Senator Ghazala Hashmi August 4, 2023 Newsletter

Dear friends,

This week’s newsletter discusses the legal challenge presented to Youngkin’s efforts to pull Virginia out of RGGI, shares information about our upcoming Town Hall: “Supporting LGBTQ+ Students and Families,” talks about upcoming back-to-school events, and highlights select community engagements and events from this past week. Thank you for taking the time to read the newsletter and for staying informed.

Youngkin Pulls Virginia Out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

This past June, the Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board voted 4–3 to pull Virginia out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The vote was a last-ditch effort by Glenn Youngkin to abandon the regional carbon emissions-reducing program; his prior efforts to make this maneuver through legislation and through budget amendments had all been defeated by Senate Democrats.

On Monday, as soon as the Virginia Register published the final regulatory action that will remove Virginia from RGGI by the end of the year, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) immediately challenged the legality of Youngkin’s maneuver. The SELC, on behalf of Appalachian Voices, the Association of Energy Conservation Professionals, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, and Virginia Interfaith Power and Light served the responsible officials (the Air Pollution Control Board, the Department of Environmental Quality [DEQ], and DEQ Director Michael Rolband) with a notice of appeal.

In a statement released by SELC, Peter Anderson, Director of State Energy Policy for Appalachian Voices states, “Members of the Air Pollution Control Board were repeatedly informed that they did not have the authority to reverse a legislative mandate for Virginia to participate in RGGI — only the General Assembly has that authority. They acted anyway, ignoring the law and all of the benefits that Virginia has gained from RGGI.”

Simply put, Virginia’s participation in RGGI is not a “regulation” over which Youngkin has authority; the Commonwealth’s participation in RGGI is a matter of law, established through legislation by the General Assembly. Removing Virginia from RGGI can only come from similar legislative action.

SELC’s serving of the notice of appeal is a legal formality informing the named parties that a lawsuit is coming. The actual lawsuit, which will detail the legal arguments further, will be filed within 30 days in the Fairfax County Circuit Court.

I will be providing more updates as the lawsuit is filed and progresses through the circuit court. With the visible effects of climate change and global warming increasingly more apparent, reducing carbon emissions is not a choice – it’s our collective responsibility for the future of our children and grandchildren. Science, data, and sound research are not matters of opinion, and putting profit over people is not a sustainable path.

Supporting LGBTQ+ Students & Families Town Hall

On Wednesday, August 16, I will be hosting a town hall with the ACLU of Virginia, Equality Virginia, other organizations, and parent advocates. Our focus will be on the Youngkin Administration’s newly-released model policies on the treatment of transgender students in our public schools. We will discuss the history of these policies, legal challenges, and supportive resources for students and families.

The town hall is open to the public, but registration is required:

Date: August 16, 2023

Time: 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Location: Brightpoint Community College, Chester Campus

Registration: bit.ly/0816TownHall or bit.ly/0816AsambleaComunitaria

Back to School - Supply Drives & Distributions

Some Richmond City students have already returned to school, and all students are returning in the coming weeks. Ongoing backpack and school supplies drives ensure that students are prepared for a successful academic year. Many locations across the Greater Richmond Area are participating in backpack and school supplies drives:

The Richmond Executive-Chesterfield County Airport is hosting a community school supplies drive for Chesterfield County Public School students. Donations are currently being accepted at several locations around the county (listed below) through Friday, August 11.

Backpack and supplies distributions are also occurring across the district. This Saturday, August 5, from 10:00am until 2:00pm, families can visit Manchester Middle School to receive new school supplies during the ICNA Relief Back 2 School Distribution. This Sunday, August 6, from 3:00pm until 7:00pm, New Life Outreach Church will hold their Annual Backpack Giveaway, providing backpacks, supplies, and free haircuts to students while supplies last.

Back to School - Immunization Clinics

August is National Immunization Month, and school districts and the Virginia Department of Health are reminding families to get school-age children vaccinated through their #FirstDayVax campaign. It’s important for all children to be up-to-date on their vaccinations by following the Virginia Department of Health’s Vaccination Schedule. Back-to-school immunization clinics and appointments are available at local health department locations, including the Richmond-Henrico Health District and the Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, and Powhatan Health District. More information can be found on the VDH Back to School page.

Highlights from Community Events & Meetings

Last Friday, I was delighted to join Habitat for Humanity - Powhatan for a beautiful home dedication. A mom and her son now call this lovely house their home, thanks to their own hard work, volunteers, and many Habitat partners. Congratulations to this family, and thank you to all who made it possible.

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On Saturday, Chesterfield Democrats celebrated the “100 days until Election Day”! The energy in the room was fantastic, and while some credit goes to the large scoops of ice cream, I think the main source of good feelings came from enthusiasm for our Chesterfield Democratic candidates. We’ve got a lot of work to do in the next several weeks, and our volunteers are ready!

On Monday, I joined Plenty for their groundbreaking ceremony of the world's largest vertical farm facility in Chesterfield County. This is a $300 million investment, which seeks to bring over 300 jobs to the region. Plenty is an innovative company helping solve the growing demand for fresh produce at a time when climate change challenges traditional forms of crop production.

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On Tuesday evening, August 1, I joined other elected officials, community leaders, and public safety officials for National Night Out, an opportunity for communities and public safety officials to strengthen partnerships and make our communities safer places for everyone.

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On Wednesday evening, I joined Collaborative Classroom, the Richmond Public Library, the Richmond Public Library Foundation, and other literacy organizations for a screening of *The Right to Read*. The film shares stories of an NAACP activist, a teacher, and two American families who struggle to provide children with support and resources for effective literacy skills. During my opening remarks, I emphasized the continued need to ensure every child in Virginia has access to a quality education and evidence-based literacy instruction.

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On Wednesday and Thursday, I joined Chesterfield County Democrats and Richmond City Democrats respectively for the monthly committee meetings. Both Committee meetings demonstrated that Democrats across Central Virginia are enthusiastic about this November’s elections and ready to do the work to ensure that Virginia continues to move forward in funding public education, supporting small businesses, safeguarding the environment, ensuring access to reproductive health care, protecting voting rights, and so much more.

Connecting With My Office

Please email us at district10@senate.virginia.gov or call our office at 804-698-7510. If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up to receive my office’s weekly newsletter here.

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