Virginia air pollution board votes to leave regional carbon-credit program

Virginia’s air quality board on Wednesday voted to leave an interstate emissions-reduction partnership, bringing the state closer to fulfilling Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) vow to withdraw from the program earlier this year even as critics say the process needs legislative approval.

The state Air Pollution Control Board voted 4-1 to continue the exit from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), with two abstentions, an official confirmed. The board comprises four Youngkin appointees and three members appointed by his Democratic predecessor, Ralph Northam.

Virginia joined the RGGI, which counts 11 predominantly northeastern states as members, in 2021, a year before Youngkin took office. Member states require their power plants to buy carbon credit to offset their emissions. Youngkin vowed to exit the partnership shortly after taking office, while environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers argued that since the Virginia General Assembly voted to enter the contract, a governor could not unilaterally leave it. Youngkin signed an executive order requesting the board to consider withdrawal from the RGGI, blaming it for rate increases to utility customers.

The state utility, Dominion Energy, has heavily lobbied for the board to vote for withdrawal, saying in an October letter to the state Department of Environmental Quality that until withdrawal is official, “RGGI compliance costs will continue to accrue in the interim, and subject to regulatory approval, be passed on to customers.”

Reached for comment, Youngkin’s office referred The Hill to a statement from acting Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Travis Voyles.

“A regressive and direct household energy tax tied to participation in RGGI is not necessary to fund important programs on resiliency and energy efficiency,” Voyles said. “The Administration will continue to work with the General Assembly and stakeholders to provide direct funding and coordination for flood resiliency in a way that is transparent and not a hidden tax on Virginians. This will ensure Virginia will have a long-term comprehensive funding strategy to sustain flood resilience efforts.”

Mike Town, executive director at the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, excoriated the vote in a statement this week.

“Today, Governor Youngkin’s vision for Virginia became abundantly clear: flooded streets, endangered communities, and more Virginians breathing dirtier air,” he said. “When Youngkin’s rigged Air Board voted to move forward with his illegal push to single-handedly override Virginia law by taking Virginia out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, they also voted to eliminate one of our best tools to cut pollution, to take vital resources away from communities battling dangerous flooding, and to defund programs that help low-income Virginians cut energy costs.”

Democrats in the General Assembly also blasted withdrawal without the legislature’s involvement as illegal. “Any effort to pull out without the General Assembly’s approval should be rejected by courts,” Delegate Suhas Subramanyam wrote on Twitter.

“The vote on RGGI is another attempt by the administration to dismantle efforts at combating emissions at the expense of our health, our coastal resilience, and economic stability,” tweeted state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi.

Updated at 3:54 p.m.