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Youngkin pulling Virginia out of clean car emission standards mandate
Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Wednesday his administration will withdraw Virginia from a plan to follow strict car emissions standards set by California. The move, which will take effect when current standards expire at the end of 2024, drew applause from gasoline and auto dealer trade groups and condemnation from Virginia Democrats and environmental groups, who said the administration was overstepping its authority. In an announcement, Youngkin said Virginia will not follow new California rules set to take effect in 2025, which mandate all new cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the state to run on electricity or hydrogen by 2035.
Youngkin pulls Virginia out of California electric vehicle mandate
Virginia will stop following a California mandate for electric vehicles as of the end of this year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. That’s when California’s current mandate is superseded by new California Air Resources Board targets. The new California mandates step up the pace to require that all new car, truck and SUV sales be zero emission vehicles by 2035, with 35% of new sales being electric vehicles in model year 2026.
Schapiro: Ahead of D-Day anniversary, pols plan strategic retreat
Eighty years to the day that American soldiers stormed the shores of Nazi-held France — among the feats of arms ensuring free college tuition for the families of Virginians killed or disabled in combat — the state’s Republican governor and Democratic legislature, ordinarily locked in political battle, are poised for a strategic retreat to quell outrage over a threatened reduction in those increasingly pricey education benefits. Fancying themselves friends of the military — how could they not be in a state that’s ranked No. 1 in defense spending and has the third-largest veterans population in the country? — Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the General Assembly are vowing to reverse a provision both sides supported in the soon-to-take-effect budget ...
VCU, Rao should further separate from health system, state watchdog says
Virginia Commonwealth University and its health system should further separate from one another, the state legislature’s investigative body said Wednesday. In response to the health system’s failed deal to redevelop the Public Safety Building in downtown Richmond, the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission, or JLARC, determined VCU and its president, Michael Rao, have too much influence over the health system. The review suggested changing Rao’s role with the health system, hiring new staffers focused on real estate and reimagining the board of directors that governs the health system.
General Assembly taps 8 for judgeships
In a special session on May 13, the General Assembly elected eight individuals to fill seats on the circuit court, general district court and juvenile and domestic relations district court.
Youngkin says Virginia won’t follow California’s clean car standards anymore
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Wednesday that the state will no longer follow car emissions standards set by California, despite his party’s failure to repeal or roll back a 2021 Democratic law that tied Virginia to those regulations. The move tees up what could be another legal fight over Republican leaders’ efforts to undo climate change-related measures Democrats passed when they had full control of state government a few years ago. The governor has already drawn a lawsuit over his decision to end Virginia’s participation in a regional program meant to curb carbon emissions from power plants, arguing the initiative was too burdensome for regular Virginians who had to absorb the cost through higher electricity bills.
Virginia legislators express concern over medical school’s treatment of baboons
A group of three state legislators sent leadership at Eastern Virginia Medical School a letter expressing concerns over the treatment of pregnant olive baboons used for experiments. “We are especially troubled by the school’s history of repeated noncompliance with federal animal welfare regulations,” the lawmakers wrote. The letter comes after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a complaint with the city of Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi, calling for a criminal probe on May 14. PETA obtained extensive records showing that school researchers subjected mother baboons to traumatic, invasive procedures without legally required adequate care.
Proposed data center project could bring billions in investment to Pittsylvania County
Billions of investment dollars could be coming to Pittsylvania County with the development of a data center that was unanimously recommended by the planning commission at its Tuesday meeting. The project could represent up to $5 billion in investment, according to the Pittsylvania County Industrial Development Authority. It could also contribute up to $120 million in tax revenue over a 10- to 15-year period, though it’s too early to say for sure, said Matt Rowe, the economic development director for the county. The data center, which would be the first of its kind in Pittsylvania, could also create up to 500 jobs.
80 years after D-Day, a national memorial in Bedford keeps memories alive
It’s commonly called one of the major turning points of World War II. On June 6, 1944 — D-Day — more than 150,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel to storm the beaches of Nazi-occupied Normandy, France, supported by paratroopers and aerial and naval bombardment. Thousands of Allied soldiers died after meeting fierce resistance from German forces, but the operation kicked off the eventual liberation of Western Europe. The National D-Day Memorial that honors the “valor, fidelity and sacrifice” of D-Day veterans is in Bedford, a site chosen in large part because it’s thought to have suffered the greatest per-capita losses of any American community on that historic day.
Casey: Reps. Griffith, Cline question Dr. Anthony Fauci and Attorney General Merrick Garland
Did you catch representatives from Western Virginia shining in some congressional hearings earlier this week? Those would be Reps. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, and Ben Cline, R-Botetourt. OK, “shining” might not be the most accurate descriptor for Cline, R-Fincastle and Griffith. But hey, each got exposure and some of the limelight. That ought to be worth something, right? Cline and Griffith aren’t exactly household names beyond Front Royal and Big Stone Gap, respectively.