www.thecentersquare.com – By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-23 13:05:00
(The Center Square) – Virginia regulators are reviewing Dominion Energy’s long-term energy plan, which environmental groups say leans too heavily on fossil fuels and violates state climate law.
Last week, the State Corporation Commission held afour-day hearingto determine whether the plan complies with the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which requires 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045.
The Virginia Clean Economy Act, passed in 2020, sets binding targets for phasing out fossil fuels and requires utilities like Dominion to submit detailed planning documents for how they plan to meet those goals.
Dominion’s proposal includes continued investment in natural gas infrastructure and delays retiring its existing fleet of fossil fuel plants. Critics argue the plan fails to account for lower-cost, cleaner alternatives like solar, wind and battery storage.
The Southern Environmental Law Center and Appalachian Voices testified during the hearings, warning that Dominion’s approach could lock Virginians into decades of pollution and rising utility bills.
They argue the plan prioritizes corporate profits over public health and environmental compliance.
The surge in energy demand is largely driven by Northern Virginia’s booming data center industry, which accounts for more than 20% of Dominion’s forecasted load growth.
Dominion says itsplan is designedto ensure grid reliability and meet growing energy demand, particularly from data centers and large-scale industrial users. The company has defended its gas investments as necessary to maintain system stability as older coal and gas units are phased out.
“Power demand in Virginia is growing at the highest levels since World War II,” Dominion spokesperson Aaron Ruby told The Center Square. “Our plan will serve growing power demand with reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean energy. Renewables alone cannot reliably serve all our customers’ needs. Renewables are not always available, so we need nuclear and natural gas to keep the power on all the time. Our long-term plan includes about 80% renewables and carbon-free nuclear, and about 20% natural gas.”
He continued, “That is the diverse, balanced mix that will deliver both reliable service and increasingly clean energy.” He also noted that power demand will double in the next 15 years.
The SCC will accept post-hearing briefs until May 19, 2025, before issuing a decision. While the commission does not approve or reject Integrated Resource Plans outright, it can rule whether the plan is ‘reasonable and in the public interest,’ influencing future project approvals.
“If we follow Dominion’s short-sighted plan, which builds 6 gigawatts of new methane gas power plants in the 2030s and ignores the potential of cleaner alternatives, we will virtually guarantee a non-compliant, dirty, and expensive electric system,” said Nate Benforado, senior attorney at SELC. He argued that building battery storage instead of gas plants would be more cost-effective and better for public health.
www.youtube.com – 12 On Your Side – 2025-05-22 07:55:29
SUMMARY: The forecast for Thursday, May 22, indicates cool temperatures with light showers moving through overnight. Richmond and surrounding areas will see temperatures in the 50s this morning, rising to the low 70s by afternoon with breezy conditions. A small chance of rain or thunderstorms remains, particularly later in the day. By evening, temperatures will drop to the low 60s. Friday and Saturday will feature clear skies and temperatures in the mid-70s, while Sunday and Monday will bring more cloud cover. Temperatures will stay below average until midweek, with the possibility of scattered showers on Tuesday.
Also get a look at the Memorial Day weekend forecast.
www.youtube.com – NBC4 Washington – 2025-05-21 17:52:09
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Do you want to make money without having to do anything? It all starts with where you have your savings. Consumer Reporter Susan Hogan reports.
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A Metro task force, including Northern Virginia leaders, reached a consensus to contribute to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for capital projects instead of implementing a uniform sales tax. The decision was influenced by the urgency to address Metro’s “capital cliff.” Task force members supported “Option A,” which requires jurisdictions to raise \$500-600 million starting in fiscal year 2028. The plan aims to modernize the Metro system, with investments in rail automation and improved signaling. Some leaders voiced concerns about financial challenges, while others supported a regional commitment to secure stable funding for Metro’s future.
Members of a Metro task force including Northern Virginia leaders reached a consensus to avoid a uniform sales tax and instead contribute to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s capital projects to improve service. But some argue such a tax could be inevitable.
The urgency of the situation is highlighted by the need to address Metro’s “capital cliff,” and the ability to maintain and upgrade its infrastructure.
On Friday, May 16, Metropolitan Washington area task force leaders supported “Option A,” which requires jurisdictions to generate sufficient revenue to cover their share of $500 million to $600 million starting in fiscal year 2028, and growing 3% each year.
The second concept, “Option B,” would have required jurisdictions to enact a sales tax.
Paul Smedberg, task force co-chair and WMATA Board of Directors First Vice Chair, said although the task force members came to a general consensus, they want to see more detail.
“They’re gonna want to see some of the algorithms or models that were used to develop this because they want to feel comfortable with it,” Smedberg told reporters last Friday. “There’s still work to be done.”
Fairfax County Supervisor Rodney Lusk and Del. Mark Sickles speak outside of a task force meeting at Metro headquarters in Washington D.C. on May 16. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)
The discussion about developing a regional Metro funding source is part of a yearlong effort to collaborate through an initiative called DMVMoves, led by Metro and the Council of Governments.
Several state lawmakers who represent the areas serviced by the transit agency urged the task force to consider taking a region-wide approach to transit workforce development by creating a partnership among multiple regional employers, and continuing the region’s commitment to providing dedicated capital funding for WMATA since 2018.
“Without future proofing the region’s capital contributions, WMATA will hit a fiscal cliff that would prevent it from tackling its backlog of state of good repair projects or from creating the fleets of the future for bus or rail operations that our region needs and deserves,” wrote Sens. Jennifer Carroll Foy, Danica Roem, Saddam Salim and Stella Pekarsky, and Dels. Michelle Maldando and Joshua Cole in a May 15 joint letter.
How funding could help
As part of the proposal, Virginia could be responsible for an estimated $150 million to $180 million annually starting in fiscal year 2028, and that amount is likely to grow. The funding would be separate from what Metro receives from ridership, fare revenue, and contributions from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Northern Virginia — members of the WMATA Compact.
“With this funding, either option, we are creating a sustainable revolving bond program that can meet the state of repair needs of the system, as well as implement rail operation,” said Nick Donohue, principal at Capitol Transportation Consulting.
If successful, the region would reinvest in and modernize Metro’s system. Funding could help reduce rail travel times with rail automation and advanced signaling, and improve bus services.
Rail automation would increase capacity with faster travel and more trains per hour, improve service reliability, and is projected to grow ridership and revenue.
Supporters of rail automation also say operations would be safer by reducing staff on the roadway, keeping trespassers off the tracks, and reducing track fires. But the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission said automation has contributed to train overruns — when a train doesn’t stop within the station’s platform area.
Metro is still seeking to expand automation across the entire rail system. Automation is currently only used on the red rail line, which does not run through Virginia. Automation will expand to the green and orange lines starting Friday, the transit announced on Tuesday. While the green line does not run in the commonwealth, the orange line operates from New Carrollton in Maryland to Vienna in Northern Virginia.
If automation is fully implemented, Metro would mirror rail systems in several countries where automation is already in use.
Metro provided a map of the countries operating rail transit systems with automation (Photo courtesy of Metro)
Virginia lawmakers in their letter said any plans for automatic train operation or signalling improvements must be done with “safety” and “workforce considerations” in mind.
“All technology improvements should be paired with redundant safety features for the time when, not if, they fail to perform as expected,” the group wrote. “Workers who gave their careers to public transit should not be an afterthought in WMATA’s rush to implement cost-savings from automation.”
Funding could also improve Metro’s signal system, which guides and controls train movement, ensuring efficiency and safety.
Metro said maintaining the system can be costly, because few vendors have parts and signals, and the infrastructure and technology are obsolete.
Support for investment concepts
Most task force leaders supported the option of a regional commitment. But a few said the plan could be in jeopardy if new jurisdictional leaders have different policy ideas.
Loudoun County Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall feared this and supported the sales tax option as jurisdictions, some of which can’t afford to pivot financially, are facing large deficits.
“If we want to use the word ‘dedicated source of revenue,’ then you get a dedicated source of revenue through a sales tax. I don’t know how you can actually literally say you get there any other way but by enacting a sales tax,” Randall said.
“Nobody, no political official wants to say ‘Hey, we have a new tax coming up,’ but I don’t think you get there any other way. And quite frankly if we’re talking about FY28. I don’t think there’s an elected official who even knows if we’re going to be here in FY28 — I mean, we just don’t — and so we’re making promises we’re telling other people to keep and that’s never a wise thing to do either,” Randall added.
Fairfax County Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay and Loudoun County Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall chatting at a task force meeting at Metro headquarters in Washington D.C. on May 16, 2025 (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)
Donohue said the tax rate would not change as part of the sales tax option concept. But Fairfax County Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay, who prefers jurisdictions to commit to paying a specific amount, argued that a potential sales tax could be insufficient, which would bring everyone back to the drawing board.
The other knock against the sales tax option is that jurisdictions must manage their own revenues, McKay said, as the cost of capital projects has constantly changed. He said if the region is going to support the regional commitment option, everyone has to be on the same page, showing cooperation and protecting jurisdictions.
“The whole region has to be in on Option A because we have to go out and sell this as a regional solution,” McKay said. “The solutions are different among the jurisdictions, that’s fine, but we have to be as a region talking about a package that portends to accomplish Option A.”
What’s next
The task force will review a full proposal for approval in the fall, allowing members to share this with jurisdictional leaders and lawmakers. Virginia’s legislature returns for its full session in January.Simultaneously, Virginia lawmakers created the Northern Virginia Growing Needs of Public Transit Joint Subcommittee, studying long-term, sustainable, dedicated operations and capital funding for Metro.
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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This content primarily focuses on regional public transit funding issues, highlighting voices and proposals that emphasize investment in infrastructure, modernization, and safety—all topics generally aligned with center-left political priorities. The article underscores the necessity of sustained public funding and regional cooperation, often championed by center-left policymakers, and quotes multiple Democratic lawmakers known for progressive stances on transportation and public investment. While it fairly presents differing views on funding mechanisms, including some fiscal caution, it does not take a strongly partisan tone but leans toward support for public transit expansion and government-led solutions typical of a center-left perspective.
