Could a $4.8B clause be a windfall to Virginia ratepayers?

November 10, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

Dominion Energy Virginia CEO Ed Baine (left) and NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum (center) speak during a "fireside chat" at the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Forum on Infrastructure on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Richmond. *Patrick Larsen / VPM News*

A termination fee in the proposed NextEra and Dominion deal calls for a hefty payout from the Florida-based energy giant if the merger fails. One energy expert thinks Dominion should take the money and run.

Soaring electric bills, energy demand a top concern for Virginians

September 24, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

As regulators consider a proposed NextEra and Dominion merger, a new poll shows growing anxiety among voters

Dominion ratepayers on the hook again as give turns into take

September 1, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

Ice from Winter Storm Fern clings to power lines in Tennessee on January 25, 2026. The storm brought extended subzero temperatures and ice to the Mid-Atlantic for more than a week, causing energy consumption to spike. *Photo by Reuters Connect*

Virginia’s largest utility is asking regulators to OK a long-term plan to recoup costs for high fuel prices. The new charges could wipe out a proposed customer rebate from a NextEra acquisition.

Crops and solar power? Virginia farms are ripe for the combo.

August 31, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

Onions planted near and under 42 solar panels at Piedmont Environmental Council’s Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows in Aldie, VA, are ready to harvest. The site is a pilot project by PEC to integrate solar energy and crop farming.

A new Virginia law encourages farmers to mix solar generation with crops and cattle. A rural pilot program shows promise.

Could a Dominion-NextEra marriage be bad news for rooftop solar?

August 18, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

*A worker installs rooftop solar panels on a home in Northern Virginia. (Image via Shutterstock)*

Both energy giants have a history of trying to make small, independent solar projects more costly for homeowners and businesses.

Will a new Virginia law boost energy storage?

July 14, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

A rendering of East Point Energy's proposed Mill Stone Energy Center in Chesapeake, Virginia. The company hopes to build an energy storage project that will connect to an existing transmission line near the Fentress Substation. *Photo Courtesy East Point Energy*

A proposed battery storage plant in Chesapeake meets the city’s requirements. Neighbors don’t see it that way.

A new CEO for Virginia - Chief Energy Officer

June 16, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

Virginia’s new Chief Energy Officer Josephus Allmond delivers the keynote address at a Coalition for Community Solar Access on May 29 at the Westin Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C. *Photos by Elizabeth McGowan // VCIJ*

Environmental lawyer Josephus Allmond takes on a new cabinet position created by Gov. Spanberger. His task? Manage energy policy amidst rising consumer costs and growing demand

Virginia energy watchdogs urge caution as Dominion-NextEra deal moves ahead

June 8, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

Tony Smith, CEO of Secure Solar Futures at his office in Staunton, Monday, June 8, 2026. *Photo by Christopher Tyree // VCIJ*

Advocates for consumers and clean energy see opportunities – and risks – to remake energy policy and practice in Virginia

What can consumers expect from the proposed Dominion deal?

June 3, 2026 Kunle Falayi

Marshall, Michigan - The Cereal City Solar project, a 100 MW solar farm. It is a project of NextEra Energy Resources, a major developer of renewable energy

The planned acquisition of Dominion Energy by NextEra Energy brings together two multi-billion-dollar utilities. Here’s how they compare, and what consumers might see ahead.

Virginia state senator’s solar plan roils conservationists

January 28, 2026 Guest Contributor

Republican Sen. Richard Stuart sits in the Senate chamber in Richmond, January 16, 2026. Stuart is trying install a solar farm on property he owns that is under a conservation easement. *Photo by Christopher Tyree // VCIJ*

Republican Sen. Richard Stuart wants to develop a large solar farm on his property. Green energy advocates say it would set a dangerous precedent.

In Virginia’s coalfields, renewable projects hit a new roadblock – Trump

September 3, 2025 Guest Contributor

The Nature Conservancy is partnering with Charlottesville-based TerraForm Power to build a 10-megawatt solar array on a reclaimed surface mine near Pound in Wise County, Va. Wildcats Solar, scheduled to go online within two years, would be the first solar project to rise on TNC’s 253,000-acre, tri-state Cumberland Forest Project.

Renewable energy developers planned dozens of projects on property owned by The Nature Conservancy. Then President Donald Trump signed H.R. 1, upending an unprecedented effort to revitalize Appalachia.

Can this tiny Appalachian town be a blueprint for the region’s rebirth?

June 16, 2025 Guest Contributor

All-terrain-vehicle trail enthusiasts line up outside a popular restaurant and a renovated boutique hotel St. Paul on an afternoon in late February. Turning trails and the once-neglected Clinch River into centerpieces has allowed this small town near the Wise-Russell County border to shine as a hub for eco-tourism.

St. Paul , Virginia– a hamlet of 830 people in coal country - remade itself into a bustling spot for ecotourism and off-road trails.

Big bet: Can a $130M conservation deal in Virginia’s coal country curb climate change and lift Appalachia?

June 12, 2025 Guest Contributor

Contracted workers from Williams Forestry & Associates plant tiny hardwood trees in late March atop a former coal mine in Russell County, part of The Nature Conservancy’s Cumberland Forest Project. It marked TNC’s first forest restoration effort in Virginia, part of a tri-state conservation initiative that began more than five years ago.

Big bet: Can a $130M conservation deal in Virginia’s coal country curb climate change and lift Appalachia?

The Nature Conservancy is halfway through its ambitious 10-year plan to preserve 253,000 acres and boost local economies across three Appalachian states. Backed by a loan from Virginia and private investors, it’s faced challenges and critics. The experiment could be the future of large-scale conservation – or not.

Norfolk leaders, losing patience, consider new options for stalled casino project

July 10, 2023 Chris Tyree

Original proposal for the Pamunkey casino on the left and the revised first phase version on the right. Renderings of the HeadWaters Resort & Casino. (Courtesy of HeadWaters Resort & Casino provided to the City of Norfolk)

A scaled-down Norfolk waterfront casino proposal is facing choppy waters from city leaders who have lost patience with the much-delayed project.

Norfolk City Council members in a recent closed session discussed options for scuttling the city’s agreement with the Pamunkey tribe, which submitted an application for a phased development with a $150 million initial investment, far shy of the upscale $500 million resort hotel, marina, entertainment space, and casino showcased to voters during a 2020 referendum.

Forever chemicals a perpetual threat to Virginia drinking water

March 22, 2023 Chris Tyree

Wallops Flight Facility public affairs chief Jeremy Eggers, left, and NASA restoration program manager David Liu examine the granular activated carbon filtration system designed to filter toxic PFAS chemicals from the town of Chincoteague’s drinking water on November 16, 2022.

Toxic chemicals used to fight fires and found in a wide range of household and industrial goods for decades have ended up in drinking water across the state. Virginia health and environmental agencies have only begun to measure the scope of the problem. How worried should we be?

Virginia’s nuclear disaster plan is extensive, but key online resources 404

January 9, 2020 Chris Tyree

Color photograph of the Three Mile Island nuclear generating station, which suffered a partial meltdown in 1979. The reactors are in the smaller domes with rounded tops (the large smokestacks are just cooling towers).

A detailed web of PDFs released in response to a request for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s nuclear disaster response plans contains hundreds of pages of information about how the Commonwealth will handle a nuclear emergency, ranging from meltdown to dirty bomb to accidental weapon explosion.

Virginia's Toxic Military Legacy

September 9, 2019 Chris Tyree

A_Sailor_collects_an_AFFF_sample._(8243541919)-2.jpg

Over 100 wells on and near military bases in Virginia exceeded federal safety guidelines for contamination by toxic, firefighting chemicals used widely in Navy and Air Force training, according to military documents.

The chemicals are found in a foam used by military and civilian firefighters to train and douse high-octane fires for more than 50 years. The foam is still being used, even as the military says it is phasing it out.

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