Liberal RGGI Push Betrays Working Democrats

RGGI drove up utility bills by double digits, extracting billions from consumers for programs that barely dent emissions. The $800 million ‘proceeds’ sound nice, but they mask $2.4 billion in hidden taxes on electricity – a regressive hit on low-income households Democrats claim to champion. Youngkin’s exit returned that money to Virginians, stabilizing rates amid national energy shifts.

In Loudoun County, where Democrats hold sway on the Board of Supervisors –  housing costs soar past $750,000 median. Liberal zoning dogma blocks supply; RGGI inflates construction energy costs. True progress demands conservative deregulation: slash permitting times, allow denser builds, embrace all energy sources.

Abigail Spanberger and others have nodded to these realities, but Richmond Democrats double down. Virginia deregulated 35% of energy markets successfully; expand it. Tax relief, not green taxes, aids families. Flood mitigation? Fund via efficiencies, not consumer gouging.

These leftist policies alienate blue-collar Democrats fleeing to red states. Housing affordability hinges on supply, not subsidies. Repeal overregulation, incentivize trades – conservative fixes even a pragmatic Democrat can endorse.