Press Release | December 12, 2019

Governor Northam’s budget is what Virginia needs to fight climate change

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — Today, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam proposed a budget that will include $733 million in new funding for the environment, clean energy, and environmental justice work, and will remove language that has prevented Virginia from participating in the successful multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

“Governor Northam’s announcement today leaps Virginia forward in the fight against climate change. There is no clearer indication that a state is committed to clean energy than using state dollars to fund solutions that will get us closer to a carbon free environment. Likewise, backing legislation that will allow Virginia to become a full member of RGGI is a clear signal of the Commonwealth’s commitment to fighting carbon emissions. Equally important and inherent to the work of establishing a clean energy economy is addressing issues of inequity and environmental injustice. We are heartened to see the Governor’s financial commitment in this proposed budget to the important work of environmental justice,” said Will Cleveland, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center.

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The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of 200, including more than 120 legal and policy experts, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., with offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, D.C.

southernenvironment.org

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