When Glenn Youngkin was governor, he pulled the state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, claiming it pushed electric bills up. RGGI required utilities to pay for excess pollution caused by burning natural gas and coal. At the Southern Environmental Law Center, attorney Nate Benforado says that was a good thing for the environment and for consumers
“Fossil fuel prices have been one of the biggest drivers of bill increases, and RGGI is a tool that ensures our utilities start to rely more and more on clean energy resources that don’t have fuel costs," he explains.
Like wind and solar, but after Virginia left RGGI, prices for electricity did not decline.
"From May 2024 to May 2026, for example, a Dominion customer saw their bill rise by about 24%.”
What’s more, Benforado says, we didn’t share in the money generated by charging utilities for greenhouse gas pollution.
“Forty-five percent of the funds go to something called the Community Flood Preparedness Fund. Preventing flooding before it happens is worlds more effective than trying to clean up after the flood has already happened.”
And 50% of the money funded energy efficiency improvements for low-income people.
“Think of upgrading your appliances, insulating your ducts in your house, insulating windows. These households don’t really have extra money lying around for these upgrades.”
On July first, Virginia will return to RGGI – joining 10 other eastern states. Benforado says consumers may still pay more for power – but they should blame data centers and continued reliance on fossil fuels.
