Virginia lawmakers pressed Dominion Energy leadership in Richmond this week over a $67 billion all-stock merger with NextEra that could move management of half of Virginia’s energy outside the commonwealth. If completed, the deal would be the largest public utility merger in Virginia history and would put a Florida-based company in charge of decisions that now sit in Richmond.

The hearing drew sharp questions because the companies plan to file merger documents with the state corporation commission in the third quarter of this year, a filing that could open a regulatory review within 180 days. That makes the debate immediate, not theoretical: lawmakers are weighing what the deal could mean for ratepayers, compliance with state law and who would actually be calling the shots if the merger survives review.

Dominion Energy Virginia President Ed Baine told legislators the company would offer Virginia ratepayers a $10-a-month rebate for two years and said the transaction combines two growing companies. He argued the deal would not sever Dominion’s ties to the state, telling lawmakers, “Yes, and I’ll still be here,” and, “I’ll still be your throat to choke.”

Baine also said NextEra has committed to renewable energy and has recently found success with battery storage. When Democratic Delegate Rip Sullivan asked whether Dominion still intended to comply with the Virginia Clean Economy Act, the 2020 law meant to reduce the commonwealth’s reliance on fossil fuels, Baine said the merger would not change that obligation. “That’s not the case here,” he said, signaling that Dominion sees no conflict between the transaction and the state’s clean-energy targets.

But the assurance did not satisfy everyone in the room. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell questioned whether the merger would leave a fully staffed headquarters in Richmond, and energy lawyer Scott Hempling pushed harder on the issue of power. “Understand what is being transferred is control,” Hempling said, adding that all decisions ultimately would be controlled by the owners and that the owner would be NextEra. He said claims that executives would always be in Virginia were not enforceable and that the real decisions would depend on Florida.

That is the central fault line in the merger fight. Dominion says Virginia commitments will stay intact. Critics say the paperwork may preserve promises while shifting authority elsewhere, leaving regulators to decide whether those assurances are enough. SCC representatives said they would get the final say, and the next real test comes when the companies file in the third quarter, starting the clock on a review that could decide whether the deal moves forward at all.