Virginia Air Pollution Control Board could vote on withdrawal from RGGI at Wednesday meeting

Katie King, The Virginian-Pilot
·2 min read

The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board could vote as soon as Wednesday on whether the state should leave the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, according to representatives with the state Department of Environmental Quality.

RGGI supporters, including the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter and the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, will gather outside the board’s Wednesday meeting in Richmond to raise awareness about the potential impact of withdrawing.

The initiative is a cooperative effort among 12 states to create cleaner air by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

At the behest of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the Air Pollution Control Board started the withdrawal process in December, and accepted public comment on the proposal through April.

The board’s Wednesday meeting agenda states it will hear a final presentations on the CO2 trading program and public comment. The agenda does not specify that a vote will be held.

But one official with the department said a vote is planned, while another said the board is within its rights to take a vote.

“The board is voting on whether to adopt the final RGGI repeal tomorrow,” Karen Sabasteanski, policy analyst with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, wrote to The Virginian-Pilot in a Tuesday email.

Rachael Harrell, board coordinator for the department, told the Pilot Tuesday that board members could decide tomorrow whether they want to hold the vote.

“That’s up to the board,” she said. “If they decide to vote, that’s up to them.”

RGGI is intended to reduce the use of fossil fuels as an energy source and to encourage a shift to renewable energy production by requiring energy producers to buy allowances for each metric ton of carbon they produce. Producers can only buy a limited number, which decreases over time.

The General Assembly passed a resolution to join RGGI in 2020. But Youngkin has sought to pull the state from the initiative, saying it forces power companies to buy allowances that will raise the cost of energy for consumers.

The board’s meeting is slated for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Community College Workforce Alliance, located at 1651 East Parham Road in Richmond.