"Carbon emissions are the primary cause of global warming, as study after study have confirmed, and sharply reducing them as quickly as possible remains the best hope of reducing further warming and giving communities such as this a fighting chance to stay above water.

Membership in RGGI isn’t the only way to accomplish that, but it is a powerful tool (in the absence of muscular federal action) that is incentivizing lower emissions and, in Virginia, helps fund critical resilience projects and energy efficiency for low-income families. The market-based program auctions carbon credits to energy producers and distributes the windfall to its 12 member states.

Since joining the RGGI coalition in 2020, Virginia has received almost $524 million from the carbon auctions. The commonwealth collected $71 million from the last quarterly auction in December...

State law directs RGGI auction proceeds to two areas of investment, the Community Flood Preparedness Fund and the Housing Innovation Energy Efficiency fund. These, in turn, have poured millions into resilience projects and energy efficiency for low- and moderate-income families throughout the commonwealth — including in Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore."

-The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press Editorial Board, March 7, 2023

I could find many other sources in support of remaining in the RGGI, but this seems good enough for me. Thank you!