Public electric utilities provide a necessary service, supplying electricity to millions of Virginians. In exchange for a monopoly over their service territory, these utilities are regulated by Virginia’s General Assembly, ensuring that the rates they charge for energy are just and reasonable.
Unfortunately, Virginia’s largest public electric utilities – Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company – utilize campaign donations and political influence to shape the regulatory environment to increase profits at the expense of Virginians.
Dominion Energy is the largest power provider in Virginia, employing thousands of hardworking individuals helping to keep our lights on. But unlike other public utility companies, Dominion has demonstrated its primary corporate objective is to maximize profit, not the public interest, utilizing its outsized political influence to ensure the rules are written to benefit the utility. As a result, Virginians pay some of the highest electric bills in the country while our health and environment suffer from an over reliance on polluting fuel sources.
With some of the weakest campaign finance laws in the country, Dominion and APCO wield political contributions to self-regulate, often writing the laws that govern them. Dominion is the largest corporate political donor in Virginia’s history, donating more $15 million over the past decade to legislators and PACs of both parties.
Virginians pay some of the highest power bills in the nation, according to the United States Energy Information Administration.
Dominion has overcharged Virginian customers by over $1.9 billion since 2009, according to state regulators.
Dominion is ranked nearly dead last nationwide in energy efficiency.
Dominion wants you to know that its outsized donations and lobbying are legal. The utility monopoly is right: it’s legalized corruption.
The solution is clear: Dominion should not be allowed to donate to political campaigns of the elected officials responsible for regulating it.
Clean Virginia is committed to working alongside policymakers and activists like you to hold corporate interests accountable and strengthen Virginia’s campaign finance laws. By addressing the root causes of political corruption, we can work together to ensure the clean energy transition is affordable and accessible for every Virginia family.