Dear John,

When the Democrats gained control of the General Assembly in 2020, we adopted a wide-ranging package of climate change measures. These laws aimed to decarbonize the electric grid and electrify transportation modes throughout the Commonwealth.  

Governor Northam signed these bills because our health and well-being depended upon action.  Now, we must fight to keep the progress we have set in motion.

Stand with Science and stand with the Democrats to send Governor Youngkin and the Republicans a message. Any donation you make will be given to Democratic Senate candidates in tough races. 

Virginia’s Clean Economy Act (VCEA) is a comprehensive plan for transitioning the state’s two largest electric utilities, Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company, to 100 percent renewable and nuclear energy by midcentury. 

The Act sets targets for the development of wind, solar and storage, and requires the utilities to source an increasing percentage of their energy from renewable resources, sets closure dates for remaining coal plants and establishes binding energy efficiency targets.  

These actions if left to proceed will significantly reduce carbon emissions.  Virginians will once again be able to enjoy clean air and the global warming effect responsible for flooding and other climate related disasters in Virginia will be diminished.   A cleaner and healthier future is worth the effort. Please join the fight to support climate sense candidates running for the state senate. 

The Democratic Senate was a blue brick wall against Governor Youngkin’s efforts to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI.  RGGI is an 11-state carbon market that requires power producers to purchase carbon allowances at auction and then redistributes the proceeds to the states. 

In Virginia, the law authorizing participation in RGGI earmarks 50 percent of all auction proceeds for low-income energy efficiency programs and 45 percent for a statewide flood protection fund. By December 2021, the first year of our participation in RGGI, Virginia took in $228M.

Yet, Youngkin's first major environmental move was to announce he intends to withdraw Virginia from the RGGI market.  This past session 7 bills were introduced by Republican lawmakers to abolish the legal requirement that places Virginia in RGGI.  Thankfully, the Democratically controlled Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee (a committee which I serve on) defeated those bills.

Youngkin's second move was to nominate former Trump Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler for Virginia’s top environmental post, Secretary of Natural Resources. The Democratic Senate defeated this nomination.

There should be no doubt where Governor Youngkin and the Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly stand on climate change.  We must not ignore science and the world around us.  Please, please donate what you can to help Democratic Senate candidates win toss up seats. 

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Sincerely,

Barbara Favola

Paid for and authorized by Favola for State Senate Committee.

Favola for State Senate
2319 18th St., N.
Arlington, VA 22201
United States

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