RICHMOND, Va., March 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion (NYSE: D) today welcomed word from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that the agency will issue its Environmental Assessment for the Dominion Cove Point LNG liquefaction and export project on May 15.

"We are pleased to reach another important milestone in the development of a project that has very significant economic, environmental and geopolitical benefits," said Diane Leopold, president of Dominion Energy.  "Dominion is dedicated to constructing a safe, environmentally compatible and reliable export facility that will be an asset to the community, state and country."

The proposed export facility will be within the 131-acre footprint of the LNG import facility, which has been in Calvert County for 40 years. No new pipelines, storage tanks or piers are needed at the facility. The company needs about 50 permits and approvals before construction can begin.

Dominion filed notice for the pre-filing process with the FERC in June 2012 that it was planning to add export capability at its Cove Point terminal in Lusby, Md., in Calvert County on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The FERC has been researching and analyzing the application since then. Dominion filed the application in April 2013 and it now totals more than 21,000 pages.

Since then the company has participated in about 10 public information sessions and federal and state  regulatory proceedings, has given more than 50 presentations to neighborhood groups in Southern Maryland, distributed more than 26,000 fact books about the project in the community and engaged the community through social media channels.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 23,600 megawatts of generation, 10,900 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,400 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. For more information about Dominion, visit www.dom.com.

SOURCE Dominion