A billionaire energy developer has sent tens of thousands of dollars to Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine’s campaign in recent years as he aggressively pushes a massive offshore wind project.
Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Energy’s political action committee (PAC) has funneled $23,000 to Kaine for Virginia since 2011, with the latest, a $1,500 contribution, coming in February. In that same time period, Dominion Energy has given another $44,500 to Common Ground PAC, the leadership PAC affiliated with and chaired by Kaine.
Since 2021, Dominion Energy executives led by CEO Robert Blue and Senior Vice President William Murray have given $19,600 to Kaine’s campaign. At the same time, lobbyists hired by Dominion made payments totaling $3,000 to the campaign.
“Dominion Energy believes in full transparency of its political donations,” Dominion Energy spokesman Ryan Frazier told Fox News Digital in an email. “We give to a bipartisan mix of leaders at the state and federal level and have supported Senator Kaine since his run for lieutenant governor in 2001, after he was mayor of Dominion Energy’s home town.”
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Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks during a Senate hearing in 2021. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Dominion Energy continues to move forward with plans to develop Virginia’s first offshore wind farm. The project, known as Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) and located on the state’s southeast coast near Virginia Beach, consists of two operational pilot wind turbines and is on track to be fully built out in 2026 with 176-205 turbines on 112,800 acres.
Kaine has been a vocal supporter of the project, which would be the largest offshore wind development nationwide, urging federal regulators to speed up the permitting process and successfully win millions of dollars in funding to support projects.
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“We are proud that the first two wind turbines permitted and built in federal waters are off the coast of our Commonwealth, producing clean energy for Virginians,” Kaine and other Virginia lawmakers wrote in a March 2021 letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), demanding faster approval of CVOW.
“Unfortunately, we have heard from local stakeholders and constituents that the adjacent CVOW project is at risk of delays due to the backlog at BOEM,” the letter continues. “Please provide any additional information that will help us fully understand the challenges BOEM faces and how you plan to accelerate the Virginia Offshore Wind Project.”
Offshore wind turbines are shown in July 2022 near Block Island, RI (John Moore/Getty Images)
Less than four months after the letter was sent, BOEM released its notice of intent, initiating the agency’s environmental review of the process.
“I am thrilled to see this project underway as it is an exciting step toward a clean energy economy that creates good jobs in the Commonwealth,” Kaine said in a statement included in a Dominion Energy news release of July 2021. “I will continue to push for clean energy investments in Virginia to boost our economy and build a more sustainable future.”
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Then, in December 2021, Kaine announced that he and fellow Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner had secured $20 million in federal funding for improvements to the Portsmouth Marine Terminal, allowing it to serve as an area of support for the construction and development of CVOW. He said the grant would “go a long way toward establishing Virginia as a hub for offshore wind development.”
In the project’s latest development, BOEM released a draft environmental impact statement for the project that supports the company’s proposal and paves the way for final approval.
Dominion Energy headquarters in Richmond, Va., pictured in 2020. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
A spokesman for Kaine, however, said campaign contributions had no bearing on his decision-making or the projects he supports.
“Senator Kaine makes decisions based on his own research and conscience, based on his intensive listening to Virginians,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Since 2011, Senator Kaine has raised more than $40 million from more than 100,000 donors. Donations have no effect on his decisions.”
Additionally, in recent months, offshore wind development has faced further pushback over its potential negative impacts on marine wildlife such as endangered whales, commercial fishing, shipping and maritime communications. The Pentagon also warned that offshore wind projects could impede naval operations.
Sen. Tim Kaine has backed Dominion Energy’s offshore wind development after pulling thousands from the company’s political action committee. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Mark Harrington/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
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“Offshore wind enjoys bipartisan support in Virginia and at the federal level,” said Frazier, a spokesman for Dominion Energy. “Offshore wind legislation in Virginia passed overwhelmingly. The project is designed to address potential impacts to shipping lanes, commercial fishing activity, marine life and more.
“The company has engaged the US military and commercial fishermen since development of the project began,” he added. “And the federal permitting process considers all environmental impacts. The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project will create jobs and economic opportunity and clean energy for the Commonwealth of Virginia. It’s a win for everyone.”
Thomas Catenacci is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
