A high-stakes battle in the south.

Just north of our state’s border, a high-stakes battle is underway between those trying to keep Virginia in a successful regional climate action pact, and the Governor who wants to throw it all away.

In 2020, the previous Virginia Governor and state legislature—then under pro-climate-action leadership—acted to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is the successful regional pact of eastern seaboard states cooperating to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their states. They utilize a utilities emissions credit-trading system designed to encourage the most efficient and effective investments aimed at reducing emissions from the region. The climate pollution emissions from Virginia’s utilities have already dropped 16.8% since 2020. Since that time, Virginia has also benefited from $650 million in credits revenue, used to help lower-income households make cost-saving energy efficiency improvements to their homes, and to help communities improve their defenses against rising sea levels and flooding.

Irrationally, the now-Governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, has made pulling his state out of RGGI a personal crusade. First, he attempted to withdraw the state by executive order. When that attempt was blocked, he sought legislative approval for withdrawal. After his proposal was rejected by the State Senate, he turned to a state administrative board which reports to him to approve his withdrawal proposal. On a 4-3 split vote in June, the state’s Air Pollution Control Board approved Youngkin’s request to withdraw the state from RGGI.

Fortunately, the same public-interest forces which blocked Youngkin’s failed executive order are preparing to legally challenge his latest gimmick. They argue that Youngkin lacks the authority to use an administrative board’s decision to ignore a state law which directs Virginia participation in RGGI.

“The Air Pollution Control Board’s action [on June 7] suggests that Virginia is willing to abdicate its role as a climate leader in the southeast,” said Faith Harris, Executive Director at Virginia Interfaith Power and Light. “Participation in RGGI set Virginia on track to drastically reduce pollution emissions from energy production and demand through energy efficiency project investments for our neighbors from auction proceeds. Ultimately, we remain convinced that RGGI is the law.”

North Carolina’s own state legislature, under its current pro-polluter management, is seeking to use this year’s budget bill to block NC Governor Roy Cooper from leading North Carolina into RGGI participation. Political fealty to donors and patrons in the same fossil fuel lobby has overcome the public’s interests in their calculations.