Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative at risk of losing funding

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Weatherization providers are concerned about losing funding as Governor Glenn Youngkin continues to push for Virginia to leave the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

“I’m a weatherization provider, and the Department of Housing and Community Development is one of our strongest partners,” CHP Energy Solutions Senior Director Chase Counts said.

CHP manages thousands of affordable housing units, and Counts says that if the state were to leave RGGI, the Weatherization Deferral Program would be directly impacted.

“We have a housing crisis, and a lot of homes had deferred maintenance and we can’t work on homes to make them energy efficient. There’s outstanding repairs needed before we do so safely are affected,” Counts said. “That pot of funds really unlocks a lot of households potential to then participate in our federal or state or utility sponsored weatherization programs.”

Piedmont Housing Alliance President Sunshine Mathon says that the funding RGGI provides is irreplaceable.

“The funding that has come through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has been crucial to enabling us to cover that increased costs we’ve seen from cost escalations, as well as interest rates increases that have impacted our ability to make these projects real,” Mathon said. “Pulling out of RGGI would be a huge mistake, and fundamentally, it would negatively impact the future of affordable housing options with energy efficiency for low income housing, low income households across the Commonwealth.”

NBC29 reached out to the Governor’s Office for comment but did not hear back.

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