A Floyd County judge ruled that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration doesn’t have the authority to pull Virginia out of a regional effort to cut greenhouse gases that cause climate change.

A Virginia circuit court judge said Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) acted unlawfully by withdrawing the commonwealth from the multistate Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a clean-air compact that includes states from Maryland to Maine.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s effort to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was “unlawful and without effect.”

The 27th Judicial Circuit of VA affirmed that deciding to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative can only be decided by the General Assembly.

A Virginia court ruled that Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) cannot withdraw from a greenhouse gas agreement without the approval of the state legislature. Youngkin announced his plan to withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in 2022 because it passed increased utility costs onto ratepayers.

A Virginia court ruled Wednesday that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) administration cannot withdraw from an interstate carbon emission-capping compact without approval from the state Legislature. Shortly after taking office in 2022,

Virginia regulators exceeded their authority when voting to leave the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the judge's ruling says.

Virginia can't withdraw from a multistate initiative designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions unless the Legislature agrees to it, a judge has ruled.