Clergy Ask Virginia Regulators to Reject $67 Billion Dominion Deal

A group of faith leaders and community advocates rallied outside the Virginia State Corporation Commission in Richmond on Nov. 5 and asked the state’s utility regulator to turn down NextEra Energy’s proposed $67 billion acquisition of Dominion Energy. Speakers said the deal would put corporate profits ahead of households already struggling with electric bills.

The event was organized by Progress Virginia, which announced it in a press release. The State Corporation Commission, known as the SCC, regulates utilities in Virginia, and opponents want its commissioners to block the takeover.

What the NextEra-Dominion deal would do

Under the proposal, Florida-based NextEra would take control of Dominion Energy. According to the release, the combination would create the largest energy corporation in the country.

The organizers said the pending deal has drawn concern from residents and public officials over electricity prices, corporate accountability and the question of who will pay for Virginia’s growing demand for power. A price per share and a closing date were not disclosed.

What the faith leaders said

Clergy at the rally described congregants who have turned to churches and synagogues for help paying their power bills, and said they are increasingly unable to meet those requests. Several framed the merger as a moral and economic justice issue.

Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill said electric bills decide whether families can afford groceries and whether older residents can keep their homes safe and comfortable. She argued that Virginians should not have to accept a merger that might push costs higher, and she called on the SCC to put the state’s families first.

Reverend Daniel Willson of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Chesterfield said he was taught as a fourth grader that capitalism was meant to break up mergers and encourage competition. He called this deal “extraction capitalism” and urged people to oppose it.

Reverend Dr. Kevin L. Jones of Ebenezer Baptist Church said NextEra cut off power to about 1.2 million households in 2024 for unpaid bills. That figure comes from his remarks at the rally. He said the group was standing up for elders on fixed incomes and for families who cannot make ends meet, and added that “we do not support this merger, and neither should they,” referring to the commissioners.

Why it matters for Dominion customers

Dominion’s customers would end up served by a utility controlled from Florida. The opponents’ central worry is that the takeover could lead to higher electricity costs at a time when, they say, many households are already behind on their bills and leaning on congregations for help.

Dominion shareholders and employees also have a stake in how Virginia regulators respond. The rally put religious groups on record against the deal alongside the residents and public officials who, according to the organizers, have already raised concerns about prices and accountability.

What regulators are being asked to decide

The rally’s demand was simple: the SCC should reject the acquisition outright. Speakers asked commissioners to judge the deal by its effect on working families, small businesses and communities across the Commonwealth.

Progress Virginia distributed photos and video of the event. No date for an SCC ruling was announced.

Source: PR Newswire