hundreds-of-millions in funds going towards lowering energy bills for low-income households while creating good, local jobs, and providing dedicated funding to localities to plan for and prevent recurrent flooding. RGGI reduces carbon emissions. RGGI benefits public health and produces major savings on health costs associated with impacts of air pollution to include asthma attacks, premature births, and missed days of school/work.

Removing VA from RGGI would cut off the only current funding source for the Community Flood Preparedness Fund (CFPF), which has received over $200 million from RGGI that will go to communities across the state for flood resilience initiatives. The Youngkin Administration has not proposed plans to replace this critical flood fund without RGGI. Withdrawing Virginia from RGGI jeopardizes low- to moderate-income families by removing a vital and irreplaceable funding source that supports energy efficiency and health and safety upgrades to the most vulnerable segments of the population.

Please protect communities from air pollution by keeping Virginia in RGGI. Thank you!