Dominion Energy
What do our scores mean?
The organizational score represents the degree to which the organization influencing climate policy and legislation. Corporations also have relationship scores reflecting their links with influencers like trade associations. Both are combined to place the corporation in a performance band. Full details can be found here.
Engagement Intensity
The engagement intensity (EI) is a metric of the extent to which the company is engaging on climate change policy matters, whether positively or negatively. It is a number from 0 (no engagement at all) to 100 (full engagement on all queries/data points). Clearly energy companies are more affected by climate regulations and will have a higher EI than, for example retailers. So an organization’s score should be looked at in conjunction with this metric to gauge the amount of evidence we are using in each case as a basis for scoring. On our scale, an EI of more than 35 indicates a relatively large amount of climate policy engagement.
Relationship Score, December 2020
A new batch of industry associations has been uploaded onto the InfluenceMap system and the relationship scores recalculated accordingly.
Updated terminology, February 2021
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
- Details of Organization Score
-
What do the 0,1,2 and NSs, NAs mean?
Each cell in the organization's matrix presents a chance for us to assess each data source against our column of climate change policy queries. We score from -2 to 2, with negative scores representing evidence of obstructive influence. "NA" means "not applicable" and "NS" means "not scored" - that is we did not find any evidence either way. In both cases, the cell's weighting is re-distributed over others. Red and blue cells represent highly interesting negative or positive influence respectively. Full details can be found here.
- Details of Relationship Score
-
What is the Relationship Score
A corporation, as well as its organizational score will have a relationship score. It is computed by aggregating the organizational scores of the Influencers (trade bodies etc.) it has relationships with, weighted by both the strength of these relationships and the relative importance of the Influencers towards climate change policy. Full details can be found here.
|
QUERIES
|
DATA SOURCES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Main Web Site
The main organizational Web site of the company and its direct links to major affiliates and attached documents. |
Social Media
We search other media and sites funded or controlled by the organization, such as social media (Twitter, Facebook) and direct advertising campaigns of the organization. |
CDP Responses
We assess and score responses to two questions from CDP's climate change information request (12.3 a & 12.3c) related to political influence questions (currently these are not numerically scored by the CDP process). |
Legislative Consultations
Comments from the entity being scored on governmental regulatory consultation processes, including those obtained by InfluenceMap through Freedom of Information requests. |
Media Reports
Here we search in a consistent manner (the organization name and relevant query search terms) a set of web sites of representing reputable news or data aggregations. Supported by targeted searches of proprietary databases. |
CEO Messaging
Here we search in a consistent manner (the CEO/Chairman, organization name and relevant query search terms) a set of web sites of representing reputable news or data aggregations. Supported by targeted searches of proprietary databases. |
Financial Disclosures
We search 10-K and 20-F SEC filings where available, and non US equivalents where not. . |
|
|
Communication of Climate Science
Is the organization transparent and clear about its position on climate change science? |
0
|
NS | NS | NS |
-1
|
NS | NS |
|
Alignment with IPCC on Climate Action
Is the organization supporting the science-based response to climate change as set out by the IPCC? (the IPCC) |
NS |
1
|
NA | NS | NS |
1
|
0
|
|
Supporting the Need for Regulations
To what extent does the organization express the need for regulatory intervention to resolve the climate crisis? |
1
|
NS | NS |
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
Support of UN Climate Process
Is the organization supporting the UN FCCC process on climate change? |
NS | NS | NS | NS | NS |
1
|
NS |
|
Transparency on Legislation
Is the organisation transparent about its positions on climate change legislation/policy and its activities to influence it? |
0
|
NA |
2
|
NA | NA | NA | NS |
|
Carbon Tax
Is the organisation supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: carbon tax. |
NS | NS |
1
|
NS |
0
|
0
|
NS |
|
Emissions Trading
Is the organisation supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: emissions trading. |
NS | NS |
-1
|
1
|
-1
|
-1
|
NS |
|
Energy and Resource Efficiency
Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: energy efficiency policy, standards, and targets |
NS | NS |
1
|
-1
|
NS | NS | NS |
|
Renewable Energy
Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: Renewable energy legislation, targets, subsidies, and other policy |
0
|
NS |
1
|
0
|
-1
|
NS |
1
|
|
Energy Transition & Zero Carbon Technologies
Is the organization supporting an IPCC-aligned transition of the economy away from carbon-emitting technologies, including supporting relevant policy and legislative measures to enable this transition? |
0
|
1
|
2
|
-1
|
-1
|
-1
|
NS |
|
GHG Emission Regulation
Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: GHG emission standards and targets. Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: Standards, targets, and other regulatory measures directly targeting Greenhouse Gas emissions |
0
|
0
|
1
|
-1
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
|
Disclosure on Relationships
Is the organization transparent about its involvement with industry associations that are influencing climate policy, including the extent to which it is aligned with these groups on climate? |
0
|
NS |
-1
|
NA | NA | NA | NS |
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Diane Leopold, executive vice president and co-chief operating officer of Dominion Energy previously served as the Chair of the American Gas Association (AGA) Board of Directors and currently is still an officer of the board.
Diana Leopold, executive vice president and co-chief operating officer
Open PDF file of Data Source
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Diane Leopold, executive vice president and co-chief operating officer of Dominion Energy previously served as the Chair of the American Gas Association (AGA) Board of Directors and currently is still an officer of the board.
Diana Leopold, executive vice president and co-chief operating officer
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Dominion Executive Chairman Thomas Farrell serves on the board of directors of the EEI. Dominion is a regular member with lobbying payments
Thomas Farrell
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Dominion Executive Chairman Thomas Farrell serves on the board of directors of the EEI. Dominion is a regular member with lobbying payments
Thomas Farrell
How to Read our Relationship Score Map
In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.
Climate Lobbying Overview: Dominion Energy is lobbying on US climate policy with mostly negative policy positions. So far in 2021, Dominion has not stated a strong position on climate change and in 2019 emphasized technological limitations and economic challenges in the IPCC-demanded response to the crisis.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Dominion Energy demonstrates limited top-line messaging on climate change. In 2018, Dominion’s Executive Chairman and former CEO Thomas Farrell appeared to support the Paris Climate Agreement. Farrell also stated some support for a potential price on carbon in 2019. While in 2019 Farrell appeared to support economy-wide emissions reduction measures, he also appears to have questioned the technological and economic feasibility of IPCC-consistent emissions reductions. However, the company appeared to support a net-zero future in a 2020 tweet
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: In 2019, Dominion Energy joined the CEO Climate Dialogue, a coalition advocating for a price on carbon, though the company did not express explicit support for a carbon tax. Dominion disclosed an undecided position on a carbon tax in its 2018 CDP questionnaire, stating it “remains engaged with other utilities that have supported creation of a federal economy-wide greenhouse gas reduction program in the past.” In 2019, Dominion criticized the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multi-state emissions trading scheme, and opposed Virginia’s move to join RGGI after the state lowered its starting cap on emissions. While Dominion commended Virginia’s 2018 Grid Transformation and Security Act, a policy aiming to bolster solar power and energy efficiency, the utility shows otherwise mixed positions on renewable energy, with stated support for solar energy legislation in its CDP response, while in 2018 challenging a Virginia ruling that could push further adoption of renewable energy by utilities. The utility supported the Clean Economy Act in Virginia in 2020, although this was reportedly less ambitious than alternative plans proposed in the state. On the other hand, Dominion reiterated its support for US federal methane regulation in 2019.
Positioning on Energy Transition: In 2020, Dominion generally communicated support for a permanent role for natural gas in the energy mix, as evident in a comment during a press interview. In 2019, Dominion CEO Thomas Farrell stated support for a long-term role for natural gas in the energy mix. A 2020 press release supports 'fuel diversity', suggesting a long-term role for natural gas in the energy mix and an unspecified role for renewables. Dominion appeared to oppose measures related to electrification of buildings in Ohio in 2020 in an apparent effort to safeguard the role of natural gas. The company stated support for transportation electrification in Virginia in 2020, while Dominion simultaneously supported federal EV policies in Congress. In 2020, a Dominion lobbyist introduced the idea for legislation in West Virginia that would criminalize environmental protests against fossil fuel infrastructure. The bill is modelled after the Critical Infrastructure Act drafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Industry Association Governance: Dominion has disclosed a list of trade associations which it is a member of, but has not made clear the climate positions of the groups or the role that Dominion plays in the organizations. It is unclear if Dominion remains a member of ALEC following public pressure to withdraw from the organization. However, Dominion is a member of a number of US trade associations actively opposing US Climate Policy, including the US Chamber of Commerce and the Consumer Energy Alliance. Dominion is also a member of the Edison Electric Institute, where its Executive Chairman and CEO Thomas Farrell sits on the Board of Directors.