Clean Virginia: "Lawmakers largely fail to protect Virginians from rising electric bills and data center impacts, Governor can still act"

Clean Virginia, an independent advocacy organization, has strongly criticized the Virginia General Assembly following its 2026 session, asserting that lawmakers largely failed to protect Virginians from rising electric bills and the growing impact of data centers. Despite frequent debate on these issues as residents faced record-high electricity costs, the legislature did not act on many significant reforms aimed at safeguarding families and small businesses from increasing expenses. Brennan Gilmore, executive director of Clean Virginia, stated that lawmakers missed a clear opportunity to hold powerful interests accountable. He emphasized that proposals to prevent families and small businesses from subsidizing the energy demands of wealthy corporations were left unaddressed. While some progress was made with a performance-based regulation study process (SB 251 / HB 903) championed by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell and Delegate Rip Sullivan, most pro-consumer legislation did not pass. Conversely, lawmakers approved measures that will add to customer bills, such as extending Dominion Energy’s Strategic Underground Program from 2028 to 2033, which is projected to cost residential customers an additional $4.88 per month by 2026. Furthermore, the General Assembly concluded without agreeing on a state budget, largely due to disagreements over Virginia’s sales and use tax exemption for data centers. This tax break, initially projected to cost a few million dollars, has ballooned to approximately $1.9 billion annually, representing lost revenue that could support essential public services. Clean Virginia is now urging Governor Spanberger to intervene during the veto session, reject policies that increase costs, and push for immediate financial relief for households. The organization contends that the twin drivers of Virginia’s energy affordability crisis — data center demand and inflated utility profits — remain largely unaddressed and require urgent, comprehensive solutions.