FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2022
CONTACT
Rev. Dr. Faith Harris, Executive Director, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light
(804) 920-3761, fharris@vaipl.org
Virginia Interfaith Power & Light: Virginia’s Energy Plan Fails to Prioritize the Climate Crisis.
Virginia has a moral and global responsibility to transition as quickly as possible from burning fossil fuels for our energy production.
Richmond, Virginia – Governor Youngkin released the 2022 Virginia Energy Plan detailing how the Commonwealth will address energy efficiency, production, and affordability.
Governor Youngkin’s newly released Virginia Energy Plan provides false solutions to Virginia’s energy future and provides a weak answer to the current threat of climate change. One of the most alarming aspects of his public statement was the politicization of Virginia’s energy future by creating a dichotomy between California and Virginia. While these statements may be great for headlines, they only confuse the issues. What is at stake is our moral imperative to protect the planet and its people.
In response, Rev. Dr. Faith Harris, Executive Director of Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, released the following statement:
“Access to affordable and reliable energy for the future needs of Virginia requires practical solutions that take the realities of climate change seriously. This reality is mostly missing from this energy plan. Reducing carbon emissions is critical to preventing future catastrophic changes in our climate. It should be the central focus of any responsible energy plan. Like every other state, Virginia has a moral and global responsibility to transition as quickly as possible from burning fossil fuels for our energy production. Slowing down the retirement of coal and natural gas plants and removing Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is the wrong direction for Virginians who want our state to do its part in combating climate change. While we agree that technology is still developing, we should not use this time to double down on fossil fuels. Instead, we need a forward-looking plan that centralizes renewables, providing incentives for their development.”
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About Virginia Interfaith Power & Light: Virginia Interfaith Power & Light is a nonprofit organization that collaborates, as people of faith, to grow healthy communities and advance climate justice through education, advocacy, and worship with over 2,500 supporters across the state. We are a program of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. For more information, visit https://www.vaipl.org.
