Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s Aug. 7 Friday Opinion commentary, “Why I’m intervening in the Dominion-NextEra merger,” which outlined her questions about the deal, reinforced my belief that this union is the right path for Virginia. The questions Spanberger raised about affordability, jobs and investment in the state’s energy future are at the heart of the commitments that Dominion has made to Virginians.
First, for our customers, the benefits are clear. If approved, NextEra Energy shareholders will fund $1.78 billion in bill credits for Dominion/NextEra customers in Virginia, providing them with immediate value. Long term, the company will be better positioned to finance and build the energy infrastructure Virginia needs, helping keep costs as low as possible while preserving the State Corporation Commission’s authority over rates.
Second, Dominion/NextEra will provide job protection for every single Virginia employee, including preserving compensation and benefits, maintaining its Richmond headquarters and increasing its support for local nonprofits. Virginia is a great place to live and do business, and we will remain a vital part of the commonwealth’s economy and communities.
And when it comes to Virginia’s future, we are growing to meet unprecedented demand for energy. Dominion/NextEra will continue investing in clean, reliable energy in Virginia and will do so more efficiently and affordably.
As a lifelong Virginian, I look forward to making these points to the State Corporation Commission and to the parties in the case, the governor included. I am confident that when the facts are fully considered, the merger will be recognized as a significant opportunity for Virginia’s customers, workforce and economy.
Robert M. Blue, Richmond
The writer is the chief executive and president of Dominion Energy.
Screens do have a place in the classroom
Sarah Schneider Kavanagh and Katie A. Danielson’s concerns in their Aug. 4 op-ed, “What elementary schools are slowly learning about screens,” should be taken seriously.
The best elementary classrooms aren’t quiet rooms full of children staring at screens. They’re noisy places where students wrestle with challenging ideas, engage in rich discussions and rigorous content, and learn alongside peers and skilled teachers who know when to guide and support them. Technology should never replace those interactions.
However, when technology is used well, it can help make more of those moments possible.
Education technology didn’t become widespread just because schools chased novelty. The post-pandemic period made it urgent to identify which students were falling behind before learning gaps widened. What’s kept these tools in classrooms since comes down to four things: consistency in understanding where students are performing; evidence, with tools designed and refined through research; access for students furthest from opportunity; and efficiency, because timely diagnostic insights help teachers maximize limited time to better target small-group instruction and personal interactions.
Those benefits depend on thoughtful implementation, teacher training and careful oversight of how classroom technology is used.
Some schools have leaned too heavily on screens, and course-correcting is entirely appropriate. But the answer isn’t to dismiss technology without asking what replaces it or who stands to lose the most. The focus should be whether classroom technology keeps teachers in charge, is used intentionally and helps students who need extra support to catch up.
Mary C. Wall, Washington
The writer is vice president at Curriculum Associates, and is a former deputy assistant secretary at the Education Department.
The price of AI-proofing the classroom
Santiago Schnell’s Aug. 9 online op-ed, “Universities are fighting AI cheating. But there’s a deeper problem.,” correctly stated that a “degree should distinguish what students can do independently from what they can accomplish with AI.” His solutions are the right ones: oral exams, supervised drafts, reasoning defended aloud. But all of these answers have the same issue: Each replaces a submission with an observation.
That observation is labor. A faculty member must sit across from the student for an oral exam or read their drafts, outlines and revisions, or listen to explanations of their solutions. In much of higher education, including online programs, the faculty member is an adjunct paid a flat fee per course, usually teaching at several institutions at once. I have taught college writing for over 40 years, 19 of them online, and I can verify that the assessments Schnell proposed take many times longer to grade than an essay written and submitted online.
Colleges that want to observe capability must pay more for observers. The cost is more paperwork without more focused attention.
Roger Ochse, Tucson
Smoke goes both ways
Regarding the Aug. 6 online Early Brief, “U.S.-Canada relations go up in smoke”:
President Donald Trump’s complaints about Canadian wildfire smoke overlook a rather obvious point: Smoke moves in both directions.
The Canadian FireSmoke forecast map shows smoke from U.S. wildfires moving into Canada as well as Canadian smoke moving south into the United States. The atmosphere does not recognize the international border.
If Canada is to be held financially responsible whenever Canadian wildfire smoke crosses into the U.S., presumably the same principle would require the United States to compensate Canada when smoke moves north.
There is a serious discussion to be had about forest management and wildfire mitigation on both sides of the border. Treating transborder wildfire smoke as though it were something one country is doing to another is not a serious way to have it.
John Nieuwenburg, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
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