I have 23 year old global clean energy owners-rep business headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. My home and also my office building are totally self-powered by a blend of commercially-available high-value enegy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy storage technologies. I give weekly tours of these buildings and monthly training for miltary, homeland security, first responders, engineers and architectn professionals.

The energy efficiency and clean energy sector employs over 74,516 workers in Virginia. 

RGGI was set up to create a regional market for the clean energy sector while at the same time actually bringing in dollars to Virginia, so it adds to Virginia's economy.

If the VA Administration will stay with RGGI, it should double VA jobs in this clean energy sector within five years. If we leave, this sector wil not hit the 250,000 jobs mark that it is destined to reach by the end of this decade.

I am stupified as to why the VA governor and agencies would be anti-business regarding this hugely growing industry ?  As a result of the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act passed in December 2021, and the Inflation Reduction Act passed in August 2022, 89 clean energy manufacturing plants are now being constructed in the United States. This industry sector is in a hypergrowth stage. The State of Virginia has a significant set of long-time businesses in this sector that will grow exponentially. But that will only happen with enthusistic support of all sectors of the State of VA government.

There are no downsides to this expected growth for Virginia. There will be jobs of all levels in every County within our Commonwealth. The politization of the regional initiative, RGGI, is disappointing. The Governor and the respective agencies need to reconsider their decision.

The States that pushed against cellular communications adoption,  personal computers, digital healthcare did not garner the huge number of jobs that eminated from these new industries that are now the backbone of our economy, Advanced material science, high-value energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy storage, electric vehicles, advanced biofuels & hydrogen, and IT systems including sensors, controls, AI are now in this next wave --- and Virginia needs to be at the forefront of this evolution.

I strongly urge the Governor and State regulatory agencies to reverse their decisions on RGGI, and to step out and support our industry sector. This opposition is anti-business and unacceptable.

Scott Sklar

President

The Stella Group, Ltd.

Phone: 703-522-1195 (direct (3049)

E-mail: solarsklar@aol.com

Website: www.thestellagroupltd.com

The Stella Group, Ltd.. is a 23 year old global strategic technology optimization owner’s-rep firm for clean distributed energy users and companies which include advanced batteries and controls, energy efficiency and chp, fuel cells, geo-exchange, heat engines, minigeneration (natural gas/propane), microhydropower and water energy (freeflow, tidal, & wave, etc.),  modular biomass/biofuels, photovoltaics, small wind, and solar thermal (including daylighting, water heating, industrial preheat, building air-conditioning, and electric power generation). The Stella Group, Ltd. blends distributed energy technologies, aggregates financing (including leasing), with a focus on system standardization. Scott Sklar, the Group's founder and president, lives in a solar zero-energy home and has a zero-energy office building in Arlington, Virginia.