On October 28, Brett Vassey, president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association, told the Senate Committee on Environment and Public works that a cap-and-trade system "allows political leaders to choose ‘winners and losers' in the economy." In Vassey's view, Virginia's manufacturers would be among the losers, for cap-and-trade poses "too much risk for global manufacturers who are making decisions about their future capital investments today." "Virginia and other states," Vassey said, "will lose opportunities to compete and create jobs in the future as long as the threat of [cap-and-trade] exists in the public debate."
