Localities in coastal and southeastern Virginia are evaluating long‑term strategies to manage rising electricity costs, modernize infrastructure, and strengthen local economic resilience. One concept proposed by Bill Fleming, an Independent Democrat for Congress in the Second Congressional District, is the potential for regional county- or city‑owned utilities to operate locally owned wind‑energy generation assets. No other candidate in the August 4^th Primary election has provided any proposal as beneficial and achievable as this.

This approach supplements existing utilities such as Dominion Energy rather than replacing them. Existing utilities would essentially become a backup to locally produced electricity. Localities in Virginia's Second Congressional District, including Accomack, Northampton, Isle of Wight, Southampton, Suffolk, Franklin, Smithfield, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach, will be able to take advantage of this approach.

The idea is grounded in existing Virginia law, which allows counties and cities to establish, operate, and expand public utilities, including electric plants, under Code of Virginia § 15.2‑2109. Additional authority for utility departments and service authorities appears in § 15.2‑634 and related sections of Title 15.2. These statutes already support county‑run water, wastewater, and solid‑waste systems; applying the same framework to electricity generation is legally permissible.

Under this model, counties or cities could install and own wind turbines, sell electricity into the PJM regional transmission organization, and use the resulting revenue to stabilize local electricity costs or support public services. The approach mirrors existing public‑power systems in parts of the Midwest and West, where municipal and county utilities own renewable‑energy assets and return value to residents. Examples include Nebraska’s public‑power districts, municipal wind generation in Iowa, city‑owned utilities in Colorado, and county‑level Public Utility Districts in Washington State.

Population‑based electricity‑demand estimates suggest that many localities in Virginia’s Second Congressional District could offset a meaningful share of residential electricity use with a finite number of modern wind turbines. Depending on turbine size and capacity factor, smaller counties such as Northampton or Franklin could meet residential demand with only a handful of turbines, while larger cities such as Chesapeake or Virginia Beach would require more substantial installations. Turbine counts vary significantly by technology: a single 12‑ or 14‑megawatt turbine produces roughly four to five times the annual energy output of a 3‑megawatt onshore turbine.

Federal programs—including Department of Energy grants, Rural Utilities Service programs, and Inflation Reduction Act incentives—may reduce upfront capital costs for local governments that pursue renewable‑energy ownership. Any locality considering such a project would still need to complete PJM interconnection studies, conduct land‑use planning, and evaluate community impacts.

The concept of regional county‑owned utilities is one of several approaches being discussed as Virginia communities explore options for long‑term energy planning, cost stability, and local revenue generation. Other locally produced electricity from systems such as solar panels can also be incorporated into the county-owned or city-owned system, further improving resilience.

If elected to Congress, Bill Fleming will work collaboratively with others to secure federal funding for this program. The potential to lower electric bills for all citizens in a participating county is significant.