Dominion Energy’s Legalized Corruption
How Dominion uses money to influence legislation
For years, Dominion Energy had control over our government, both at the state and federal level. The company uses its power and money to donate to political campaigns, give expensive gifts to lawmakers, and lobby for legislators to take actions beneficial for the fossil fuel industry. They use their sway over the people to influence the information they receive about fossil fuels and about Dominion energy itself. The sort of corruption that Dominion Energy uses should be illegal and removed from the lawmaking progress.
Ralph Northam got $72,795 from Dominion Energy during his 2017 election. For a Democratic and the governor, who has signed countless pieces of legislation in an effort to keep the climate livable, this large sum of money seems unusual. However, taking a closer look at Dominion energy makes it less shocking.
Dominion Energy has donated money to campaigns across the political spectrum for years. One example is Chris Head (Republican House of Delegates district 17), who receives multiple donations from Dominion Energy. He voted against SB 710 which was meant to Expand Renewable Energy Tax Credits. Although the bill ended up passing both the House of Delegates and the state Senate, this shows how, if unchecked, gifted donations can have an unwarranted influence on legislation.
Dominion Energy has spent more than $11.3 million on political campaigns, on top of. $430,000 spent on parties, cocktails, and hunting events for legislators. One politician who has received these high priced gifts is state senate minority leader Tommy Norment (Republican, State senate district 3). Norment has been taking to Gillionville Plantation in Georgia to quail hunt on Dominion’s dime. The way Dominion Energy is able to give high price tag gifts to our lawmakers and influence the political outcomes for years is unjust and honestly corrupt.
Not only does Dominion Energy give money and gifts to politicians, but they spent $1.69 million on federal lobbyists this year so far. They have nineteen lobbyists currently pushing on Dominion's behalf. Fourteen of those lobbyists are former government officials with connections that can get them involved in private meetings to help their cause. Although lobbyists aren’t innately bad, the undue influence they have on lawmakers is dangerous.
Dominion Energy has been known to use its large cache of money to influence voters to vote for candidates who support Dominion energy and to support policies that help Dominion Energy. In 2018 alone Dominion spent over $4.4 million in Virginia on advertising to support their legislative agenda including an ad in the Super Bowl. Dominion Energy donates to charities while building multiple pipelines destroying the environment. The companies contrasting actions makes one wonder the lengths the company would go to improve its image to the general public. Yes, Dominion Energy has donated $2.1 million to the Environmental Stewardship of their charity, but they have also spent $1.2 million on donating to campaigns, $2.1 million on lobbying legislators and they spent $3.4 billion dollars on the canceled Atlantic Coast pipeline. In comparison to all of Dominion Energy’s spending, their charitable donations appear to be a joke.
Caroline Moore is a press team member at VAYCC
