State officials have to take steps to protect Virginia's eroding shoreline and minimize nearby carbon emissions in the face of climate change, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network has said.

Called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the environmental group's proposal would cap carbon emissions produced by power plants in nine states from Maryland to Maine, the Associated Press reported.

Putting a mandatory energy efficiency stand in place would let the state "capture Virginia's untapped energy efficiency potential and reap the associated environmental and jobs benefits" by setting "ambitious mandatory energy reduction goals" for Virginia, the network said.  

The nonprofit action group is working to mitigate climate change in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Announcing a 10-point plan of defense against climate change on Wednesday, group members estimated that a cap-and-trade agreement could generate as much as $209 million annually. The money could fund construction to protect the state's shoreline from water erosion, according to Mike Tidwell, the network's director.

The Virginia coastline has long been under threat from rising sea levels, which are expected to increase by around 1.5 feet in the next 20 to 50 years.

As the water wears away at the shore, residents in portions of the city have begun moving their cars during high tide, while regional officials fear that getting sailors to Naval Station Norfolk may become difficult.

The action group has recommended that Gov. Terry McAuliffe bring together a task force to advise on flooding and that "strategic retreat" be considered for at-risk areas.

"If officials identify circumstances where people and ecosystems should be encouraged to move inland, they should develop methods for making that transition just and affordable for low- to middle-income residents," the Chesapeake Climate Action Network report said. 

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