Summer 2014 was an exciting and nostalgic season for the most powerful unelected man in Virginia.

In May of that year, Dominion Energy CEO Thomas F. Farrell II made his cinematic debut with Field of Lost Shoes, a Civil War drama following the victorious Confederate cadets at the Battle of New Market. He had co-written, produced and financed the film. In addition to being a lawyer and the boss of a $62 billion Richmond, Virginia-based utility that serves 6.7 million people in eight states, Farrell is a history buff who said he pulled many of the movies lines straight from diaries and speeches of the time. Historians, however, say he added one glaring fiction to his film: depicting the young, white Rebel heroes as would-be abolitionists, who were either apathetic about or opposed to slavery.

Historical criticism aside, Farrell was still riding high on that premiere when, in September, he arrived in a blue suit at the historic state capitol building in Richmond to accept then-Gov. Terry McAuliffes support for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a natural gas project that Farrell hoped would define his legacy as one of his generations great industrialists.

In the 19th century, we had railroads, the steam engine and the beginning of steel manufacturing. In the 20th century, we had the automobile assembly line, the internet and from my perspective, the most important of all the electric grid, Farrell told reporters at the press conference, held on the hottest day in Richmond that year. In the 21st century, the expansion of our natural gas pipeline network looks to be one of those key infrastructure developments.

Six years later, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project has been torpedoed by a mix of changing economics, accusations of environmental racism and climate recklessness. The collapse of the pipeline coincides with a national movement against anti-Black racism that has had particular resonance in Virginia, once home to the capital of the Confederacy. Critics of the racial impact of Dominions actions under Farrells leadership hope that, together with the financial loss from the pipeline project, the current political ferment could finally end his 14-year reign.

Under Farrell, Dominion has become a national symbol of how political corruption and monopoly power can undercut efforts to reduce the countrys dependence on fossil fuels. That worked for Farrell so long as Dominions cash could buy it the acquiescence of state legislatures. But now Virginia and many other states are looking to transition to 100% carbon-free electricity, and Dominions shareholders are in revolt. In May, nearly 47% of those shareholders voted in favor of a proposal to require an independent board chair, which would have given Farrell who currently serves as both chairman and chief executive a boss. In early July, Dominions stock price plunged more than 11% after the company and its partner, North Carolina-based Duke Energy, announced the Atlantic Coast Pipelines cancellation. The stock price has yet to fully recover, even as the market rebounds.

Virginia progressives, who cheered the toppling of four Confederate monuments in Richmond in recent weeks, hope Farrell could be the next storied edifice to fall.

Clearly theres a need for new leadership and new direction, said state Del. Sam Rasoul, a Democratic legislator from Roanoke. Dominion has consistently operated counter to the interests of Virginians and when you have a CEO who championed a film that essentially glorifies the Confederacy, with all that is going on, its clear that theres a new mindset needed.

Dominion declined to comment on the record, but internal messages show the company worried this story aimed to tar Farrell as part of a coordinated effort to damage the firm. In an on-background phone call, a spokesman pointed to the companys recent commitments to donate $25 million to historically Black colleges and universities in Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina and to fund $10 million in scholarships for minority students. The spokesman also highlighted a corporate pledge in June to direct $5 million to social justice and community rebuilding efforts.

At Dominion Energy, we have a saying that Actions Speak Louder. We share the anger of our communities at the unjustified deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, Farrell said in a press release announcing the latter commitment. Our communities are grieving. Words can evoke empathy, compassion and understanding, but actions truly speak louder. So, we are investing in recovery and reconciliation, and in the vital work of overcoming years of debilitating actions, attitudes and abuses of authority that have traumatized our country.

The company denied a request to interview Farrell.

A Tale Of Two Compressor Stations

Opposition from environmental justice groups contributed to the demise of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The proposal would have sent the pipeline through Buckingham County, a rural, mountainous area roughly 90 minutes west of Richmond. Dominion also planned to erect a compressor station in Union Hill, a historically Black community in central Virginia that freed slaves founded in the 1800s before the Civil War.