Court ruling confirms Youngkin Administration acted unlawfully in taking Virginia out of RGGI program

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024

Media Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
434-989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org

RICHMOND – Today, a Judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit surrounding the Youngkin Administration’s repeal of Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative through administrative action. Virginia’s participation in RGGI was mandated by a law passed in 2020, which paved the way for more than $830 million of dedicated revenue to combat flooding and cut energy costs while cutting power plant emissions by more than 20%. In the months that Virginia has been out of the program, pollution has increased back to historic levels and the Commonwealth has been without a dedicated funding source for flood prevention and energy efficiency programs, leaving more communities in harm’s way and without tools to reduce their energy burden.

In response to this ruling Michael Town, Executive Director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, issued the following statement:

“Virginia’s membership in RGGI gave the Commonwealth a critical tool to combat the climate crisis, hold polluters accountable, protect communities against flooding and extreme weather, and lower household energy costs. The Youngkin Administration’s illegal actions taking Virginia out of this program benefited no one except our state’s biggest polluters. The end result of this illegal rollback was dirtier air, more communities left exposed to floodwaters, and fewer tools to help Virginians cut energy costs. We are incredibly pleased with this ruling and hope to see Virginia rejoin RGGI as soon as possible.”

About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.

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