Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer welcomed Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe’s Executive Directive 11, announced at Alexandria Renew yesterday, which requires Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality to establish new environmental safeguards that would reduce carbon pollution from power plants.

“While the Trump Administration and EPA Administrator Pruitt abdicate responsibility to address the global threat from climate change, Governor McAuliffe’s actions at the state level to reduce Virginia’s carbon emissions are a welcome sight,” said Rep. Beyer, who serves as Vice-Ranking Member of the House Science Committee. “This is what responsible leadership looks like. I thank the Governor and his team for prioritizing solutions to reduce carbon pollution, continue creating clean energy jobs, protect our environment, and take Virginia forward.”

Executive Directive 11 will allow for Virginia’s regulatory bodies to establish environmentally safe standards for power plants to reduce carbon output, a principle factor in climate change.

Sea level rise caused by global climate change is already impacting Virginia’s coastal communities, businesses, residential, and commercial properties. The persistence of extreme weather events, such as flooding and storm surges, could cost the Commonwealth nearly $100 billion dollars solely for residential real estate, in addition to an increased risk of drought, adverse health effects, and further economic damage.