With the clock ticking on the six-month window for the State Corporation Commission to decide whether Dominion Energy should be allowed to merge with the Florida-based NextEra Energy, Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi said this week she would host a statewide tour to meet with constituents, educate them on the case and hear their opinions.
Last month, Hashmi asked the utilities to provide more clarity on what the $67 billion merger will mean for Virginia ratepayers. The merger would create the largest utility company in the country.
The listening tour will kick off in September and include five stops total, with meetings in Loudoun, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Charlottesville and Roanoke. Local leaders and energy experts will be invited to meet with community members, answer questions about the merger and show the public how to offer testimony in the State Corporation Commission case.
“An acquisition of this size and significance requires a thorough, transparent review,” Hashmi said in a release. “Virginians deserve the opportunity to understand what this proposal could mean for their utility bills, their community, and our shared energy future.”
A recent poll of about 600 Virginians conducted by the environmental group League of Conservation Voters in the Northern Neck and Northern Virginia regions showed that even with sparse details about the case, 76% of respondents assumed that the merger would lead to their rates increasing.
The major implications of the merger drove Gov. Abigail Spanberger to take an unprecedented step last week, when she asked to formally intervene in the case.
If regulators agree, the governor’s administration would be allowed to question witnesses, file evidence and review sensitive case information throughout the regulatory process.
Additionally, there is a bipartisan push by multiple lawmakers for Spanberger to call a special session to allow the General Assembly to pass a measure to extend the State Corporation Commission hearing process beyond six months.
Some state leaders feel the current half-year timeline is not enough time to thoroughly consider the implications of such a major merger.
The public is invited to RSVP for the listening tour events and learn more about how to get involved in the case at vaenergytour.com.
