Virginia Leaves Clean Air Initiative as Wildfire Smoke Fills Sky

Virginia regulators on Wednesday voted to withdraw from a climate initiative, and critics of the move pointed out the decision came as an air-quality alert was put into place for parts of the state due to smoke circulating from Canadian wildfires.

The State Air Pollution Control Board's 4-3 vote to repeal the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) regulation came following an executive order from Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Eleven other states participate in RGGI, which seeks to reduce carbon emissions from power plants. The initiative requires certain power plants to purchase allowances to emit carbon dioxide, which many scientists say contributes to global warming. Environmental groups are expected to take legal action over the regulatory's board's decision to withdraw from RGGI.

"Sickly ironic news on a day when the Richmond skyline is blotted out by thick smoke from wildfires," the Democratic Party of Virginia said in a tweet about the board's vote.

Why did Virginia repeal the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative?

Dominion Energy, Virginia's largest power provider Dominion Energy, has said that RGGI increased the average monthly residential electricity bill for state residents, while Youngkin disputed the initiative's positive impact on the environment.

"Today's commonsense decision by the Air Board to repeal RGGI protects Virginians from the failed program that is not only a regressive tax on families and businesses across the Commonwealth, but also does nothing to reduce pollution," Youngkin said in a statement after Wednesday's vote.

When contacted for additional comment, a spokesperson for Youngkin reaffirmed the governor's position and told Newsweek that RGGI "doesn't reduce pollution" and added "Virginia policies have no effect on arson and Canadian forest management."

Liam J. Watson, press secretary for the Democratic Party of Virginia, told Newsweek that he feels efforts like RGGI could thwart the severity of conditions like the smoke coming from Canada.

Canada Wildfires & Climate Change

Thus far in Canada's 2023 wildfire season, more than 8.7 million acres have burned in the country. While wildfires are started by humans and not directly caused by climate change, the intensity and spread of wildfires are said to increase due to human-influenced changes in the climate.

Canada's natural resources agency has warned that if climate change accelerates or continues at its current pace, "fire activity may increase, with the area burned each year potentially doubling by the end of this century."

"The governor's legally questionable decision to remove Virginia from RGGI is a perfect example of Youngkin's head-in-the-sand leadership style," Watson wrote in a statement. "I'd like to invite the governor to step outside and breathe the air in Richmond today, which is choked by thick wildfire smoke, and tell us with a straight face that he thinks the planet's climate is doing just fine."

Walton Shepherd, Virginia Policy Director at the environmental advocacy group Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), also noted the timing of the RGGI vote coming while the state's air is experiencing hazardous conditions.

"It is perversely fitting that this vote today is occurring both at the start of hurricane season and amid a smoke-filled sky outside," Shepherd said before the board's vote was announced in a statement posted on the Wetlands Watch Twitter account. "The legal case for this attempted 'repeal' of RGGI law is wobblier than an intoxicated bowling pin."

Shepherd added, "Virginia will do its part to make the skies less smoky. In the meantime, if you like executive overreach, and an administrative state run amuck, vote yes [on repealing RGGI]. If you want to do something about the smoke outside rather than lie down and die, vote no."