Electric Utility Line Workers Day

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

Electric Utility Line Workers Day

WHEREAS, Virginia's electric utilities have a long history of providing service to the Commonwealth and their customers since the early days of electrification in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, investor-owned utilities, which first appeared in Virginia as early as 1888 and began providing electricity to the Commonwealth in 1909, have served their ratepayers by delivering electric services to Virginia consumers; and

WHEREAS, beginning in the 1930s, the provision of electricity began to make its way into the farms, homes, towns, and villages of rural America and the Commonwealth due in part to the creation of Rural Electric Cooperatives, which are electricity providers owned by those they serve, to whom they provide safe, reliable, and affordable power; and

WHEREAS, municipal utilities also play an important role in electrifying the Commonwealth, providing local electric service to the citizens of numerous Virginia cities and towns; and

WHEREAS, Virginia's electric utilities employ a special class of employees-electric line workers-dedicated to building and maintaining the distribution and transmission lines that bring electricity to customers' homes and businesses, constantly devoting themselves to their duty; and

WHEREAS, electric utility line workers consistently and courageously serve all Virginians by providing safe, reliable, and affordable electricity, including installing and maintaining electric service, repairing storm damage, pursuing ongoing training and education, and upholding high standards of safety and professionalism, often placing themselves in harm's way to restore power after outages caused by severe weather and natural disasters and working diligently to keep the lights on; and

WHEREAS, on this occasion of the Gaff-n-Go Rodeo hosted by the Virginia, Maryland and Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives, the line workers of Virginia's electric utilities and their example of service above self are especially deserving of the respect, admiration, and appreciation of all the citizens of the Commonwealth;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Abigail D. Spanberger, do hereby recognize May 16, 2026, as ELECTRIC UTILITY LINE WORKERS DAY in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.