SAMPLE COMMENTS FOR WRITING THE SCC - Time is running out!

Submitting a comment to the State Corporation Commission (SCC) is a meaningful way to get involved. Below are five suggested sample letters for comments to the SCC. Please use these as a guideline but we suggest editing to make the message more personal to have the greatest impact upon the SCC hearing examiner. The SCC is the state agency responsible for deciding the route that Dominion Energy will build.

Things to know:
1) All household members can and should submit a comment including children.
2) Comments are not limited to Loudoun County residents.
3) You are allowed to submit a comment even if you spoke at a public hearing or plan to speak by phone in December.

Complete this step and encourage others to do the same. The decision in this case could be precedent setting for other Virginia transmission line projects. Make our voices heard!

Submit comments here: https://www.scc.virginia.gov/case-information/submit-public-comments/cases/-pur-2025-00056.html

Dear Commissioners,

I urge the Commission to reject all proposed overhead routes for the Golden to Mars 500 kV transmission project. There is widespread and unified opposition across our community to any overhead solution. Thousands of residents, multiple HOAs, and local businesses have voiced serious concerns about the lasting impacts on safety, property values, and quality of life.

Loudoun County officials have studied an underground route and found a feasibile plan, recognizing that this is the only approach compatible with the county’s dense, mixed-use development pattern. The SCC should allow this local process to continue and require Dominion to fully consider the County’s underground alternatives before approving any route.

Given that data centers are the primary driver of the need for this infrastructure, rate structures must be revised so that these large energy users—not residents—bear the cost of undergrounding.

Please stand with Loudoun County and its residents: reject overhead options and require a partially or fully underground solution that protects our community and reflects fairness.

Dear Commissioners,

I strongly oppose all overhead routes for the Golden to Mars 500 kV transmission project. The residential neighborhoods surrounding the Golden Substation were already established long before Dominion constructed or expanded the substation. This means the current situation—where massive overhead lines are proposed through densely populated areas—is a direct consequence of Dominion’s planning decisions, not community growth.

It is neither fair nor reasonable for Loudoun County residents to bear the negative impacts of visual blight, safety risks, and property devaluation caused by infrastructure sited without sufficient consideration of existing communities.

The appropriate solution is undergrounding, at least through residential and high-density areas, which is technically feasible and has precedent in other parts of the country. Additionally, the cost of undergrounding should be allocated to the primary drivers of demand, the data centers, rather than homeowners who had no role in creating this infrastructure need.

Please protect Ashburn residents from the consequences of poor planning and require Dominion to develop a partially or fully underground route that balances reliability with fairness, safety, and community integrity.

Dear Commissioners,
 
I am writing to strongly oppose all proposed overhead transmission routes for the Golden to Mars loop. Overhead lines of this scale are simply unacceptable in established communities. They would permanently disrupt neighborhood character, depress property values, and raise unresolved health and safety concerns for families forced to live directly beneath them.

The solution is not to force residents to absorb these impacts, but to treat this project as an investment in our community. Undergrounding transmission lines preserves property values, strengthens the local tax base, reduces long-term maintenance costs, and provides greater reliability by protecting critical infrastructure from storms and outages. While the upfront cost is higher, the long-term benefits are clear and lasting.
 
This is also an opportunity for Virginia and Dominion Energy to lead the way. Communities across the country are grappling with how to balance the need for energy infrastructure with the responsibility to protect neighborhoods. By requiring undergrounding here, the Commission can set a precedent that demonstrates innovation, foresight, and respect for residents who have invested in these communities.
 
Virginia has a chance to lead with a future-proof solution. I respectfully urge the Commission to reject all overhead alignments for the Golden to Mars loop and require undergrounding wherever transmission lines must pass near homes.
 
Thank you for your consideration.

Dear Commissioners,

I strongly oppose all proposed overhead routes for the Golden to Mars 500 kV project. Overhead transmission lines of this scale are completely incompatible with my community’s dense residential and commercial environment and would cause lasting harm to property values, safety, and quality of life.

The SCC has previously recognized that the costs of new infrastructure should be borne by those who create the need for it. In this case, the overwhelming demand driver is data-center growth, not local residents. Dominion’s rate structure must be updated so that data centers absorb the incremental cost of undergrounding instead of passing it to homeowners and small businesses.

Undergrounding, at least through developed residential areas, is both technically feasible and socially responsible. It is the only option that balances reliability, safety, and fairness to the community.

Please reject the overhead proposals and require a partially or fully underground route with equitable cost allocation.

Dear Commissioners,

As you evaluate Dominion’s proposed 500 kV Golden to Mars transmission project, I urge you to reject all overhead routes in residential neighborhoods and require an underground alternative, consistent with the factors the SCC is obligated to consider under Virginia law.

Virginia Code §56-46.1 requires the Commission to balance the need for reliable electric service with the environmental, economic, and social impacts of transmission construction. The proposed overhead lines through residential communities fail that balance. They would cause lasting harm to our neighborhoods, property values, viewsheds, and future land-use plans—while offering no meaningful advantage over an underground solution.

Furthermore, Loudoun County is actively conducting an underground feasibility study, demonstrating both local commitment and technical viability. The SCC should incorporate that data before any approval.

Finally, because data centers are the primary driver of this project’s need, Dominion’s rate structure should be revised so that these facilities—not residents—bear the cost of undergrounding.

An overhead 500 kV line through Ashburn would violate both the spirit and intent of the SCC’s public interest obligations. Please require a partially or fully underground route.

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