DEQ statement on ruling upholding Virginia cap-and-trade program Published Monday, Jul. 19, 2021, 7:35 pm Join AFP's 100,000+ followers on Facebook Purchase a subscription to AFP Subscribe to AFP podcasts on iTunes and Spotify News, press releases, letters to the editor: augustafreepress2@gmail.com Last week, the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond ruled in favor of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, rejecting the Virginia Manufacturers Association’s challenge to the regulations enabling Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. “The Court held that DEQ did exactly what the General Assembly told it to do in establishing our carbon trading program,” said DEQ Director David Paylor.