Clean Virginia

Clean Virginia

Formation	2018;7 years ago (2018)
Founder	Michael Bills
Website	www.cleanvirginia.org

Clean Virginia is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization founded in 2018, with an associated political action committee, Clean Virginia Fund. Based in Virginia, the organization focuses on advancing policies that promote fair regulation of electric utility monopolies and reforming campaign finance laws in the state. Clean Virginia engages in bipartisan political spending, regulatory intervention, legislative advocacy, and research to support these goals.

History

Clean Virginia was founded by Wall Street investor Michael Bills and Executive Director Brennan Gilmore in response to utility monopoly Dominion Energy’s influence in Virginia politics. Michael Bills is the sole funder of the organization.

Mission and Strategy

Clean Virginia’s mission is to support ethical governance and clean, affordable energy in Virginia. The organization offers alternative campaign funding to candidates who take a public and principled stance against accepting money from regulated utility monopolies, like Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company. The goal is to reduce the influence of monopoly utilities on state energy policy and promote legislative decision-making that prioritizes the public interest. ^[1]

Utility Oversight and Consumer Protection

Clean Virginia supports changes to Virginia’s regulatory framework to strengthen oversight of electric utilities such as Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power. The organization advocates for policies that:

• Prevent utilities from overcharging customers or passing on unnecessary infrastructure costs.
• Ensure fair electric rates and greater transparency in utility planning.
• Protect residential and small business customers from rate increases tied to large-scale industrial growth, including data centers.

Campaign Finance Reform

Clean Virginia supports banning political contributions from state-regulated utilities to the lawmakers who regulate them. It also promotes broader campaign finance reforms aimed at increasing transparency and reducing the influence of corporate and special interests in Virginia politics. In the 2025 Virginia legislative session, Clean Virginia advocated for legislation that would ban the private use of campaign funds, a practice that allowed candidates to spend money donated to their campaign on personal expenses, as long as it was reported. ^[2]

Regulatory Intervention

In addition to legislative advocacy, Clean Virginia participates in regulatory proceedings before the Virginia State Corporation Commission. In November 2023, Clean Virginia announced its opposition to Dominion Energy’s proposed gas plant in Chesterfield, Virginia, at the site of a shuttered coal facility. The organization argues that the gas plant poses unnecessary risks to surrounding communities and would lead to excessive rate increases for Dominion customers. ^[3]

Political Activity

Clean Virginia’s political activity began during the 2018 election cycle, providing contributions between $2,500 and $7,500 to legislators who took a principled stance against accepting money from regulated utility monopolies. This model continued into 2019, during which the organization contributed $254,616 to 78 bipartisan candidates, lawmakers, and local political committees. ^[4]

During the 2021 election cycle, Clean Virginia contributed $6,344,697 to 90 bipartisan candidates, lawmakers, and political committees. ^[5] In the 2023 election cycle, Clean Virginia contributed $10,406,888 to support 131 bipartisan candidates, lawmakers, and political committees. ^[6] State Senators Lashrecse Aird, Russet Perry, Stella Pekarsky, Aaron Rouse, and Jennifer Carroll Foy, as well as Delegates Michael Feggans and Nadarius Clark, each received more than $300,000 in campaign contributions. Of the 76 candidates Clean Virginia endorsed for the 2023 General Election, 55 won their seats.

In 2024, an off-year for Virginia state elections, Clean Virginia’s political spending was $1,345,088. Notably, over 10% of this was given to Republican candidates, the largest of any previous year, reflecting the growing alignment of Republican candidates for fair public utility regulation and campaign finance reform. ^[7]

For the 2025 election cycle, Clean Virginia endorsed 51 bipartisan candidates. ^[8]

References

1. "Anti-Dominion group claims customers pay too much for electricity". The Washington Post. 2018-12-17. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2025-07-30.
2. Square, Shirleen Guerra | The Center (2025-02-19). "Virginia sends bill banning personal use of campaign funds to governor". The Center Square. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
3. Kobbervig, Kendl (2023-11-17). "Chesterfield Residents Overwhelm Dominion Air Permit Briefing". Clean Virginia. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
4. "vpap.org". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
5. "vpap.org". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
6. "vpap.org". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
7. "vpap.org". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
8. Waters, Amy (2025-04-22). "Tackling High Bills and Special Interests: Clean Virginia Endorses 51 Candidates for House of Delegates". Clean Virginia. Retrieved 2025-07-30.