Dominion Power 2010 Annual Report Download - page 16

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binsville to Morrisville projects have executed contracts
for service, and are in the implementation phase. The
Marcellus 404 project is under development, and we
are in the process of securing customers. Dominion
has identified an additional $1.5 billion in potential
growth capital for gas transmission projects not in-
cluded in the 2011-2015 growth plan.
To bolster Dominion East Ohio’s system safety and
reliability, we launched a $2.6 billion, 25-year bare steel
pipeline replacement program in 2008. The program
plans to replace nearly 20 percent of the distribution
company’s 21,000-mile pipeline system.
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There are environmental effects associated with the
production of electricity on a large scale. About 70
percent of the nation’s electricity comes from burning
fossil fuels and combustion of those fossil fuels emits
gases into the atmosphere that contribute to air pollu-
tion. In addition, many stations use a large amount of
water for cooling the turbines that create electricity.
The combustion of fossil fuels also creates green-
house gas emissions. While climate change laws appear
less certain to come from Congress, debate at the U.S.
Capitol could return when our nation’s economy
improves. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
on the other hand, has issued several new greenhouse
gas regulations and is in the process of issuing addi-
tional regulations.
Dominion has spent, or is planning to spend, more
than $3.1 billion on environmental improvements at
our merchant and utility generating fleet between 1998
and 2015. Already, as a result of these improvements,
our mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emis-
sions in the mid-Atlantic and New England regions
have steadily — and dramatically — fallen.
Additional new EPA regulations are likely to set
new emissions standards for nitrogen oxides and sulfur
dioxide, new standards for handling and disposal of
coal combustion byproducts such as fly ash, new air
toxic standards for mercury and other hazardous air
pollutants, new emissions standards for carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases, and new standards for
cooling water.They could add $2 billion or more in
additional environmental spending in the next five
years for Dominion.
As the environmental regulatory landscape evolves,
we will continue to assess all options to meet both
environmental and customer obligations in a way