August 29, 2002

WHITE SULFUR SPRINGS, W.Va. - The West Virginia Manufacturers' Association honored Dominion Energy's Mt. Storm Power Station Thursday as a state environmental leader for its long commitment to improving water quality for game fish, tagging black bears, improving wildlife habitat, creating wetlands and preserving pristine wilderness areas.

Mt. Storm was one of nine West Virginia businesses or industries to receive the association's Business Environmental Leadership Award.

"Environmental stewardship is one of our important roles," said Thomas F. Farrell II, chief executive officer of Dominion Energy, the generation unit of Dominion (NYSE: D). "It is not only a key goal for our company, but something many of our employees -- who are hunters, fisherman and outdoor enthusiasts themselves -- have taken to heart. Many of our successful programs would not have occurred without their ideas and volunteer efforts.

"On behalf of Dominion Energy and the employees at Mt. Storm, we are honored to be recognized by the association," said Farrell.

Martin L. Bowling Jr., vice president-Fossil & Hydro, and William H. Wilkinson, senior environmental compliance coordinator at Mt. Storm, accepted the award at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce's 66th Annual Meeting and West Virginia Business Summit at The Greenbrier resort. Don Welsh, Environmental Protection Agency Region III administrator, presented the award.

Mt. Storm was honored for 40 years of environmental stewardship and a number of different environmental activities, including:

• Working to improve water quality in Mt. Storm Lake and creating both a viable fishery and a popular recreational area. Mt. Storm Lake was once badly polluted by acidic mine runoff. In the early 1960s, the company began voluntarily adding lime to its discharges in an effort to counter the acid in the runoff. That effort continues today in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. In addition, the company places discarded Christmas trees and other structures into the lake to improve fish habitat. Through these successful efforts, Mt. Storm Lake is a highly popular fishing and recreational destination today.
  
   
• Placing limestone in the major tributaries of the lake to reintroduce native brook trout. The station worked with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources to place more than 900 tons of limestone in Morgan Run, Red Sea Run, Laurel Run and the upper Stony River. The program is being extended and expanded to include additional liming sites. The results have been encouraging with sampling revealing either a return of native brook trout to the streams or healthier populations.
  
   
• Upgrading the spillway and dam crest. The $5 million-plus required upgrade improved the flood safety of the dam and also allows the station to raise the normal pool elevation of the lake by 2 feet. This increase will help improve the operation of the power station and the fishery populations in the lake and downstream river, and will eventually create about 10 new acres of wetlands around the lake.
  
   
• Improving the power station's 10,000-acre property, which is home to rich populations of game and non-game species. To enhance wildlife resources, company biologists installed 15 mallard duck nests, 20 wood duck boxes and 15 blue bird nest boxes. A 22-acre wetland was created to compensate for the eight acres of wetlands taken in the expansion of the station's ash management facility.
  
   
• Initiating a long-term black bear research program in cooperation with the state. This program involves the radio tracking of scores of wild bear trapped on the property. This cooperative program continues today and has become a model for other areas.
  
   
• Donating 460 acres of land adjacent to the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area to the Nature Conservancy. The donated land includes the scenic Bear Rocks landmark.

Earlier this year, West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise named Mt. Storm one of the state's top environmental stewards. The station received the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's environmental stewardship award for a number of activities, including the addition of emissions control equipment to reduce sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a production capability of more than 3 trillion British thermal units of energy per day. Dominion also serves 3.8 million franchise natural gas and electric customers in five states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

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