FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
In Full-Page Richmond Times-Dispatch Ad, Organizations Call on Lawmakers to Force Dominion Energy Refunds
“Dominion Energy is trying to keep over $500 million that it overcharged Virginians.”
October 5, 2020
CONTACT:
Cassady Craighill, Clean Virginia Communications and Advocacy Director
[email protected], 828-817-3328
RICHMOND, VA — Nearly 40 organizations placed a full-page ad in Sunday’s Richmond Times-Dispatch calling on lawmakers to demand that Dominion Energy return the $502.7 million it has overcharged Virginians since 2017.
A coalition of 36 prominent advocacy organizations from Virginia signed onto the ad, which reads: “The Virginia General Assembly cannot let Dominion Energy get away with exploiting the legislative session by turning what was supposed to provide economic relief for families and businesses into another way for them to keep and take money from Virginians.” The ad is also running on the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s homepage.
The House and Senate have so far failed to include a budget proposal from Governor Northam that would return $320 million of the utility monopoly’s overcharges back to Virginians in the form of customer refunds and debt forgiveness. The State Corporation Commission denied the Governor’s latest request for a utility disconnection moratorium last week after months of warning that legislative action was required to avoid shifting the financial burden to paying customers.
“Legislators who accept massive amounts of money from Dominion are once again letting the monopoly get away with a stark injustice,” said Clean Virginia Executive Director Brennan Gilmore. “Even before the COVID crisis, Black households were three times more likely to make serious sacrifices to pay their utility bills than non-minority households and Latinx households were twice as likely. The Virginia General Assembly must combat economic inequality during two unprecedented crises by demanding Dominion Energy refund its overcharges back to Virginians who have already paid more than their fair share.”
The Richmond Times-Dispatch ad was signed by the following organizations: American Promise, Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance, Appalachian Voices, ARTivism Virginia, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Clean Virginia, Climate Action Alliance of the Valley, Community Climate Collaborative, Earth Rise Indivisible, EcoAction Arlington, Food & Water Action, the Humanization Project, Indivisible Virginia, Lewinsville Faith in Action, the Manufactured Home Community Coalition of Virginia, Mothers Out Front VA, NAKASEC Virginia, Network NOVA, New Virginia Majority, NOVA Grassroots, Piedmont Environmental Council, Progress Virginia, Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, Tenants and Worker United, Virginia Conservation Network, Virginia Housing Alliance, Virginia Grassroots Coalition, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, Virginia Justice Democrats, Virginia League of Conservation Voters, Virginia Organizing, Virginia Poverty Law Center, WE of Action Virginia, 350 Alexandria, 350 Fairfax.
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Clean Virginia is an independent advocacy organization with an associated Political Action Committee, Clean Virginia Fund. Clean Virginia works to fight corruption in Virginia politics in order to promote clean energy and community control over our energy policy. For more information, visit cleanvirginia.org.
