The following press release is from the Stella Pekarsky for VA Senate campaign. For more background on the group she’s talking about, “Power for Tomorrow,” see What’s With the Scary Ads About Threats To Your Power Service?, in which Ivy Main explains:
“According to the nonprofit Energy and Policy Institute, Power for Tomorrow is a utility front group that is ‘Virginia-based and Dominion Energy-connected.’ Power for Tomorrow ‘opposes efforts to introduce greater competition to monopoly utilities and provides a platform for former regulators to advocate for utility interests.’ Its directors and experts are mostly lawyers and lobbyists who represent utility interests. Its website claims the Texas power outage ‘catalyzed the launch’ of the group, but Energy and Policy Institute notes that the website first launched in 2019, and only re-launched this year following the Texas debacle.”
So yeah, a “utility front group” that “opposes efforts to introduce greater competition to monopoly utilities and provides a platform for former regulators to advocate for utility interests” is working to help reelect incumbent VA Sen. George Barker. Is that everything wrong with the slimy “Virginia Way” or what?!? On (or before) June 20, if you’re a Democratic voter in SD36 (Centreville, Chantilly, etc.), make sure you vote for Stella Pekarsky instead (see the Blue Virginia endorsement for numerous reasons why)!
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Dominion Energy Uses Ratepayer Money to Send Sen. Barker Kickbacks with Non-Union Printer
In Virginia’s 36th Senate District, Dominion Energy-funded group Power for Tomorrow sent mailers and digital ads to voters supporting Sen. George Barker. Dominion is using dollars from ratepayers’ own wallets while misleadingly claiming to lower their power bills. After Dominion earned billions in excess profits straight from the power bills of working families, they have chosen to use ratepayer money to buy ads as kickbacks for their political accomplices like Sen. Barker instead of returning the money to Virginians.
Far from “delivering energy savings for Virginia,” Sen. Barker and Dominion have continued to force Virginians to pay some of the nation’s highest energy bills.
In addition, Power for Tomorrow used a non-union printer to send the mailings. This failure to use a union printer disrespects Dominion’s own union workers and the many building trades who do business with Dominion. It’s the latest example of Barker’s attack on workers’ rights, after he sponsored a bill to roll back overtime protections and voted against paid sick leave during a pandemic.
In response, Stella Pekarsky (D-Centreville) issued the following statement:
“I am running for State Senate to lower energy costs and stand up for working families in my community. I’ll never take kickbacks from publicly-regulated corporations like Dominion because I am running to serve the public interest, not create conflicts of interest. As a member of a union household, I’ll always stand strong for labor rights. It’s time to elect officials who care about local families, not corporate special interests.”
Stella Pekarsky is a mother of six, former teacher, first-generation immigrant, and small business owner. She has served on the Fairfax County School Board following her election in 2019 and is running as a Democrat to represent Virginia’s newly-drawn 36th State Senate District. To learn more about Stella, visit stellapekarsky.com.
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