Virginia air board votes to leave interstate carbon-capping alliance opposed by Youngkin

Virginia’s State Air Pollution Control Board on Wednesday voted 4-3 to exit a regional carbon emissions reduction program, a move backed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) but rebuked by the state General Assembly.

The board, a majority of whom are Youngkin appointees, voted at the Wednesday meeting in favor of withdrawing from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a program that issues tradable carbon-dioxide allowances and limits power plant emissions in participating states. Other participating states include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The General Assembly voted to join RGGI in 2020 under Youngkin’s predecessor, Gov. Ralph Northam (D). Youngkin has long opposed the state’s participation in RGGI, calling it a fee passed on to customers of the state electric utility, and vowed to pull Virginia out shortly after his election in 2021. In January 2022, shortly after his inauguration, he signed an executive order directing the state Department of Environmental Quality to explore withdrawal.

The General Assembly, where Democrats lost control of the House of Delegates the same year but still hold a majority in the state Senate, has argued that only another piece of legislation can withdraw the state. The chamber voted down a withdrawal bill in January.

Youngkin hailed the vote by the board Thursday, saying “The Office of the Attorney General has confirmed the State Air Pollution Control Board has the legal authority to take action on the regulatory proposal using the full regulatory process – and today, the Board voted to do just that – furthering Virginians access to a reliable, affordable, clean and growing supply of power.”

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters, a frequent critic of Youngkin’s environmental policies, blasted the move in a statement of their own, calling it a “handout to big polluters” and “blatant end-run around the legislature.”

“If Youngkin spent half the time doing the right thing for his constituents that he does trying to grab national attention, he might have noticed that Virginians overwhelmingly support climate action and want to see us stay in this vital program that’s already yielding positive results for our Commonwealth in the form of cleaner air and direct investments that make Virginians’ lives better,” Executive Director Michael Town said in a statement.