The Prince William Board of County Supervisors on Tuesday imposed a 90-day deferral for Dominion Energy’s controversial Vint Hill gas-insulated switching station in Nokesville.
The board approved delaying a decision on the special use permit by a 5-2 vote, with Gainesville District Supervisor George Stewart, a Democrat, and Woodbridge Supervisor Jeannie LaCroix, a Republican, dissenting. Coles Supervisor Yesli Vega, a Republican, was absent from the meeting.
Fellow Republican Brentsville Supervisor Tom Gordy, whose district includes the property, initiated the maneuver, citing an insufficient amount of information provided by Dominion representatives.
Located on just over 23 acres at 13405 Vint Hill Road, adjacent to the Braemar residential community in the Brentsville District, the proposal drew the ire of several supervisors for its use of sulfur hexafluoride gas, known as SF6.
As it stands, the project would add 500 kV equipment and 230 kV infrastructure to the premises, ultimately replacing an existing switching station with a new stormwater management pond to accompany the new gas-insulated technology.
Both Gordy and Stewart noted alternatives to SF6 already being implemented throughout the U.S. and in Europe, with Gordy citing NextEra and Hitachi as examples of fellow companies pursuing such efforts, and Stewart mentioning General Electric in New York and California.
Resident turnout was robust, Tuesday, with the harmful atmospheric effects of SF6 taking center stage during the meeting.
Multiple supervisors scolded Dominion’s representatives for the absence of the company’s gas experts at the session.
Following presentations from Dominion and the county, the board moved forward with the deferral until its Sept. 22 meeting.
Resident outcry
Upon exiting the meeting, residents expressed their dismay and their general preference for a denial.
The prevailing consensus among supervisors on the dais was that a denial could have opened up further possibilities and alternatives for Dominion, which may have affected other communities across the county.
Prior to the board meeting, Lisa Cullen, co-founder of the Save Braemar Coalition, advocated against prioritizing electrical grid infrastructure.
“We are united, organized, and completely exhausted by the out-of-control infrastructure built to serve corporate data centers,” Cullen said. “Tonight’s vote is not an ‘east versus west’ issue. This is about drawing a line in the sand for every single neighborhood in the county. Tonight, we say no to a multi-billion-dollar corporation that puts data centers above our quality of life.”
Elena Schlossberg, executive director of the Coalition to Protect Prince William County, read excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, emphasizing the need for consent of the governed and opposing what she called “digital industrialization.”
Meanwhile, Vida Carroll, co-leader of the Civic Association of Brentsville and Surrounding Areas, addressed the county’s Vint Hill Small Area Plan and lamented that the switching station project does not reflect the “rural, residential vibe” the county said it was seeking within the plan.
Mike Slayter, a Potomac District resident and spokesperson for the Four Seasons at Historic Virginia community in Dumfries – which is also under threat from data centers – added the citizens’ only weapon is the voting booth, deeming “polite requests” insufficient and calling data centers a “giant parasite.”
At the meeting’s conclusion, Chair Deshundra Jefferson apologized to residents assembled in board chambers, noting “the fear and anxiety of living in limbo” while highlighting the need for the county to conduct “due diligence” on projects throughout the county.
Braemar resident Le Trinh and daughter Audrey join in a protest against the Vint Hill gas-insulated substation on June 23, 2026, before the James J. McCoart Building in Woodbridge.
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