A Virginia court ruled that Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) cannot withdraw from a greenhouse gas agreement without the approval of the state legislature.
Youngkin announced his plan to withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in 2022 because it passed increased utility costs onto ratepayers. The state legislature previously voted down several bills from Youngkin that would withdraw before the State Air Pollution Control Board voted to exit.
“The only body with the authority to repeal the RGGI regulation would be the General Assembly,” Circuit Judge C. Randall Lowe wrote. “This is because a statute, the RGGI Act, requires the RGGI regulation to exist.”
Youngkin press secretary Christian Martinez told the Hill that the governor’s office intends to appeal the ruling.
“Governor Youngkin remains committed to lowering the cost of living for Virginians by continuing to oppose the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which fails to effectively incentivize emission reductions in the Commonwealth,” Martinez said. “Instead, it functions as a regressive tax, hidden in utility bills, passed on to all Virginians.”
An environmental group that backed the agreement, The Virginia League of Conservation Voters, praised the court’s decision.
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