Right now, the only way to weigh in on the NextEra-Dominion merger is to submit your phone number to the State Corporation Commission, sign up for one of three windows in November, and wait for a call without knowing when it will come. The Commission’s own instructions warn witnesses to “be prepared to stay as long as it takes” because the calling order can change.

That’s not meaningful access. It’s asking people to clear an afternoon or evening for a chance to speak. A field hearing gives people a specific time and place in their community that they can actually plan for.

NextEra wants to buy Dominion Energy for $67 billion, the largest utility merger in U.S. history. The SCC has held in-person hearings in other cases over the past year. Three state senators and five delegates representing Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and the Fredericksburg region have already asked the SCC to provide that same kind of access in this case.

A $67 billion merger that would reshape who owns and operates the grid serving Dominion customers across Virginia deserves at least the level of public access the Commission has already made room for elsewhere.

This isn’t about whether the merger should be approved. It’s about ensuring a fair process with adequate public engagement, so Virginians have a real opportunity to be heard before a decision is made.