Gov. Ralph Northam’s Executive Order 43 aims to address the climate crisis by creating a plan to produce 30 percent of Virginia’s electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030 and 100 percent of Virginia’s electricity from “carbon-free sources” by 2050.
Harrison Wallace, Virginia Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, released the following statement:
“Gov. Northam’s commitment to a 100% carbon-free energy future by 2050 and 30% renewable energy by 2030 is one of the most ambitious climate action goals in the South. We applaud his efforts to lead by example at the state agency level, address environmental justice, and commit to workforce development.”
“But Northam’s order ignores the fracked-gas elephant in the room. If we are going to solve the climate crisis, we cannot continue supporting and investing in proposed fracked-gas pipelines like the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines. One place to start would be directing his Department of Environmental Quality to issue stop-work orders for those projects.
“Additionally, the governor’s plan just doesn’t go far enough on climate. The world’s top scientists all agree that we must cut global carbon emissions in half by 2030 and Virginia must do its part. We plan to work with Gov. Northam, the General Assembly, and the burgeoning grassroots climate movement in Virginia to craft a solution that matches the urgency of this crisis.”
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