Youngkin Uses State Air Board to Illegally Repeal Popular Climate Policy

Proposed regulation would pull Virginia out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which was enacted by the legislature, delivers hundreds of millions of dollars to the state, and has overwhelming public support.


RICHMOND, VA-
Today, the State Air Pollution Control Board, at Governor Glenn Youngkin’s behest, voted to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is an overwhelmingly popular climate policy that produces hundreds of millions of dollars per year for flood resilience, affordable housing, and energy efficiency in the Commonwealth as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Air Board, stacked with Youngkin appointees and boasting numerous fossil fuel connections, voted to repeal RGGI despite that 95% of comments provided during a public comment period were in support of the policy.

Statement from Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director for Chesapeake Climate Action Network:

“Governor Youngkin has proven time and again that his allegiances are with the fossil fuel industry, not the people of Virginia. Participation in RGGI is a commonsense policy that reduces air pollution, keeps us on track to meet our climate goals, and provides necessary funding to address the flooding we see today and that we know will get worse in the coming years. Because of RGGI’s overwhelming public support, Youngkin failed to repeal this popular policy through the legislature. It is appalling that the Governor has now turned to using unelected members of a citizen board to enact his extremist agenda. This transparently undemocratic and illegitimate attempt at repeal reveals the lengths to which Youngkin will go to drag Virginia backwards on climate.”

The state legislature voted to join the Commonwealth to RGGI during the 2020 General Assembly. Removing the state from the program requires action by the legislature, which was affirmed by 61 state lawmakers in a letter to the Board in September. Pushing repeal through the Air Board is Youngkin’s third attempt to undo the policy, after failing in the legislature and through executive action.

Contact:
KC Chartrand, kc@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-620-7144
Victoria Higgins, vhiggins@chesapeakeclimate.org, 201-937-70174

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Related campaign:

Youngkin is Marching Virginia Backwards

Fredericksburg, Leesburg pass resolutions in support of RGGI

In the final two week of November, the city of Fredericksburg and the town of Leesburg both passed resolutions in support of the Virginia Coastal Protection Act. The votes came on the heels of a number of cities in the Hampton Roads, including Hampton and Virginia Beach, that have also voted to support the bipartisan legislation to allow Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
RGGI is a cooperative effort among nine east state from Maine to Maryland that caps and reduces their emissions from power plants. Under RGGI, power plants in participating states purchase allowances for every ton of carbon pollution that they emit. Virginia could receive as much as $209 million annually from the proceeds from the the allowances, which would be directed towards climate-related flooding mitigation, energy efficiency, renewable, and economic development in southwestern Virginia.
With the General Assembly session just around the corner, momentum is building once again for the Virginia Coastal Protection Act. Last year, the bill narrowly failed to make its way out of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources Committee. The bipartisan patrons of last year’s bill, Del. Ron Villanueva (R-Virginia Beach) and Sen. Donald McEachin (D-Richmond), are expected to reintroduce the legislation in the coming weeks.
This time around we’ve built an even broader and more diverse coalition of supporters. Businesses large and small, as well as, housing advocates and social justice organizations are all on board. Scientists are saying that 2015 is well on its way to being the warmest year on record, and we need solutions for coastal Virginia now.
As we approach General Assembly session in January, we will need your help to pass the Virginia Coastal Protection Act. You can find out how to get involved by emailing me at Charlie@chesapeakeclimate.org.
 

RGGI Helps You Keep More $$$ In Your Pockets

Amazing things happen when states support the expansion of energy efficiency programs: electricity bills decline, fossil fuel pollution decreases, and the public at-large benefits. These were among the many conclusions of a highly anticipated report released last week by Analysis Group. The report studied the recorded costs and benefits of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) from 2012 through 2014 to the nine northeast states that voluntarily participate.
RGGI is a cooperative effort that caps and reduces carbon emissions from power plants. Power plants in participating states (from Maine to Maryland) purchase allowances for every ton of carbon pollution that they emit. RGGI states agree on how many pollution allowances to offer for sale each year, setting a declining cap, and the revenue from the sale of allowances is returned to individual states. (For a background explanation of RGGI, see this CCAN fact-sheet.)
In short, the report states that directing resources to energy efficiency programs “stands out as the most economically beneficial use of RGGI dollars.”
These findings are important, particularly due to the report’s timing. In a matter of weeks the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to finalize the rules of the Clean Power Plan which will require Virginia to cut its carbon pollution by over one-third within the next fifteen years. RGGI is a solution to the Clean Power Plan and could provide Virginians with numerous other benefits as well.

Analysis Group Report: In Detail

One very important detail: This new Analysis Group report focuses solely on the economic costs and benefits of RGGI. The report acknowledges that RGGI was originally formed for the expressed purpose of reducing fossil fuel pollution to combat climate change. RGGI certainly has benefits to the environment, public health, and other areas that the researchers don’t consider as a part of the scope of this study. Analysis Group measured only the impacts of RGGI on the economy in the nine participating states.

On Energy Efficiency

RGGI states’ successful usage of energy efficiency investments paved the way towards $460 million in total electricity bill reductions for consumers in the past three years, while lowering carbon pollution faster than these states expected. The report concedes that there are many other ways states benefited by participating in RGGI, which includes both direct and indirect costs throughout the region. On the whole, Analysis Group found that the enormous benefits to consumers via energy efficiency resources created through RGGI dramatically outweighed the costs of participation in the program.
Specifically, the report found the following:

“RGGI-funded expenditures on energy efficiency depress regional electrical demand, power prices, and consumer payments for electricity. This benefits all consumers through downward pressure on wholesale prices, even as it particularly benefits those consumers that actually take advantage of such programs, implement energy efficiency measures, and lower both their overall energy use and monthly bills. These savings stay in the pockets of electricity users directly.”

In short, RGGI-supported energy efficiency dollars save consumers money. According to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average residential customer’s electricity bills in the nine RGGI states is $108.43. That figure is nearly $17 lower than the average monthly residential electricity bill Virginians pay of $125.36. The national average is $111.08.
Why do customers in RGGI states pay lower electricity bills than customers in Virginia? The answer is simple: customers in RGGI states use a lot less electricity. Again referencing the latest EIA data, the average residential user’s energy consumption in RGGI states is 702 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month, far below Virginia’s average consumption in the residential sector of 1,156 kWh monthly. The national average is 909 kWh monthly.
Statewide energy efficiency programs like lighting and appliance upgrades, home insulation inspections and improvements, and general consumer efficiency education all help customers consume less electricity, which ultimately reduces customers’ bills and decreases fossil fuel generation and pollution. Customer bills in RGGI states are lower than the national average even though electricity rates in RGGI states are indeed higher than the national average. The important factor is electricity consumption, and it’s a fact that RGGI leads to less energy consumption and consumers in RGGI states use less electricity than Virginians.
Critics of RGGI and the Clean Power Plan argue that they’re too costly. However, independent studies and documented government data strongly suggest the opposite. If done correctly, Virginia can craft its plan of compliance in a way that is extremely cost-effective and actually lowers bills for consumers. RGGI is the smartest path forward for Virginia.

Other RGGI Benefits

Even though Analysis Group concludes that energy efficiency provided the most “bang for your buck” and produced the most direct economic value to consumers, the report points out that states have been increasingly more creative in the use of RGGI dollars to advance various state priorities.

“The states’ use of allowance proceeds not only provide economic benefits, but also has helped them meet a wide variety of social, fiscal and environmental policy goals, such as addressing state and municipal budget challenges, assisting low-income customers, achieving advanced energy policy goals, and restoring wetlands, among other things.”

Sea level rise from climate change is threatening our coast. Electricity bills in Virginia are among the nation’s highest. The EPA is requiring states to reduce their carbon footprint for the public’s health and welfare. It’s time for bold, yet practical solutions in Virginia to meet these challenges.
We can begin solving all of these problems by joining RGGI and wisely reinvesting our allowance resources in adaptation, energy efficiency, and other statewide priorities. The evidence is here. The program works. Now we need the wisdom and resolve to join our neighbors by becoming the 10th state participating in RGGI.