Gov. Abigail Spanberger last week rebuffed bipartisan calls for a special session of the General Assembly to address concerns with state utility merger law.

The issue at hand: Dominion Energy, the state’s largest electric utility, is proposing to merge with Florida giant NextEra Energy. The $67 billion deal would create the world’s largest regulated electric utility.

[Shareholders at each company approved](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/dominion-energy-secures-shareholder-approval-merger-with-nextera-2026-09-03/) the deal last week, a preliminary hurdle ahead of regulatory approvals.

But due to the existing process, the State Corporation Commission only has until Jan. 11, 2027, to review the case, which was [filed by the utilities](https://www.vpm.org/news/2026-07-16/dominion-nextera-merger-filing-scc-review-blue-hashmi-gilmore-clean-virginia/) on July 15, 2026.

And lawmakers are concerned that’s too short a time, given the scale of merging Virginia and Florida’s largest electric utilities. Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi is also touring the commonwealth to hear constituents’ concerns about the case.

Over a dozen Virginia lawmakers have called for regional public hearings. Others have outright expressed opposition. Even localities are getting involved in various ways, with officials providing comments and [some](https://www.scc.virginia.gov/docketsearch/DOCS/8%233%2401!.PDF) [intervening](https://www.scc.virginia.gov/docketsearch/DOCS/8%23f%4001!.PDF), like Spanberger.

Let’s break it down.

[Click here to read the full article.](https://www.vpm.org/news/2026-09-08/spanberger-dominion-nextera-scc-utility-merger-acquisition-general-assembly/)

Lawmakers continue weighing in on Dominion–NextEra deal