Virginia Way

The Virginia Way is about how large-scale corporations dominate Virginia governments and legislations, particularly Dominion Energy. Virginia’s government favors a bipartisan economy like the Deep South. The Virginia Way consists of elaborate details about how Dominion Energy controls all the legislature passed and ensures all laws benefits Dominion’s dollar. Dominion was the largest campaign donor in Virginia resulting in Dominion being the only one allowed to produce 2/3s of electricity in the state and resulting in Dominion being a monopoly. No other utility has the same power and influence as Dominion. Politicians who refused to take money from Dominion energy were considered a threat and speaking out against Dominion was political death. Things began to change in the state of Virginia as Donald Trumps election resulted in regulation surrounding Dominion’s and Virgina’s relationship. This new political change began as the elite’s source of wealth shifted from heavy industry to now technical industries. Josh Stanfield’s coalition against Dominion also helped. Now, it was no longer considered a political suicide for a politician to speak out against Dominion. In addition, Dominion decreased public favor with 2015 and 2018 electricity rates being hiked up. For the first time in Dominions 101-year-old history, the 2018 legislative session resulted in Dominion getting almost everything they wanted. This was a new transformative political change as in the past Dominion was able to secure everything, they wanted in laws with large campaign checks. More politicians refused to take money from Dominion Energy. Majority of politicians supporting Dominions were elected out of office and replaced with politicians against Dominion Energy. Regardless, Dominion Energy still possesses an energy monopoly in Virginia and is still mostly unchecked for its business practices. It will be interesting as time goes on to see if Dominion Energy faces serious consequences for electricity rates and if it loses even more favor in the Virginia government.