The SCC established the main case schedule.
Residents may testify by telephone on November 10, submit comments through November 23, and follow the formal evidentiary hearing on December 2.
Read the July 21 ruling
SCC Case PUR-2026-00050
Latest updates
Following hearing requests from residents, Albemarle County, PEC, and Historic Keswick Properties, the SCC has moved the case into a formal hearing schedule and directed that a separate Albemarle local hearing be held. The local hearing's date, location, and participation instructions are still pending. Meanwhile, residents may speak by telephone on November 10, submit written comments through November 23, and follow the main evidence hearing on December 2.
The SCC public-comment list does not yet show this case.
The SCC has authorized comments through November 23, but PUR-2026-00050 is not yet listed. Check the official list and do not submit under another case.
View comment instructionsSpeak by phone on November 10.
Registered public witnesses may address the SCC for up to five minutes.
View speaking instructions
What the upcoming dates mean
Sign up to speak. This is the deadline to register for the November 10 telephone session.
Residents speak by phone. Registered public witnesses may address the SCC for up to five minutes.
Written comments close. This is the last day to submit a public comment for the case record.
The main evidence hearing. Dominion, official case participants, and SCC Staff present and challenge technical and legal evidence before the Commission decides the project. This is not the public speaking session.
Separate Albemarle local hearing
Get hearing updates
The SCC has ordered a local opportunity for Albemarle residents to be heard. The date, location, and participation instructions are still pending.
Take action
What residents can do now
Open through November 23
Submit a public comment.
Written comments help build the public record on neighborhood impacts, project need, alternatives, targeted undergrounding, and other meaningful mitigation.
Online form not yet listed: The SCC has authorized comments through November 23, but PUR-2026-00050 is not currently shown on the general public-comment page. Check for the case number and do not choose another case. U.S. mail remains available.
Mailing option for public comments
Those unable, as a practical matter, to comment online may mail comments to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. Reference Case PUR-2026-00050.
Register by November 3
Speak by phone.
On November 10, the SCC will receive case-wide public-witness testimony by telephone beginning at 10:00 a.m. This is not the separate Albemarle local hearing. Each speaker will have five minutes.
Use the SCC's universal Public Witness Appearance Form and enter PUR-2026-00050 in the first field, or call (804) 371-9141, by November 3. The SCC's hearing schedule has not yet added this case, but the appearance form accepts the case number directly.
Project corridor
Charlottesville to Gordonsville
Filed with SCC
April 23, 2026
SCC case number
PUR-2026-00050
Dominion project website
Dominion project page
Dominion photo simulations
Compare existing and proposed views.
Use the slider to review Dominion's public before-and-after visualizations.
Existing
Proposed
Dominion simulation 1 of 5. Existing conditions vs proposed conditions, June 26, 2024, viewing south.
Dominion notes: "Photo simulations are for discussion purposes only. Final design is subject to change pending public, engineering, and regulatory review."
Existing structures
about 56 ft
Proposed structures
average 116 ft
Tallest proposed
up to 150 ft
Key dates
Project timeline
The SCC has established the main case schedule. These milestones show how the community reached this point and what happens next.
Still pending
Albemarle local-hearing date, location, and participation instructions
Completed milestones
How public participation and the local-hearing request developed- After hearing requests from the Historic Keswick Properties and PEC, the Commission found that case-wide public-witness and evidentiary hearings should be held.
- Albemarle County filed a formal request for a local hearing.
- Residents submitted individual hearing requests in the same SCC case, asking to be heard locally.
- The SCC heard argument on Keswick's request to pause the case during its separate easement lawsuit.
- The stay was denied, and the Hearing Examiner directed that a separate local hearing be scheduled.
- The SCC scheduled public-witness and evidentiary hearings and extended public comments.
Upcoming schedule
Key public dates are highlighted- Dominion deadline to mail new notice to affected property owners and publish local newspaper notice.
- Deadline to file as a formal respondent; organizations and government bodies must be represented by counsel.
- Respondent testimony and exhibits due.
- Deadline for residents to register as public witnesses.
- Case-wide telephone public-witness session at 10:00 a.m.
- Extended public-comment deadline.
- Main evidence hearing in the SCC courtroom in Richmond at 10:00 a.m.
- Dominion requested a final SCC order by this date.
- Possible construction start if Dominion's requested schedule holds.
- Dominion's desired completion and in-service target.
Do not miss the next ruling
Get Pantops Coalition updates by email.
We are now sending updates to this list. Join for confirmed hearing dates, public-witness reminders, comment deadlines, new SCC filings, and practical ways residents can help.
Join the update list
Add your contact information and choose how you would like to stay involved. You can also reach us at pantopscoalition@gmail.com.
Community stakes
What's at stake?
The visible towers are only one part of the issue. Residents need clear answers about local impacts, long-term exposure questions, route choices, project cost, and who benefits before permanent changes are approved.
Homes and viewsheds
Taller steel structures could change daily views, property enjoyment, neighborhood character, and the experience of living near the corridor.
Construction and clearing
Residents need clear answers about access, tree clearing, noise, restoration, construction timing, and how specific streets and homes will be affected.
Health and long-term exposure
Residents deserve project-specific answers about expected field levels, distance from homes and schools, and how lower-impact alternatives were evaluated.
Historic, scenic, and environmental resources
Pantops sits within a broader landscape of historic, scenic, conservation, and cultural resources. The SCC review should fully account for those impacts.
Costs and ratepayer fairness
Dominion states the conceptual project cost is about $97 million in 2025 dollars. Residents deserve to know who pays, who benefits, and what precedent this sets for future transmission upgrades.
Questions residents deserve answered
What should the public record explain?
Before the SCC decides this case, residents deserve plain-language answers about need, alternatives, cost, and whether avoidable impacts can be reduced.
Need and transparency
What is driving the need for this rebuild?
Alternatives and mitigation
Has Dominion evaluated targeted undergrounding or other mitigation in the most affected residential areas?
Costs and benefits
Who benefits, who pays, and who bears the impacts?
Community question
Why should neighborhoods absorb avoidable impacts without full public review?
Route map
Find your home, street, or commute on the route map.
Use Dominion's interactive route map to see how the proposed corridor relates to Fontana, Pantops, Route 20, Richmond Road, nearby neighborhoods, and surrounding areas.
The more residents understand where the route runs, the easier it is to document real local impacts and submit specific comments. If you sign into the GeoVoice portal, you can also see community comments along the corridor and submit your own map-based comment for Dominion's project team to review.
Virginia data center crisis
Virginia's grid is being reshaped by data-center demand.
This is not just a Pantops issue. Data-center growth is driving new transmission lines, substations, generation, and power corridors across Virginia. Residents deserve to know who benefits, who pays, and what lower-impact alternatives were seriously evaluated before permanent changes are approved.
Development pipeline
15.4 GW
Cushman & Wakefield says Virginia is a top established data-center market in the Americas, with 15.4 GW in development.
Source: Cushman & Wakefield Contracted power 51 GWPEC reports Dominion has agreed to supply 51 GW of contracted power to future data centers.
Source: Piedmont Environmental Council Requested power demand 70 GWVirginia Business reports data-center requests totaling about 70,000 MW of power, citing a Dominion SCC filing.
Source: Virginia Business
Write and be heard
Ask public officials to support affected residents.
Public officials can help press for transparency, meaningful local participation, careful review of alternatives, and mitigation for affected neighborhoods.
Supervisor Bea LaPisto-Kirtley
Rivanna District
Senator Creigh Deeds
District 11
Delegate Amy Laufer
District 55
Governor Abigail Spanberger
Commonwealth of Virginia
Resources
Official links and source materials
Start with the official case record, Dominion's project page, and Piedmont Environmental Council resources. The additional links provide useful background for residents who want to dig deeper.
Read the official documents that opened the case, established hearings, addressed the Keswick stay request, and set the current schedule.
See Dominion's project description, maps, simulations, schedule, and contact information.
Read PEC background, advocacy updates, and resources for affected communities.
The SCC public-comment list has not yet added PUR-2026-00050. Check the official list; the universal witness form is available now.
Track another major regional transmission proposal and see how that community is organizing.
Review plain-language background on electric and magnetic fields from power lines.
FAQ
Common questions
Quick answers to questions neighbors may have as they review the project and decide how to participate.
Are we against reliable power?
No. Pantops Coalition supports reliable power with responsible planning. The ask is for transparency, public input, and lower-impact alternatives before permanent impacts are imposed on homes, viewsheds, historic resources, and conservation areas.
Why should I care if I cannot see the line from my house?
This project is also about precedent, regional load growth, ratepayer fairness, public process, and how much infrastructure burden local communities should absorb without serious alternatives and mitigation.
What about health and EMF concerns?
Power-line health concerns usually focus on long-term exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields. Major public-health agencies have not found clear proof that power-line EMF causes cancer, but they do acknowledge unresolved questions, especially studies reporting an association between higher residential magnetic-field exposure and childhood leukemia. Residents deserve clear project-specific information about expected field levels, distance from homes, and how lower-impact alternatives were evaluated.
What is the SCC?
The Virginia State Corporation Commission regulates utilities in Virginia. Dominion's application is being reviewed in SCC Case PUR-2026-00050.
What happens now that hearing requests were filed?
The SCC has established a formal hearing schedule. Residents may testify by phone on November 10 after registering by November 3, and the evidentiary hearing will be held in Richmond on December 2. The July 17 ruling also directed that an Albemarle local hearing be scheduled, but a separate ruling must still provide its date, location, and participation instructions.
Can I still submit a public comment?
Yes. The July 21 ruling extended the deadline through November 23, 2026. The SCC's general electronic comment list does not yet show PUR-2026-00050. Check the official list and do not select another case. Comments may also be submitted by U.S. mail with the case number clearly referenced.
Are the November public-comment and telephone opportunities open to Pantops residents?
Yes. The July 21 ruling says that any person may register to testify as a public witness on November 10 and that any interested person may submit comments through November 23. These are case-wide opportunities, not Keswick-only proceedings. A resident may submit a written comment, provide telephone testimony, or do both.
Why are there several different hearings?
The November 10 telephonic hearing, the December 2 evidentiary hearing, and the forthcoming Albemarle local hearing are different stages of the same SCC case. The November hearing is for public-witness testimony. The December hearing is for Dominion, formal respondents, and SCC Staff to present evidence. The local hearing will provide a more convenient community setting once the SCC issues its scheduling ruling. The July 10 Keswick argument addressed only whether a separate Circuit Court easement lawsuit should pause the SCC case; it was not a public hearing on the project.
Should residents still mail requests for a hearing?
The original July 8 hearing-request period has passed, and the SCC has now directed a local hearing and scheduled a telephonic public-witness hearing. Residents should focus on submitting substantive public comments, registering to testify if they wish, joining coalition updates, and preparing specific information about local impacts and requested mitigation.
What are the main asks?
Hold an accessible and meaningful Albemarle local hearing, require property-specific visual analysis and serious review of lower-impact alternatives, provide transparency on load drivers and costs, and require mitigation for the most affected residential, scenic, historic, and conservation segments.