Governor Glenn Youngkin is expected to make several key environmental decisions this week.
Governor Glenn Youngkin likes to describe his approach to energy as...
"All of the above…"
...including solar and wind, but also fossil fuels and nuclear power. Now, he has a chance to demonstrate what his policy goals are later this week, as he considers what to do about several environmental bills currently on his desk that would expand solar energy. Lee Francis at the League of Conservation Voters says don't be distracted by the "all of the above" narrative.
"Glenn has a track record of saying one thing and doing another, and we've definitely seen him do that with energy," Francis says. "I think his all of the above energy policy is like President Trump's. It's all of the above except renewables."
For some opponents of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, the so-called “all of the above” approach to energy has always been hot air anyway.
"I've always considered all of the above a political slogan more than an energy policy, says Stephen Haner at the Thomas Jefferson Institute. "Some sources of energy are more reliable than others, and that's just the reality."
The governor's deadline for taking action on environmental legislation and dozens of other bills from the 2025 session is later this week.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
