For Immediate Release
Monday, January 26, 2026
Richmond, VA — The Sierra Club Virginia Chapter today announced the launch of a six-figure statewide advertising campaign aimed at highlighting how clean energy can lower utility bills, strengthen energy reliability, and protect Virginia families from rising energy costs driven by fossil fuel dependence and unchecked utility spending.
The campaign will feature television,digital, radio, and targeted media placements across Virginia, with a particular focus on communities facing rising electricity bills and growing pressure from costly fossil fuel infrastructure and data center expansion. The ads emphasize a simple message: clean energy is not only better for the environment — it’s more affordable, faster to deploy, and better for ratepayers.
“Virginians are feeling the squeeze from higher electric bills, and they deserve clear pathways to control energy costs,” said Tim Cywinski, Communications Director for the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. “This campaign is about cutting through the noise and showing that clean energy like solar, wind, and storage, along with efficiency upgrades — can deliver an affordable path forward for families and businesses.”
The campaign comes as Virginia residents continue to see rising utility bills driven by new fossil fuel infrastructure, costly transmission projects, and energy projects built to to serve large data center customers rather than everyday families. Clean energy solutions such as solar, wind, battery storage, and energy efficiency programs are proving to be cheaper, faster to build, and more resilient.
What the Ad Campaign Highlights:
Controlling Energy Bills: Clean energy avoids the fuel costs and long-term financial risks of fossil fuel projects
Faster Deployment: Solar and storage can be built in months, unlike fossil fuel infrastructure which takes decades, helping meet demand without volatile pricing..
Grid Reliability: Distributed clean energy strengthens the grid and reduces reliance on costly centralized plants.
Consumer Protection: Clean energy investments reduce long-term ratepayer exposure to volatile fuel prices.
The ads also push back on misleading claims that fossil fuel expansion is necessary for reliability, pointing instead to data showing that renewable energy paired with storage can meet demand at a fraction of the cost.
“This is about affordability,,” said Connor Kish, Director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. “Clean energy saves money. Polluting energy costs more — and Virginians are the ones paying the price. We need to go big and build the energy system of the future.”
The campaign will run through the coming months as lawmakers and regulators continue to make key decisions about Virginia’s energy future.
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The Sierra Club Virginia Chapter is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization working for a Virginia where communities—not polluters—shape policy and decision-making. We connect people with nature and advocate at every level of government to ensure that clean air, safe water, and healthy neighborhoods are not negotiable—they’re guaranteed. We're committed to meeting big challenges with bold solutions, rejecting the politics of the status quo, and building a just, sustainable future together. For more information visit sierraclub.org/virginia.