utilities | FFXnow

Gov. Spanberger signs energy, contraception bills from Fairfax County legislators

Published April 9, 2026 at 11:45AM

Abigail Spanberger speaks at a campaign event in Annandale (staff photo by Jared Serre)

As the deadline for her to act on 2026 General Assembly legislation approaches, Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) signed additional bills yesterday (Wednesday) on health care, housing and energy, including a few championed by Fairfax County lawmakers.

The governor has approved hundreds of bills since the General Assembly session ended on March 14. The latest round of bills includes a codified right to contraception, limits on prior authorizations on prescription drugs from insurance plans, stricter emissions standards for data centers, tools to incentivize and preserve affordable housing, and a longer mandatory waiting period before landlords pursue evictions.

News

Residents at one Reston condo complex might not have AC this summer

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 6, 2026 at 1:45PM

Vehicles parked at the Vantage Hill Condominiums in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Residents of the Vantage Hill Condominiums in Reston might not have access to air-conditioning this summer after the central cooling system that served the neighborhood shut down last year.

Abaris Real Estate Management, which manages the 152-unit complex, informed residents last Tuesday (March 31) that individual AC units are still prohibited for now because the property currently doesn’t have the electrical capacity to support them.

News

Crews were repairing natural gas leak when Centreville home exploded, report confirms

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 17, 2026 at 9:15AM

Aerial view of the site of the Feb. 15 natural gas explosion in Centreville (provided by Fairfax County Fire and Rescue to the NTSB)

The natural gas explosion that destroyed a house in Centreville last month and forced dozens of others to be evacuated occurred hours after Washington Gas identified a critical leak in the neighborhood, an initial investigatory report says.

A service technician from the utility, which has multiple gas lines in the area, found a “grade 1” leak outside a home on Belle Plains Drive around 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 15 after the resident reported a “gas odor” about two hours earlier, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

News

New agreement aims to protect both trees and power lines along W&OD Trail

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 3, 2026 at 10:05AM

A sign posted in October 2025 tells Washington & Old Dominion Trail users that Dominion Energy will replant a cleared area with native trees and shrubs as invasive species encroach (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

After months of negotiations and pressure from both elected officials and community members, Dominion Energy and NOVA Parks have settled on a new path forward for managing trees near power lines along the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad Regional Park.

Dominion and the regional park authority, which owns and manages the 45-mile-long W&OD Trail, have reached an agreement governing vegetation management activities that, among other provisions, requires the utility to provide advanced notice of any major maintenance work and to plant native species in affected areas when possible.

News

Facility upgrade aims to contain stink affecting Braddock Road communities

By Scott McCaffrey

Published January 30, 2026 at 8:30AM

Existing Lincoln Lewis Vannoy Odor Control Facility (via Fairfax County Capital Facilities)

The Fairfax County Planning Commission has approved plans to modernize a facility used to reduce the amount of smelly — in some cases potentially lethal — hydrogen sulfide in neighborhoods near Braddock Road in the southwestern part of the county.

The unanimous vote on Wednesday (Jan. 28) paves the way for the 35-year-old Lincoln Lewis Vannoy Odor Control Facility to be replaced with more updated technology to limit unwanted smells emanating from pressure sewers in the vicinity.

News

Dominion Energy sues Trump administration for halting wind projects

By Associated Press

Published December 26, 2025 at 2:45PM

Wind turbine bases, generators and blades are positioned along with support ships at The Portsmouth Marine terminal at the staging area for Dominion Energy's wind turbine project Monday Dec. 22, 2025, in Portsmouth, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The developers of a Virginia offshore wind project are asking a federal judge to block a Trump administration order that halted construction of their project, along with four others, over national security concerns.

Dominion Energy Virginia said in its lawsuit filed late Tuesday (Dec. 23) that the government’s order is “arbitrary and capricious” and unconstitutional. The Richmond-based company is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, a project it says is essential to meet dramatically growing energy needs driven by dozens of new data centers.

News

Virginia offshore wind project among those halted by Trump administration

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press

Published December 22, 2025 at 3:45PM

Wind Turbine Installation Vessel Charybdis works to install generators for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project near Hampton Roads (via Dominion Energy)

The Trump administration on Monday suspended leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects under construction along the East Coast due to what it said were national security risks identified by the Pentagon.

Among the affected projects is Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which has been under construction about 27 miles off of the Virginia Beach coast since 2023.

Countywide

Fairfax County solidifies new rules for electrical substations as energy demand grows

By Nolan Stout

Published December 15, 2025 at 1:45PM

An electrical substation in Idylwood (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County is requiring future electrical substations to be built at least 100 feet away from residential property lines.

At its meeting last week (Dec. 9), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a zoning ordinance amendment governing substations.

News

Fairfax Water looks to replace Seven Corners water tank with bigger model

By Caitlyn Meisner

Published December 15, 2025 at 9:15AM

Existing water tank on the Seven Corners Apartments property (via Google Maps)

Fairfax Water has applied to replace an existing water tank in the Seven Corners Apartment complex (6122 Willston Drive).

The application, submitted on Nov. 24, requests that the county grant Fairfax Water the ability to replace a 75-year-old, 200,000-gallon water tank with a 1-million-gallon tank.

News

Reston Association moves to end enforcement of Lake Anne AC unit ban

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 17, 2025 at 9:15AM

A woman sits on the boardwalk facing homes along Lake Anne in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

After more than a month of uncertainty, Lake Anne residents received clarity last week on their options for cooling their homes next summer.

The Reston Association (RA) Board of Directors signaled at its meeting last Thursday (Nov. 13) that it will declare the longstanding ban on individual air-conditioning units in the Reston Deed no longer in effect, starting in mid-December.