RICHMOND, VA (Rocktown Now) — Governor Abigail Spanberger has just announced she will intervene in the proposed $67 billion merger between Florida-based NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy.

This marks the first time a Virginia governor has taken such action before the State Corporation Commission.

“As a Virginian, I am deeply skeptical about whether selling our primary, state-regulated utility to an out-of-state company is good for the commonwealth. I have serious questions about what this deal would mean for us. And as governor, I intend to get answers and be a voice for Virginians in the process,” she said in an op-ed published by The Washington Post.

Spanberger said her involvement will focus on three priorities: lowering energy costs for Virginia families and small businesses, protecting the state’s utility workforce, and advancing affordable, reliable, locally produced clean energy.

“I know this action is unprecedented by a Virginia governor — but so, too, is the size of this proposed merger and its potential impact on the commonwealth. Virginians deserve to know that their leaders are laser-focused on ensuring that their needs are part of the SCC review,” the governor added.

She also highlighted more than a dozen energy-related laws she has signed, including a statewide consumption tax on data centers.

The announcement follows a recent SCC decision requiring data centers to pay for transmission infrastructure built exclusively to serve their facilities.

The full op-ed can be found here.