Virginia regulators expected to vote on Youngkin plan to withdraw from climate initiative

By SARAH RANKIN
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia regulators are expected to take a final vote on whether to advance Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to withdraw from a multistate carbon cap-and-trade program. The state Air Pollution Control Board meets Wednesday to discuss the matter. The body is dominated by Youngkin appointees and backed withdrawal in a previous vote. Virginia spent years under Democratic administrations moving toward participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which environmental advocates say is proven to help reduce pollution and address climate change. But that has been thrown into reverse since Youngkin took office in January 2022. The governor says the program has functioned as a regressive tax on electricity users.