Spanberger Appoints Energy Policy Transition Team

By Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury

November 18, 2025

Energy policy will be a major focus for Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, as the state wrestles with growing demand, rising costs and questions about infrastructure needs. She is kicking off her transition into the governor’s mansion with three appointments to co-chair the energy policy team: Josephus Allmond, Will Cleveland and Angela Navarro.

Josephus Allmond is a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, where he has worked for five years. Allmond is currently part of the Commission Electric Utility Regulation and is on the Utility Planning subcommittee. There have been recent discussions about the methodology of Integrated Resource Plans, which utilities have to file with the State Corporation Commission.

Allmond has also represented the advocacy group Appalachian Voices in some rate cases, namely the proposed rate increase by Appalachian Power Company in 2024. He has weighed in on the Dominion Energy shared solar SCC case for the same group. He is a staunch opponent of gas plants such as the forthcoming Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center and the proposed gas plant in Fluvanna.

Will Cleveland is an energy and environmental lawyer through Lighthouse Policy & Law and was registered as a lobbyist for Google. He previously worked as a staff attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, and is a board member of the Virginia Conservation Network.

Cleveland also has been a member of the Clean Energy Advisory Board that worked on a pilot program to dole out loans for solar panels for low-income households, a program that has now gone defunct due to federal changes in funding. He has commented on energy efficiency and demand response playing major roles in achieving the goals of the Virginia Clean Economy Act.

Notably, Cleveland is involved in Dominion’s rate case that would create a new class for high load customers, such as data centers. His testimony for the case stated that Google isn’t opposed to a special rate class proposal, but a different plan created by a group of data center companies would be more “balanced” than Dominion’s. The SCC has not yet ruled on that case or determined if they would accept the data center companies’ plan.

Angela Navarro is no stranger to the executive branch of the commonwealth. She was a SCC commissioner for one year and managed the regulation of the state utilities. She also served as a deputy secretary of natural resources and commerce and trade under two separate democratic governors, Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam. Her focus in those roles was on the impacts of climate change, environmental protections and energy policy.

Like her co-chairs, Navarro also served as a staff attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center earlier in her career.

For the last two years she has been the president of Energy Align Advisors that gives guidance to energy and tech companies about state regulations and policies. Her deep knowledge of Virginia energy regulations will help Spanberger navigate any potential reforms.

These selections point towards serious regulatory reform concerning renewable energy projects. The state has seen some challenges when it comes to local boards of supervisors considering such projects, like solar farms and battery storage.

With the continued expansion of data centers and the energy infrastructure needed to power them, having past regulators and a member deeply involved with the data center industry sends a message that Spanberger is bringing industry to the table when it comes to potential changes.

Before she was elected Virginia’s first female governor, Spanberger signaled that she has fresh plans for the state’s energy landscape that start with an accounting of what works, what doesn’t and what needs tweaking.

“I think (we need) an evaluation of where we have had successes, but also, importantly in some places, where have technologies changed?
Battery storage technology has improved significantly and has a much greater utility than it even did five years ago,” Spanberger said in August. “And so I think, certainly with the same goals, (we should be) determining … where we should perhaps recalibrate or some places where we can look towards more aggressive forward leaning.”

She also laid out a comprehensive energy plan this summer.

With a dominant Democratic hold on the House, Senate, and executive branch of state government, it’s likely that bills to expand or assist the VCEA will be a priority. House Democrats have already filed bills for the January legislative session that focus on energy efficiency, especially in low-income households. The General Assembly will convene on Jan. 14.

This story was originally published by the Virginia Mercury. For more stories from the Virginia Mercury, visit VirginiaMercury.com.