RICHMOND – Today, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources voted 8-6-1 to reject Senate Bill 1001, a bill to repeal Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and eliminate dedicated funding to help communities address flooding and assist Virginians in need with lowering energy costs, while also rolling back one of our state’s best tools to cut harmful power plant pollution.
In response to today’s vote, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, issued the following statement:
“Virginia’s membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has brought hundreds of millions of dollars to our state to help improve Virginians’ lives with programs that keep communities safe from flooding and cut energy costs – all while giving us cleaner air in the process. We are grateful to our champions in the Senate for doing the right thing for Virginians and climate action by rejecting this misguided repeal effort, but also know our work isn’t over – we have to continue to defend this program from the Youngkin Administration’s ongoing attacks as they seek to override the legislative process and put polluters ahead of what’s best for our state.”