Dominion Energy Transmission Line Faces Opposition in Prince William County, Virginia
Western Prince William County residents and local leaders are protesting Dominion Energy's planned Nokesville-to-Bristow 230-kilovolt transmission line, demanding it be buried due to concerns about property value, health, and environmental impact. The project is being driven by the growth of data centers in the region, prompting calls for increased accountability for the industry.
Residents of western Prince William County, Virginia, alongside local and state officials, rallied against Dominion Energy's proposed Nokesville-to-Bristow 230-kilovolt transmission line, which they contend is being necessitated by the proliferation of data centers in the area. The protest, held outside Patriot High School in Nokesville, saw scores of residents, including local farmers, advocate for the 6.5-mile line to be buried rather than built overhead, citing concerns over property values, health impacts, and the destruction of rural land and viewsheds.
Dominion Energy spokesperson Aisha Khan stated that undergrounding the line is not feasible due to "cost, time and space" constraints, adding that the line needs to be in service by 2030. This follows the Prince William Board of County Supervisors' rejection of proposed Routes 5 and 12 on July 14, leading to "refined" routes. Local leaders, including Chair Deshundra Jefferson, Gainesville Supervisor George Stewart, and Brentsville Supervisor Tom Gordy, joined state Sens. Danica Roem and Jeremy McPike, and Del. Elizabeth Guzman, in demanding greater accountability from Dominion and the data center industry.
Elena Schlossberg, executive director of the Coalition to Protect Prince William County, characterized the community as "sacrificial lambs" for the data center industry. Del. Guzman announced efforts to make data centers "pay their fair share" through state legislation. Sen. McPike expressed concerns about Dominion's pending merger with NextEra and supported the idea that costs for infrastructure, including undergrounding, should be borne by the "trillion-dollar industry" rather than residents. Discussions about an executive order from President Trump and a "Ratepayer Protection Pledge" for AI companies were also mentioned as potential avenues for accountability, though federal measures were met with cautious optimism by McPike.