Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin urged lawmakers to work with the Trump administration, to not reenter into the Region Greenhouse Gas Initiative and to dismantle the Virginia Clean Economy Act between touting his own administration’s accomplishments in his final State of the Commonwealth address.
Youngkin kept the then-former President Donald Trump at arm’s length during his gubernatorial campaign in 2021, following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Youngkin has since embraced the president after his 2024 win.
“Keeping Virginia on a winning streak also means continuing to work and cooperate with our federal partners and the Trump administration,” Youngkin said in his speech. “Constructively working with the administration works for Virginians. When a governor picks up the phone and calls a cabinet secretary to work through issues, it’s good for Virginia.”
Democrats won sweeping victories in Virginia’s gubernatorial and House of Delegates elections in 2025. Virginia’s “off year” elections are often seen as a bellwether for the midterm elections to come and a referendum on the current presidential administration.
Many of the candidates’ 2025 campaign platforms have included opposition to the Trump administration’s policies. Gov.-elect Spanberger told NPR’s Morning Edition in November that she will look to work with a president that she may disagree with substantially.
“And right at this moment, coming in now as governor-elect, and governor in the new year, my approach will be to make sure that I’m pushing for what we need here on the ground. And right now, that will be pushing back against a variety of the bad policies that are coming out of this White House,” she said.
Spanberger’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the outgoing governor’s remark.
“The Trump administration is actively trying to destroy the Virginia economy because it voted against him. He shut down a wind project that is going to save Virginia hundreds of millions of dollars of fuel costs every year on their electricity bills, while firing hundreds of thousands of Virginians from either their federal jobs or their government contracts due to the reckless behavior of DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency],” Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax County, said in an interview after Youngkin’s address.
“This is not an administration that we need to work with, it’s one that we need to fight,” he added.
Youngkin cautions against reentering RGGI, urges lawmakers to dismantle VCEA
The outgoing governor addressed the growing demand for energy in Virginia, largely driven by data centers and businesses.
“Meeting this growing power need means continuing to support an all-of-the-above power plan. What it definitely doesn’t mean is rejoining RGGI,” he said. “It’s a bad deal. It doesn’t work. And it’s a regressive tax that drives up the cost of living for all Virginians.”
Virginia had entered into RGGI, and was the first Southern state to do so, after a law passed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly in 2020 required the commonwealth’s participation. The initiative is a multistate effort aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Eleven Eastern states, including Virginia, joined the program.
In 2022, Youngkin issued an executive order to reevaluate Virginia’s participation in the program, with the intent of ending it. The State Air Pollution Control Board repealed Virginia’s participation in RGGI in 2023. The program was not included in the 2024 budget, solidifying the commonwealth’s departure from the initiative.
Floyd County Circuit Judge Randall Lowe ruled in November 2024 that the governor lacked the statutory authority to repeal the RGGI regulation. In March, Lowe paused Virginia’s return to RGGI while the Youngkin administration appealed the court’s ruling. It is likely that the appeal will die with Younkgin’s exit.
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters noted in 2024 that participation in RGGI created $830 million in dedicated revenue to combat flooding.
That revenue stemmed primarily from regional carbon dioxide allowance auctions, the proceeds from which are returned to RGGI states. The League of Conservation Voters noted that Virginia has been without a dedicated funding source for flood prevention and energy-efficiency programs since the state left the program.
Del. Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, has introduced a bill to return Virginia to the program.
Youngkin also urged lawmakers to dismantle the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a possible area of contention for the 2026 session.
Republicans have expressed an interest in repealing that law, which mandates Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power achieve carbon-free energy portfolios by 2045 and 2050, respectively. Republicans have argued that renewable energy sources alone cannot meet the energy demand in Virginia and that the effort could drive up costs for ratepayers. Some Democrats have expressed openness to changing the law.
“We need to double our generating capacity in the next 10 years. Renewables alone — which will drive up costs and risk brownouts — just can’t get it done,” Youngkin said. “I urge you to undo VCEA. It simply does not work for Virginians.”
Youngkin touts accomplishments
Youngkin also celebrated his administration’s wins to thundering applause from Republicans in the House of Delegates chamber.
Those wins, he said, include over $157 billion in business investment in the state, $10 billion in surplus revenue, $9 billion in tax relief to Virginians, and more people moving to the commonwealth than away.
He also outlined initiatives to ban cellphones in schools, investment in law enforcement, a drop in the statewide murder rate, a reduction in fentanyl overdoses and growth in the health care workforce and other items achieved over his term.