Spanberger on Mission to Make Virginia More Unaffordable
January 21, 2026
In her first address to the Virginia General Assembly, according to Cardinal News, Gov. Abigail Spanberger made clear that instead of confronting real drivers of rising energy costs, she’s doubling down on regulations that will make electricity more expensive and burden families and businesses. Spanberger’s centerpiece energy proposal, rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), is emblematic of this misplaced priority. Though she claims it will lower bills and fund efficiency programs, cap-and-trade schemes like RGGI inherently inflate costs for utilities and ratepayers, and that the only guaranteed outcome is more regulatory complexity and higher bills. Rather than focusing on expanding…