Category: The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Household costs are the leading voting concern in two Virginia congressional districts where Republican incumbents face Democratic challengers. A Washington Post-Schar School poll released Thursday found 42% of likely voters in the 1st Congressional District and 49% in the 5th named cost of living as their most important issue when voting…

(The Center Square) – Virginia’s new energy plan proposes requiring utilities to share fuel costs that exceed approved forecasts and making data centers pay the electricity infrastructure costs they create. Gov. Abigail Spanberger released the plan Thursday as the commonwealth prepares for rising power demand. The proposals target how utilities recover costs from customers, finance…

(The Center Square) – Northern Virginia residents questioned Dominion Energy’s proposed transmission expansion Wednesday, raising concerns about data center demand, project costs and the impact of new power lines on private property. The State Corporation Commission heard public testimony involving Dominion’s proposed Morrisville-Wishing Star project. Dominion describes the project as a major grid upgrade spanning…

(The Center Square) – Virginia regulators approved bond financing Tuesday allowing Dominion Energy to spread recovery of about $932 million in deferred fuel costs and upfront financing expenses over roughly seven years. The State Corporation Commission authorized bond financing covering about $922 million in fuel costs Dominion has incurred but has not yet collected from…

(The Center Square) – A Virginia man who once faced the death penalty was released Monday after about 25 years in prison under an agreement resolving a murder case that spent decades moving through state and federal courts. Justin Wolfe pleaded guilty to distribution of marijuana and entered an Alford, or no-contest, plea to criminal…

(The Center Square) – Virginia drivers are paying about $1.29 more for a gallon of regular gas than they were a year ago, while the state’s combined fuel taxes and fees also rose slightly this summer. AAA listed Virginia’s average Monday at $4.22 per gallon for regular gasoline and $6.36 for diesel. A year ago,…

(The Center Square) – More than 183,000 Virginians have already cast ballots in the November election, more than double the number recorded at the same point before the 2022 midterms. Virginia had recorded 183,217 early ballots through Sunday, compared with 75,819 at the same point in 2022, according to Virginia Department of Elections data compiled…

(The Center Square) – Virginia lawmakers are considering allowing utilities and local governments to test geothermal heating and cooling networks, but questions remain over who would pay if utility projects cost more than expected. The issue came up Thursday during a meeting of the Energy Commission of Virginia’s Subcommittee 4, where staff presented preliminary proposals…

(The Center Square) – Eighty-nine percent of registered Virginia voters surveyed in a recent poll said data centers should pay the full cost of new energy infrastructure built to serve them. The Embold Research poll found 89% support requiring data centers to cover those costs, including 80% who strongly support the requirement. Five percent opposed…

(The Center Square) – Virginia is pressing Congress for federal artificial intelligence rules addressing potential effects on jobs, personal data and resource use as the state develops oversight of the technology. First-year Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday said she is calling on congressional leaders to take a larger role in regulating AI, citing concerns…