Virginia and RGGI

Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has become a major state energy-policy question involving carbon pricing, electricity affordability, and the use of auction proceeds.

Governor Abigail Spanberger’s administration, Attorney General Jay Jones, lawmakers, and state regulators have pursued the state’s return after the attempted withdrawal under former Governor Glenn Youngkin. Supporters point to RGGI revenues for energy efficiency, weatherization, flood mitigation, and cleaner power, while Dominion Energy and other critics warn that allowance costs may increase household electricity bills. Virginia’s re-entry also reconnects the state to a broader Northeast and Mid-Atlantic cap-and-trade market.