Virginia regulators advance Youngkin plan to leave climate initiative he calls ineffective

Virginia regulators have voted to advance Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to withdraw from a multistate carbon cap-and-trade program. The state Air Pollution Control Board met Wednesday and advanced the plan on a 4-3 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 with no real environmental benefit. A legal challenge to the governor's move is expected.