Virginia committee hears bill to reenter RGGI, backers cite pollution cuts and resilience funding
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
Senate committee heard SB 802 to clarify statutory obligations to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Administration and environmental witnesses said RGGI reduced carbon pollution and funded weatherization and flood‑resilience programs; the committee voted to report the bill to Finance.
Senate Bill 802, a measure to clarify Virginia’s statutory requirement to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, was presented Tuesday to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources. Senator Locke, the patron, framed the bill as a statutory fix to make clear that the regulator must sell RGGI allowances under Va. Code §10.1‑13.30.
The bill matters, supporters told the committee, because proceeds from allowance sales have been used for weatherization and community flood‑resilience programs. “Virginia participated in RGGI from 2021 to 2023, during which time carbon pollution dropped by 22%, and Virginia received $827,000,000 from the sale of its allowances,” David Bulova, secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, told the panel, adding that those proceeds supported lower‑income households and statewide resilience projects.
Nate Benferrado of the Southern Environmental Law Center and Jay Ford of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation said RGGI funds helped stabilize bills and fund nature‑based flood projects. Benferrado noted fuel‑cost shortfalls Dominion customers have paid and said RGGI investments can help reduce long‑term exposure to volatile fuel costs.
Committee members pressed the administration for precise figures on how much re‑entry would add to ratepayers’ bills. Secretary Bulova said the administration did not have a specific per‑ratepayer assessment at the hearing and pointed to U.S. Department of Energy estimates for weatherization savings and to an Old Dominion University study projecting large long‑term economic costs of inaction.
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Ethan Betterton opposed the bill, saying it could raise energy costs for businesses and affect competitiveness with non‑RGGI states.
After questions and public testimony, the committee voted to report SB 802 and refer it to the Finance Committee for further consideration.
What happens next: SB 802 was reported out of the committee and sent to the Senate Finance Committee, where budgetary and rate‑impact questions will be considered.