Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi praised a recommendation by staff of the Virginia State Corporation Commission that regulators deny Florida-based NextEra Energy’s proposed $67 billion takeover of Dominion Energy and voiced support for Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s challenge to the deal.

SCC staff on Monday recommended that the commission reject the acquisition, citing concerns about financial risk and what it called insufficient protections for Virginia ratepayers.

“SCC staff’s recommendation underscores the serious questions I and others have raised about the risks this transaction poses to reliable service and affordable rates,” Hashmi said in a statement. “Virginians deserve meaningful protections and accountability, not a deal that puts corporate interests ahead of the people we serve.”

Hashmi also thanked Spanberger, who intervened in the case and has asked state regulators to reject the merger unless strict conditions are met.

Hashmi said she heard directly from hundreds of Virginians who opposed the takeover during her statewide Energy Costs Listening Tour. She said they objected because the deal offered no real protections for ratepayers.

“We now await the decision of the Commissioners,” Hashmi said. She repeated the conclusion of a report she released after the tour: “The proposal in front of the Commission fails to protect Virginians and should not be approved.”

The staff recommendation is not binding. The three-member commission will make the final decision.

The deal is an all-stock transaction. Dominion shareholders would receive 0.8138 shares of NextEra for each Dominion share, and NextEra shareholders would own about 74.5% of the combined company. The companies filed their joint petition with the SCC on July 15 under Virginia’s Utility Transfers Act. Under the proposal, Dominion Energy Virginia would remain a separately incorporated utility with its existing name, service territory, and regulatory framework