{"id":476793,"date":"2026-10-05T03:28:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T10:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=476793"},"modified":"2026-10-05T03:28:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T10:28:17","slug":"rediscovering-thomas-jeffersons-revolutionary-charge-against-abusive-taxation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=476793","title":{"rendered":"Rediscovering Thomas Jefferson\u2019s revolutionary charge against abusive taxation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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AI generated by ChatGPT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From CFACT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Kevin Mooney<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virginia ratepayers smacked with 153 percent increase in auction prices used to determine carbon tax.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Jefferson would not be a fan of the energy tax plan his gubernatorial successor has coerced into place this year at the expense of ratepayers and without public input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second governor of Virginia and third president of the United States argued<\/a> that small farmers who lived off their own land should pay little or no federal taxes. Jefferson also opposed<\/a> the Excise Whiskey Tax of 1791 because, in his view, the tax<\/a> provided the federal government with too much power. Moreover, this founding father, along with his fellow Virginians, took on the Stamp Act of 1765<\/a> that led to the American Revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), who assumed office this past January, has implemented what some policy analysts aptly describe as a \u201cbackdoor carbon tax<\/a>\u201d that could add $1 billion in electricity costs over the next year. That process began this past summer when Spanberger had Virginia rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative<\/a>, widely known as RGGI, a multistate climate change plan advertised as a \u201ccap and trade<\/a>\u201d regulatory scheme. Spanberger bypassed<\/a> the traditional public comment period along the way toward cementing the climate initiative back into place. She also did not allow for a vote from the state\u2019s Air Pollution Board, which would be the normal procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 153 Percent Increase in Auction Prices<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Power generators in RGGI states must purchase an allowance for every ton of carbon dioxide their plants emit from using coal, oil, or natural gas. They then pass the cost of that allowance on to consumers in their electricity bills. That\u2019s where the carbon tax comes into play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RGGI holds quarterly auctions<\/a> to determine what the allowance costs will be. The latest round came in with an enormous price hike, meaning Virginia ratepayers will need to hold onto their wallets. The September 9 auction came in at $37.65 per allowance in comparison to $14.88 in December 2023, which was the last auction Virginia participated in before Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin exited RGGI. That\u2019s a 153 percent increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A carbon tax is a tax on every human activity imaginable since it ties a fee to greenhouse gas emissions that flow out of fuel production and consumption. Even the most mundane activities would involve carbon taxes. Anyone going out to the store to buy groceries, deliver mail, or pick up the kids at school will be paying carbon taxes. This is what Spanberger has unleashed in a state where Jeffersonian antipathy toward intrusive government policies once held sway, and she\u2019s not done yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September, the governor signed an executive order<\/a> that could pull hundreds of artificial intelligence data centers into RGGI. If Spanberger succeeds, these data centers could soon be competing with Dominion Energy Virginia and other retail electricity producers in RGGI\u2019s quarterly auctions. This added layer of participation would only serve to put upward pressure on consumer electricity bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what should most unsettle Virginia ratepayers is the fact that the specter of higher costs associated with RGGI was evident even before the September auction. Back in June, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Mark Cristie noted<\/a> that a filing from Dominion with the Virginia State Corporation Commission for the purpose of recovering RGGI costs tells a sobering story. The typical residential consumer is projected to pay $13 more per month, which adds up to $156 per year. Ouch!! That\u2019s bad enough, but keep in mind this filing was made before the higher prices kicked in with the September auction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dominion's new filing to recover RGGI costs indicates that it will cost the typical residential consumer an additional $13 per month ($156 per year). Filing linked below. Business and industrial customers will see increased bills as well.https:\/\/t.co\/lBjuD4yFAK<\/a><\/p>— Mark C. Christie (@ChristieFERC) June 10, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>