424B2 1 d53800d424b2.htm 424B2 424B2
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Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2)
Registration No. 333-197252

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of Each Class of Securities

to be Registered

 

Maximum

Aggregate Offering Price

 

Amount of

Registration Fee (1)(2)

Dominion Gas Holdings, LLC Senior Debt Securities

  $700,000,000   $70,490

 

 

 

(1) Calculated in accordance with Rule 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(2) This “Calculation of Registration Fee” table shall be deemed to update the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the Company’s Registration Statement of Form S-3 (File No. 333-197252) in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.


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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To Prospectus Dated July 3, 2014)

 

LOGO

$700,000,000

Dominion Gas Holdings, LLC

$700,000,000 2015 Series A 2.80% Senior Notes due 2020

The Senior Notes will bear interest at 2.80% per year and will mature on November 15, 2020. We will pay interest on the Senior Notes on May 15 and November 15 of each year, beginning May 15, 2016.

We may redeem all or any of the Senior Notes at any time at the redemption price described in this prospectus supplement, plus accrued interest.

We will not make application to list the Senior Notes on any securities exchange or to include them in any automated quotation system.

Investing in the Senior Notes involves risks. For a description of these risks, see “Risk Factors” on page S-10 of this prospectus supplement, in the Risk Factors section of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

     Public  Offering
Price(1)
     Underwriting
Discount
     Proceeds to Dominion Gas
Before Expenses(1)
 

Per Senior Note

     99.663%         0.600%         99.063%   

Total

   $ 697,641,000       $ 4,200,000       $ 693,441,000   

 

(1) 

Plus accrued interest from November 17, 2015, if settlement occurs after that date.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying base prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The Senior Notes will be ready for delivery in book-entry form only through The Depository Trust Company and its direct participants, including Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. and Clearstream Banking, société anonyme, on or about November 17, 2015.

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

Barclays   BofA Merrill Lynch   Morgan Stanley   RBC Capital Markets

The date of this prospectus supplement is November 12, 2015.


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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document is in two parts. The first part is the prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of the Senior Notes and certain other matters relating to us and our financial condition. The second part, the accompanying base prospectus, gives more general information about Senior Debt Securities we may offer from time to time, some of which does not apply to the Senior Notes we are offering at this time. Generally, when we refer to the prospectus, we are referring to both parts of this document combined. To the extent the description of the Senior Notes in the prospectus supplement differs from the description of Senior Debt Securities in the accompanying base prospectus, you should only rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.

You should rely only on the information contained in this document or to which this document refers you, or in other offering materials filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We have not authorized anyone, and we have not authorized the underwriters to authorize anyone, to provide you with different information. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any different or inconsistent information. This document may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities. The information which appears in this document and which is incorporated by reference in this document may only be accurate as of the date of this prospectus supplement or the date of the document in which incorporated information appears. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since the date of such information.

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Prospectus Supplement

 

 
    Page  

About This Prospectus Supplement

    S-2   

Where You Can Find More Information

    S-4   

Forward-Looking Information

    S-4   

Prospectus Supplement Summary

    S-7   

Risk Factors

    S-10   

Use of Proceeds

    S-10   

Capitalization

    S-11   

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

    S-12   

Description of the Senior Notes

    S-13   

Book-Entry Procedures and Settlement

    S-16   

Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders

    S-20   

Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)

    S-22   

Legal Matters

    S-25   

Experts

    S-25   

Base Prospectus

 

    Page  

About This Prospectus

    2   

Where You Can Find More Information

    2   

Safe Harbor and Cautionary Statements

    3   

The Company

    4   

Use of Proceeds

    4   

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

    4   

Description of Debt Securities

    5   

Additional Terms of Senior Debt Securities

    16   

Additional Terms of Junior Subordinated Notes

    17   

Plan of Distribution

    18   

Legal Matters

    20   

Experts

    20   

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our file number with the SEC is 001-37591. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. We make some of our filings under the Exchange Act on a combined basis with Dominion Resources, Inc. (Dominion) and another subsidiary of Dominion, Virginia Electric and Power Company (Virginia Power). Our combined filings with the SEC present separate filings by each of Dominion, Virginia Power and us. Information contained therein relating to an individual registrant is filed by that registrant on its own behalf and each registrant makes no representation as to information relating to the other registrants. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus supplement and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update or supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below (other than any portions of the documents not deemed to be filed) and any future filings made with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), except those portions of filings that relate to Dominion or Virginia Power, until such time as all of the securities covered by this prospectus supplement have been sold:

 

   

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014; and

 

   

Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2015, June 30, 2015 and September 30, 2015.

You may request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at:

Corporate Secretary, Dominion Gas Holdings, LLC, 120 Tredegar Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, Telephone (804) 819-2000.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

We have included certain information in this prospectus supplement or other offering materials which is “forward-looking information” as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Examples include discussions as to our expectations, beliefs, plans, goals, objectives and future financial or other performance or assumptions concerning matters discussed in this prospectus. This information, by its nature, involves estimates, projections, forecasts and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ substantially from those expressed in the forward-looking statement.

Our business is influenced by many factors that are difficult to predict, involve uncertainties that may materially affect actual results and are often beyond our ability to control. We have identified a number of these factors in our current and periodic reports as described under the heading RISK FACTORS and we refer you to that discussion for further information. These factors include but are not limited to:

 

   

Unusual weather conditions and their effect on energy sales to customers and energy commodity prices;

 

   

Extreme weather events and other natural disasters, including hurricanes, high winds, severe storms, earthquakes and flooding that can cause outages and property damage to facilities;

 

   

Federal, state and local legislative and regulatory developments, including changes in federal and state tax laws and regulations;

 

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Changes to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including those related to climate change, the tightening of emission or discharge limits for greenhouse gases and other emissions, more extensive permitting requirements and the regulation of additional substances;

 

   

Cost of environmental compliance, including those costs related to climate change;

 

   

Changes in enforcement practices of regulators relating to environmental standards and litigation exposure for remedial activities;

 

   

Changes in regulator implementation of environmental standards and litigation exposure for remedial activities;

 

   

Difficulty in anticipating mitigation requirements associated with environmental and other regulatory approvals;

 

   

Unplanned outages at facilities in which we have an ownership interest;

 

   

Fluctuations in energy-related commodity prices and the effect these could have on our earnings and our liquidity position and the underlying value of our assets;

 

   

Counterparty credit and performance risk;

 

   

Capital market conditions, including the availability of credit and the ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms;

 

   

Fluctuations in the value of investments held in benefit plan trusts by us;

 

   

Fluctuations in interest rates;

 

   

Changes in rating agency requirements or credit ratings and their effect on availability and cost of capital;

 

   

Changes in financial or regulatory accounting principles or policies imposed by governing bodies;

 

   

Employee workforce factors including collective bargaining agreements and labor negotiations with union employees;

 

   

Risks of operating businesses in regulated industries that are subject to changing regulatory structures;

 

   

Impacts of acquisitions, divestitures, transfers of assets to joint ventures and retirements of assets;

 

   

Receipt of approvals for, and timing of, closing dates for acquisitions and divestitures;

 

   

Political and economic conditions, including inflation and deflation;

 

   

Domestic terrorism and other threats to our physical and intangible assets, as well as threats to cybersecurity;

 

   

Changes in demand for our services, including industrial, commercial and residential growth or decline in our service areas, changes in supplies of natural gas delivered to our pipeline and processing systems, failure to maintain or replace customer contracts on favorable terms and changes in customer growth or usage patterns, including as a result of energy conservation programs and the availability of energy efficient devices;

 

   

Additional competition in industries in which we operate;

 

   

Changes in technology;

 

   

Changes to regulated gas distribution, transportation and storage rates, including liquified natural gas storage, collected by us;

 

   

Changes in operating, maintenance and construction costs;

 

   

Timing and receipt of regulatory approvals necessary for planned construction or expansion projects and compliance with conditions associated with such regulatory approvals;

 

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The inability to complete planned construction, conversion or expansion projects at all, or with the outcomes or within the terms and time frames initially anticipated;

 

   

Adverse outcomes in litigation matters or regulatory proceedings; and

 

   

The impact of operational hazards, including adverse developments with respect to pipeline and plant safety or integrity, equipment loss, malfunction or failure, operator error, and other catastrophic events.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

In this prospectus supplement, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, the words “Dominion Gas,” “Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Dominion Gas Holdings, LLC, a Virginia limited liability company, and its subsidiaries.

The following summary contains basic information about this offering. It may not contain all the information that is important to you. The DESCRIPTION OF THE SENIOR NOTES section of this prospectus supplement and the DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES and ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SENIOR DEBT SECURITIES sections of the accompanying base prospectus contain more detailed information regarding the terms and conditions of the Senior Notes. The following summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus supplement and in the accompanying base prospectus.

DOMINION GAS

We are a holding company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Dominion, one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy. We serve as the intermediate parent company for the majority of Dominion’s regulated natural gas operating subsidiaries, which conduct business activities through an interstate natural gas transmission pipeline and underground storage system, a local natural gas distribution network and natural gas gathering, processing and treatment facilities. Our business activities are carried out through our primary subsidiaries, The East Ohio Gas Company d/b/a Dominion East Ohio and Dominion Transmission, Inc. Through our subsidiary, Dominion Iroquois, Inc., we also hold a 24.72% general partnership interest in Iroquois Gas Transmission System L.P.

We serve as the primary financing entity for Dominion’s regulated gas business. This structure is intended to create an efficient, transparent entity to finance capital investments related to the assets and cash flow of Dominion’s regulated gas business. Neither Dominion nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of our subsidiaries are guaranteeing the Senior Notes, nor does Dominion have any liability for our obligations under the Senior Notes by virtue of being our sole member.

Our address and telephone number are: 120 Tredegar Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, Telephone (804) 819-2000.

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

 

9 Months

Ended
September 30,
2015

  

12 Months
Ended
September 30,
2015

   Years Ended December 31,
      2014    2013    2012    2011    2010

10.69

   12.62    22.67    18.67    12.52    9.61    22.01

 



 

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THE OFFERING

The Senior Notes

We are offering $700,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes. The Senior Notes will mature on November 15, 2020.

The Senior Notes will be represented by one or more global certificates that will be deposited with or held on behalf of and registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York (DTC) or its nominee. This means that you will not receive a certificate for your Senior Notes but, instead, will hold your interest through DTC, Euroclear Bank, S.A./N.V. (Euroclear) or Clearstream Banking, société anonyme (Clearstream), if you are a participant in any of these clearing systems, or indirectly through organizations which are participants in these systems. See BOOK-ENTRY PROCEDURES AND SETTLEMENT beginning on page S-16.

Interest Payment Dates

Interest on the Senior Notes will be payable semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15, commencing on May 15, 2016.

Record Dates

So long as the Senior Notes remain in book-entry only form, the record date for each Interest Payment Date will be the close of business on the business day before the applicable Interest Payment Date.

If the Senior Notes are not in book-entry only form, the record date for each Interest Payment Date will be the close of business on the fifteenth calendar day prior to the applicable Interest Payment Date (whether or not a business day).

Ranking

The Senior Notes will rank equally with all of our other senior unsecured indebtedness and will be senior in right of payment to all of our subordinated indebtedness, if any. The Senior Notes will be effectively subordinated to all of our secured debt, if any. The Indenture contains no restrictions on the amount of additional indebtedness that we may incur. Additionally, because we are a holding company that conducts all of our operations through our subsidiaries, holders of Senior Notes will generally have a junior position to claims of creditors of our subsidiaries. See DESCRIPTION OF THE SENIOR NOTES—Ranking on page S-13.

Optional Redemption

We may redeem some or all of the Senior Notes at any time at the redemption prices described in DESCRIPTION OF THE SENIOR NOTES—Optional Redemption on page S-14, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the Redemption Date. The Senior Notes may not be redeemed at any time at the option of the holder.

No Listing of the Senior Notes

The Senior Notes are not listed and we do not plan to apply to list the Senior Notes on any securities exchange or to include them in any automated quotation system.

 



 

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Use of Proceeds

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Senior Notes for general corporate purposes, to repay short-term debt including commercial paper and to repay intercompany indebtedness owed to Dominion. See USE OF PROCEEDS on page S-10.

Conflicts of Interest

As described in USE OF PROCEEDS on page S-10, some of the net proceeds of this offering may be used for the repayment of short-term debt, including commercial paper. If more than 5% of the net proceeds of this offering, not including underwriting compensation, will be received by affiliates of certain underwriters in this offering, this offering will be conducted in compliance with FINRA Rule 5121, as administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Pursuant to that rule, the appointment of a qualified independent underwriter is not necessary in connection with this offering. See UNDERWRITING—Conflicts of Interest on page S-24.

 



 

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RISK FACTORS

Your investment in the Senior Notes involves certain risks. Our business is influenced by many factors that are difficult to predict, involve uncertainties that may materially affect actual results and are often beyond our control. We have identified a number of these factors under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. In consultation with your own financial and legal advisers, you should carefully consider, among other matters, the discussions of risks that we have incorporated by reference before deciding whether an investment in the Senior Notes is suitable for you.

See WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION on page S-4.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Senior Notes for general corporate purposes, to repay short-term debt including commercial paper and to repay intercompany indebtedness owed to Dominion. As of October 31, 2015, our short-term debt included $448.1 million in outstanding commercial paper with a weighted average yield of 0.4888% per year and a weighted average days to maturity of approximately 22 days. As of October 31, 2015, we had approximately $140.1 million of outstanding variable rate debt under an intercompany credit agreement with Dominion. At October 31, 2015, the applicable interest rate, which is based on Dominion’s commercial paper rate and adjusted daily, was 0.4933% per annum and the maturity date was October 17, 2016. See CAPITALIZATION on page S-11.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The table below shows our unaudited capitalization on a consolidated basis as of September 30, 2015. The “As Adjusted” column reflects our capitalization after giving effect to this offering of Senior Notes and the intended use of the net proceeds from the offering. You should read this table along with our audited financial statements contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, as well as the unaudited information presented in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2015. See WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION on page S-4 and USE OF PROCEEDS on page S-10.

 

     (unaudited)
September 30,  2015
 
     (in millions)  
     Actual      As
Adjusted
 
               

Cash and cash equivalents(1)

   $ 18       $ 131   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Short-term debt

   $ 580       $ 0   

Long-term debt

     2,595         3,295   

Total equity

     3,681         3,681   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total capitalization

   $ 6,856       $ 6,976   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) 

For purposes of this table, cash and cash equivalents has been adjusted to include net proceeds in excess of short-term debt. As indicated in USE OF PROCEEDS on page S-10, net proceeds may be used for general corporate purposes and to repay short-term debt. As of October 31, 2015, short-term debt included $448.1 million in outstanding commercial paper and $140.1 million of indebtedness under an intercompany credit agreement with Dominion.

 

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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

 

9 Months

Ended
September 30,
2015

  

12 Months
Ended
September 30,
2015

   Years Ended December 31,
      2014    2013    2012    2011    2010

10.69

  

12.62

   22.67    18.67    12.52    9.61    22.01

For purposes of this ratio, earnings are determined by adding distributed income of equity investees and fixed charges (excluding interest capitalized) to income from continuing operations before income taxes after eliminating the equity in earnings or losses of equity investees. These earnings are then divided by total fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest charges (without reduction for allowance for funds used during construction) on long-term and short-term debt, and the portion of rental expense that is representative of the interest factor.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE SENIOR NOTES

Set forth below is a description of the specific terms of the Senior Notes. This description supplements, and should be read together with, the description of the general terms and provisions of the Senior Debt Securities set forth in the accompanying base prospectus under the captions DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES and ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SENIOR DEBT SECURITIES and, to the extent it is inconsistent with the accompanying base prospectus, replaces the description in the accompanying base prospectus. The Senior Notes will be issued under our Indenture dated as of October 1, 2013, as supplemented and amended from time to time by supplemental indentures, including by the Seventh Supplemental Indenture, dated as of November 1, 2015. The following description is not complete in every detail and is subject to, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the description of the Senior Debt Securities in the accompanying base prospectus, the Indenture and the Seventh Supplemental Indenture. Capitalized terms used in this DESCRIPTION OF THE SENIOR NOTES that are not defined in this prospectus supplement have the meanings given to them in the accompanying base prospectus, the Indenture or the Seventh Supplemental Indenture, as applicable. In this DESCRIPTION OF THE SENIOR NOTES section, references to “Dominion Gas,” “we,” “us” and “our” mean Dominion Gas Holdings, LLC, excluding any of its subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires.

General

The Senior Notes will be an unsecured senior obligation of Dominion Gas. The Senior Notes will be initially limited in aggregate principal amount to $700,000,000. We may, without the consent of the existing holders of the Senior Notes, issue additional notes having the same ranking and the same interest rate, maturity and other terms as any of the Senior Notes. Any additional notes having such similar terms, together with any of the Senior Notes will constitute a single series of notes under the Indenture.

The entire principal amount of the Senior Notes will mature and become due and payable, together with any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, on November 15, 2020. The Senior Notes are not subject to any sinking fund provision. The Senior Notes are available for purchase in denominations of $2,000 and any greater integral multiple of $1,000.

Ranking

The Senior Notes are our direct, unsecured and unsubordinated obligations. The Senior Notes will rank equally with all of our other senior unsecured debt and will be senior in right of payment to all of our subordinated indebtedness, if any. The Senior Notes will be effectively subordinated to all of our secured debt, if any.

Because we are a holding company and conduct all of our operations through our subsidiaries, our ability to meet our obligations under the Senior Notes is dependent on the earnings and cash flows of those subsidiaries and the ability of those subsidiaries to pay dividends or to advance or repay funds to us. Holders of Senior Notes will generally have a junior position to claims of creditors of our subsidiaries, including trade creditors, debtholders, secured creditors, taxing authorities, guarantee holders and any preferred stockholders. As of September 30, 2015, all of our subsidiaries’ outstanding long-term debt was owed to us; no outstanding long-term debt was owed to third-party creditors.

The Indenture contains no restrictions on the amount of additional indebtedness that we or our subsidiaries may incur. We and our subsidiaries expect to incur additional indebtedness from time to time.

Interest

The Senior Notes will bear interest at the rate of 2.80% per year from the date of original issuance.

 

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Interest is payable on the Senior Notes semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 of each year (each, an Interest Payment Date). The initial Interest Payment Date for the Senior Notes is May 15, 2016.

The amount of interest payable will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months. If any date on which interest is payable on the Senior Notes is not a business day, then payment of the interest payable on that date will be made on the next succeeding day which is a business day (and without any interest or other payment in respect of any delay), with the same force and effect as if made on such date.

So long as the Senior Notes remain in book-entry only form, the record date for each Interest Payment Date will be the close of business on the business day before the applicable Interest Payment Date. If the Senior Notes are not in book-entry only form, the record date for each Interest Payment Date will be the close of business on the fifteenth calendar day before the applicable Interest Payment Date (whether or not a business day); however, interest payable at maturity or upon redemption or repurchase will be paid to the person to whom principal is payable.

Optional Redemption

The Senior Notes are redeemable, in whole or in part at any time and from time to time prior to October 15, 2020 (one month prior to the maturity date) at our option, at a redemption price equal to the greater of:

 

   

100% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes then outstanding to be redeemed, or

 

   

the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the Senior Notes to be redeemed that would be due if such Senior Notes matured on October 15, 2020 but for the redemption (not including any portion of such payments of interest accrued as of the Redemption Date) discounted to the Redemption Date on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate, plus 20 basis points, as calculated by an Independent Investment Banker,

plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the Redemption Date.

In addition, the Senior Notes are redeemable, in whole or in part at any time and from time to time on or after October 15, 2020 (one month prior to the maturity date), at our option at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes then outstanding to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the Redemption Date.

“Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, the rate per annum equal to the semiannual equivalent yield to maturity or interpolated (on a day count basis) of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such Redemption Date.

The Treasury Rate will be calculated on the third business day preceding the Redemption Date.

“Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by an Independent Investment Banker as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the Senior Notes to be redeemed (assuming, for this purpose, that the Senior Notes matured on October 15, 2020) that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of such Senior Notes.

“Comparable Treasury Price” for any Redemption Date means (1) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for the Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (2) if the Independent Investment Banker obtains fewer than five such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such quotations.

 

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“Independent Investment Banker” means any of Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and RBC Capital Markets, LLC and their respective affiliates or successors, as selected by us, or if any such firm is unwilling or unable to serve as such, an independent investment and banking institution of national standing appointed by us.

“Reference Treasury Dealer” means:

 

   

Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and RBC Capital Markets, LLC and their respective affiliates or successors; provided that, if any such firm or its successors ceases to be a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in the United States (Primary Treasury Dealer), we will substitute another Primary Treasury Dealer; and

 

   

up to one other Primary Treasury Dealer selected by us.

“Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Independent Investment Banker, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue related to the Senior Notes being redeemed (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Independent Investment Banker at 3:30 p.m., New York City time, on the third business day preceding such Redemption Date.

We will mail a notice of redemption at least 20 days but not more than 60 days before the Redemption Date to each holder of Senior Notes to be redeemed. If we elect to partially redeem the Senior Notes, the trustee will select the Senior Notes to be redeemed in accordance with the procedures of DTC.

Unless we default in payment of the redemption price, on and after the Redemption Date, interest will cease to accrue on the Senior Notes or portions thereof called for redemption.

The Trustee

The trustee under the Indenture is Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas. The trustee will administer its corporate trust business at 60 Wall Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10005. We and certain of our affiliates maintain banking relationships with Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas or its affiliates. Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas also serves as trustee under other indentures under which certain of our affiliates have issued securities. Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas and its affiliates have purchased, and are likely to purchase in the future, our securities and securities of our affiliates.

 

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BOOK-ENTRY PROCEDURES AND SETTLEMENT

Upon issuance, the Senior Notes will be represented by one or more fully registered global certificates. Each global certificate is deposited with the trustee on behalf of DTC as its custodian and is registered in the name of DTC or a nominee of DTC. DTC is thus the only registered holder of these securities.

The following is based on information furnished to us by DTC:

DTC, the world’s largest securities depository, is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law, a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. DTC holds and provides asset servicing for over 3.5 million issues of U.S. and non-U.S. equity issues, corporate and municipal debt issues, and money market instruments (from over 100 countries) that DTC’s participants (Direct Participants) deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the post-trade settlement among Direct Participants of sales and other securities transactions in deposited securities, through electronic computerized book-entry transfers and pledges between Direct Participants’ accounts. This eliminates the need for physical movement of securities certificates. Direct Participants include both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and certain other organizations. DTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC). DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, and clearing corporations that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Direct Participant, either directly or indirectly (Indirect Participants). DTC has a Standard & Poor’s rating of AA+. The DTC Rules applicable to its Participants are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. More information about DTC can be found at http://www.dtcc.com.

Purchases of the Senior Notes under the DTC system must be made by or through Direct Participants, which will receive a credit for the Senior Notes on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of each actual purchaser of each Senior Note (Beneficial Owner) is in turn to be recorded on the Direct and Indirect Participants’ records. Beneficial Owners will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchase. Beneficial Owners are, however, expected to receive written confirmations providing details of the transaction, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the Direct or Indirect Participant through which the Beneficial Owner entered into the transaction. Transfers of ownership interests in the Senior Notes are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of Direct and Indirect Participants acting on behalf of Beneficial Owners. Beneficial Owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the Senior Notes, except in the event that use of the book-entry system for the Senior Notes is discontinued.

To facilitate subsequent transfers, all of the Senior Notes deposited by Direct Participants with DTC are registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co., or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of the Senior Notes with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other DTC nominee do not effect any change in beneficial ownership. DTC has no knowledge of the actual Beneficial Owners of the Senior Notes; DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the Direct Participants to whose accounts such Senior Notes are credited, which may or may not be the Beneficial Owners. The Direct and Indirect Participants will remain responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to Direct Participants, by Direct Participants to Indirect Participants, and by Direct Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time.

 

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Redemption notices shall be sent to DTC. If less than all the Senior Notes of a series are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each Direct Participant in the Senior Notes to be redeemed.

Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. (nor any other DTC nominee) will consent or vote with respect to the Senior Notes unless authorized by a Direct Participant in accordance with DTC’s MMI Procedures. Under its usual procedures, DTC mails an Omnibus Proxy to the Company as soon as possible after the record date. The Omnibus Proxy assigns Cede & Co.’s consenting or voting rights to those Direct Participants to whose accounts the Senior Notes are credited on the record date (identified in a listing attached to the Omnibus Proxy).

Redemption proceeds on the Senior Notes will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit Direct Participants’ accounts upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detail information from the Company or its agent, on payable date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC’s records. Payments by Participants to Beneficial Owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such Participant and not of DTC, the Company or its agent, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds to Cede & Co. (or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC) is the responsibility of the Company or its agent, disbursement of such payments to Direct Participants will be the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of such payments to the Beneficial Owners will be the responsibility of Direct and Indirect Participants.

DTC may discontinue providing its services as depository with respect to the Senior Notes at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Company or its agent. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor depository is not obtained, Senior Note certificates are required to be printed and delivered. The Company may decide to discontinue use of the system of book-entry-only transfers through DTC (or a successor securities depository). In that event, Senior Note certificates will be printed and delivered to DTC.

The information in this section concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy of this information.

We have no responsibility for the performance by DTC or its Participants of their respective obligations as described in this prospectus or under the rules and procedures governing their respective operations.

Global Clearance and Settlement Procedures

The following is based on information made available by Clearstream and Euroclear or obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy of this information. We have no responsibility for the performance by Clearstream and Euroclear or either of their Participants of their respective obligations as described in this prospectus or under the rules and procedures governing their respective operations.

Investors may elect to hold interests in the Senior Notes through either DTC (in the United States) or through Clearstream or Euroclear, if they are participants in such systems, or indirectly through organizations that are participants in such systems. Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests on behalf of their participants through customers’ securities accounts in Clearstream’s and Euroclear’s names on the books of their respective depositaries, which in turn will hold such interests in customers’ securities accounts in the depositaries’ names on the books of DTC.

Clearstream is incorporated under the laws of Luxembourg as a professional depositary. Clearstream holds securities for its participating organizations, or Clearstream Participants, and facilitates the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between Clearstream Participants through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of Clearstream Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates.

 

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Clearstream, Luxembourg provides to Clearstream Participants, among other things, services for safekeeping, administration, clearance and settlement of internationally traded securities and securities lending and borrowing. Clearstream interfaces with domestic markets in several countries. As a professional depositary, Clearstream is subject to regulation by the Luxembourg Commission for the Supervision of the Financial Sector (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier). Clearstream Participants are recognized financial institutions around the world, including underwriters, securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations and may include the underwriters. Indirect access to Clearstream is also available to others, such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Clearstream Participant, either directly or indirectly. Distributions with respect to Senior Notes held beneficially through Clearstream will be credited to cash accounts of Clearstream Participants in accordance with its rules and procedures, to the extent received by the U.S. depositary for Clearstream.

Euroclear was created in 1968 to hold securities for participants of Euroclear, or Euroclear Participants, and to clear and settle transactions between Euroclear Participants through simultaneous electronic book-entry delivery against payment, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates and any risk from lack of simultaneous transfers of securities and cash. Euroclear includes various other services, including securities lending and borrowing and interfaces with domestic markets in several countries.

Euroclear is operated by Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., or the Euroclear Operator. All operations are conducted by the Euroclear Operator, and all Euroclear securities clearance accounts and Euroclear cash accounts are accounts with the Euroclear Operator. Euroclear Participants include banks (including central banks), securities brokers and dealers and other professional financial intermediaries and may include the underwriters. Indirect access to Euroclear is also available to other firms that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Euroclear Participant, either directly or indirectly.

The Terms and Conditions Governing Use of Euroclear and the related Operating Procedures of the Euroclear System, or the Euroclear Terms and Conditions, and applicable Belgian law govern securities clearance accounts and cash accounts with the Euroclear Operator. Specifically, these terms and conditions govern transfers of securities and cash within Euroclear, withdrawals of securities and cash from Euroclear, and receipt of payments with respect to securities in Euroclear. All securities in Euroclear are held on a fungible basis without attribution of specific certificates to specific securities clearance accounts. The Euroclear Operator acts under the terms and conditions only on behalf of Euroclear Participants, and has no record of or relationship with persons holding securities through Euroclear Participants.

Distributions with respect to Senior Notes held beneficially through Euroclear will be credited to the cash accounts of Euroclear Participants in accordance with the Euroclear Terms and Conditions, to the extent received by the U.S. depositary for Euroclear.

Secondary market trading between Clearstream Participants and/or Euroclear Participants will occur in the ordinary way in accordance with the applicable rules and operating procedures of Clearstream and Euroclear and will be settled using the procedures applicable to conventional Eurobonds in immediately available funds.

Cross-market transfers between persons holding directly or indirectly through DTC on the one hand, and directly or indirectly through Clearstream or Euroclear Participants, on the other, will be effected in DTC in accordance with the DTC rules on behalf of the relevant European international clearing system by its U.S. depositary; however, such cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions to the relevant European international clearing system by the counterparty in such system in accordance with its rules and procedures and within its established deadlines (European time). The relevant European international clearing system will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to its U.S. depositary to take action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering interests in the Senior Notes to or receiving interests in the Senior Notes from DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day funds settlement applicable to DTC. Clearstream Participants and Euroclear Participants may not deliver instructions directly to DTC.

 

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Because of time-zone differences, credits of interests in the Senior Notes received in Clearstream or Euroclear as a result of a transaction with a DTC Participant will be made during subsequent securities settlement processing and will be credited the business day following the DTC settlement date. Such credits or any transactions involving interests in such Senior Notes settled during such processing will be reported to the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream Participants on such business day. Cash received in Clearstream or Euroclear as a result of sales of interests in the Senior Notes by or through a Clearstream Participant or a Euroclear Participant to a DTC Participant will be received with value on the DTC settlement date but will be available in the relevant Clearstream or Euroclear cash account only as of the business day following settlement in DTC.

DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear have agreed to the foregoing procedures in order to facilitate transfers of the Senior Notes among participants of DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear. However, they are under no obligation to perform or continue to perform those procedures, and they may discontinue those procedures at any time.

 

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CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS

This discussion summarizes certain U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the Senior Notes applicable to Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below). This discussion only applies to Senior Notes that are held as capital assets, within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), and that are purchased in the initial offering at the initial offering price, by Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below). This discussion is based on interpretations of the Code, Treasury regulations issued thereunder, and rulings and decisions currently in effect (or in some cases proposed), all of which are subject to change. Any such change may be applied retroactively and may adversely affect the U.S. federal income tax consequences described herein. This discussion does not deal with all of the U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to Non-U.S. Holders in light of their particular circumstances or to investors subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws, nor does it deal with the tax consequences under the laws of any foreign, state or local taxing jurisdictions. Accordingly, prospective investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the U.S. federal, state and local tax consequences of investing in the Senior Notes, as well as any consequences arising under the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction to which they may be subject.

As used in this discussion, the term “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of Senior Notes that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

   

a nonresident alien individual (but not a U.S. expatriate),

 

   

a foreign corporation other than a “controlled foreign corporation” or a “passive foreign investment company”,

 

   

an estate whose income is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis, or

 

   

a trust if no court within the United States is able to exercise primary jurisdiction over its administration or if no U.S. persons have the authority to control all of its substantial decisions, and that does not have a valid election in effect under the applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

If a partnership holds Senior Notes, the tax treatment of a partner generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partners of a partnership holding Senior Notes should consult their own tax advisers.

Interest payments on the Senior Notes to Non-U.S. Holders generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax if the following conditions are satisfied:

 

   

the Non-U.S. Holder does not actually or constructively own 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of the Company’s stock entitled to vote within the meaning of Section 871(h)(3) of the Code,

 

   

the Non-U.S. Holder is not a controlled foreign corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes that is related to the Company through actual or constructive ownership,

 

   

the Non-U.S. Holder is not a bank whose receipt of interest on the Senior Notes is described in Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code,

 

   

the payments are not effectively connected with a trade or business conducted by the Non-U.S. Holder in the United States, and

 

   

either (a) the Non-U.S. Holder provides a correct, complete and executed Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form W-8BEN, Form W-8BEN-E, Form W-8EXP or Form W-8IMY (or suitable successor or substitute form) with all of the attachments required by the IRS or (b) the Non-U.S. Holder holds its Senior Notes through a qualified intermediary (generally a foreign financial institution or clearing organization or a non-U.S. branch or office of a U.S. financial institution or clearing organization that is a party to a withholding agreement with the IRS) which has provided an IRS Form W-8IMY (or

 

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suitable successor or substitute form) stating that it is a qualified intermediary and has received documentation upon which it can rely to treat the payment as made to a foreign person.

If any of the conditions described above are not satisfied, interest on the Senior Notes will be subject to a 30% withholding tax when paid, unless either the Non-U.S. Holder provides a correct, complete and executed IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E claiming that an income tax treaty reduces or eliminates the tax, or the interest is effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business and the Non-U.S. Holder provides a correct, complete and executed IRS Form W-8ECI. In the latter event, Non-U.S. Holders will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax with respect to all income from the Senior Notes in the same manner as a United States person (as defined under the Code). In addition, Non-U.S. Holders that are corporations could be subject to a branch profits tax on such income.

In general, gain realized on the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of the Senior Notes by a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless:

 

   

the gain with respect to the Senior Notes is effectively connected with a trade or business conducted by the Non-U.S. Holder in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment), in which case the gain will be taxed in the same manner as interest that is effectively connected to such trade or business, or

 

   

the Non-U.S. Holder is a nonresident alien individual who holds the Senior Notes as a capital asset and is present in the United States for more than 182 days in the taxable year of the sale or other disposition of the Senior Notes and certain other conditions are satisfied.

Backup withholding will not be required with respect to interest paid to Non-U.S. Holders, so long as the Company has received from the Non-U.S. Holder a correct and complete IRS Form W-8BEN, Form W-8BEN-E, Form W-8ECI, Form W-8EXP or Form W-8IMY (or suitable successor or substitute form) with all of the attachments required by the IRS and provided that the Company does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the Non-U.S. Holder is a United States person, as defined under the Code. Interest paid to a Non-U.S. Holder will be reported on IRS Form 1042-S, which is filed with the IRS and sent to Non-U.S. Holders.

Information reporting and backup withholding may apply to the proceeds of a sale of Senior Notes by a Non-U.S. Holder made within the United States or conducted through certain U.S. related financial intermediaries, unless the Company receives one of the IRS tax forms described above and provided that the Company does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the Non-U.S. Holder is a United States person, as defined under the Code.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax and may be refunded (or credited against a Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, if any), provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. The information reporting requirements may apply regardless of whether withholding is required. For Non-U.S. Holders, copies of the information returns reporting such interest and withholding also may be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which a Non-U.S. Holder is a resident under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty or agreement.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

Under the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” (FATCA) and guidance issued by the IRS, a United States federal withholding tax of 30% generally will apply to (1) interest on a debt obligation and (2) the gross proceeds from the disposition of a debt obligation after December 31, 2018, paid to certain non-United States entities (including, in some circumstances, where such an entity is acting as an intermediary) that fail to comply with certain certification and information reporting requirements. Prospective holders of Senior Notes should consult their own tax advisers regarding the effect, if any, of the FATCA rules for them based on their particular circumstances.

 

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UNDERWRITING

Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in an underwriting agreement, dated the date of this prospectus supplement (Underwriting Agreement), the underwriters named below have severally and not jointly agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to them, the principal amount of each of the Senior Notes set forth opposite their names below:

 

                           

Name

  Principal Amount
of the Senior Notes
 

Barclays Capital Inc.

  $ 210,000,000   

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

    210,000,000   

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith

                     Incorporated

    140,000,000   

RBC Capital Markets, LLC

    140,000,000   
 

 

 

 

Total

  $ 700,000,000   
 

 

 

 

Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and RBC Capital Markets, LLC are acting as joint book-running managers in connection with the offering of the Senior Notes.

The Underwriting Agreement provides that the obligation of the several underwriters to purchase and pay for the Senior Notes is subject to, among other things, the approval of certain legal matters by their counsel and certain other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to take and pay for all of the Senior Notes if any are taken.

The underwriters initially propose to offer the Senior Notes at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement. The underwriters may also offer part of the Senior Notes to certain dealers at prices that represent a concession not in excess of 0.350% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes. The underwriters may allow, and any such dealers may reallow, a concession to certain other dealers not to exceed 0.175% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes. After the initial offering of the Senior Notes, the offering price and other selling terms may from time to time be varied by the underwriters. The offering of the Senior Notes by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part.

We estimate that the total expenses of the offering, not including the underwriting discount, will be approximately $700,000.

We have agreed to indemnify each of the underwriters and their controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

We do not intend to apply for listing of the Senior Notes on a national securities exchange or for quotation on any automated quotation system, but have been advised by the underwriters that they intend to make a market in the Senior Notes. The underwriters are not obligated, however, to do so and may discontinue their market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the development, maintenance or liquidity of the trading market for the Senior Notes.

In order to facilitate the offering of the Senior Notes, the underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the Senior Notes. Specifically, the underwriters may overallot in connection with the offering, creating a short position in the Senior Notes for the underwriters. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the Senior Notes, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the Senior Notes in the open market. Finally, the underwriters may reclaim selling concessions allowed to a dealer

 

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for distributing the Senior Notes in the offering, if they repurchase previously distributed Senior Notes in transactions to cover short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price for the Senior Notes above independent market levels. The underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.

The underwriters and their affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and currently perform and may in the future perform various investment or commercial banking, lending, trust and financial advisory services for us and our affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. If any of the underwriters or their affiliates has a lending relationship with us, certain of those underwriters or their affiliates routinely hedge and certain other of those underwriters or their affiliates may hedge their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. Typically, these underwriters and their affiliates would hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities, including potentially the Senior Notes offered hereby. Any such credit default swaps or short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the Senior Notes offered hereby. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Selling Restrictions

European Economic Area

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area, no offer of Senior Notes which are the subject of the offering has been, or will be made to the public in that Member State, other than under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Directive:

 

  A. to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive;

 

  B. to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or

 

  C. in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive,

provided that no such offer of Senior Notes referred to in (a) to (c) above shall result in a requirement for the Company or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.

This prospectus supplement has been prepared on the basis that any offer of Senior Notes in any Member State will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Directive from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of notes. Accordingly any person making or intending to make an offer in that Relevant Member State of Senior Notes which are the subject of the offering contemplated in this prospectus supplement may only do so in circumstances in which no obligation arises for the Company or any of the underwriters to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive in relation to such offer. Neither the Company nor the underwriters have authorized, nor do they authorize, the making of any offer of Senior Notes in circumstances in which an obligation arises for the Company or the underwriters to publish a prospectus for such offer.

For the purpose of this provision, the expression an “offer of Senior Notes to the public” in relation to any Senior Notes in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient

 

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information on the terms of the offer and the Senior Notes to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the Senior Notes, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State and the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (as amended) and includes any relevant implementing measure in the each Member State.

United Kingdom

In addition, in the United Kingdom, this prospectus supplement is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer subsequently made may only be directed at persons who are “qualified investors” (as defined in the Prospectus Directive) (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19 (5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”) and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). This prospectus supplement must not be acted on or relied on in the United Kingdom by persons who are not relevant persons. In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is only available to, and will be engaged in with, relevant persons.

Canada

The Senior Notes may be sold only to purchasers in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and Quebec purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the Senior Notes must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus supplement (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

Conflicts of Interest

As described in USE OF PROCEEDS on page S-10, some of the net proceeds of this offering may be used for the repayment of short-term debt, including commercial paper. If more than 5% of the net proceeds of this offering, not including underwriting compensation, will be received by affiliates of certain underwriters in this offering, this offering will be conducted in compliance with FINRA Rule 5121, as administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Pursuant to that rule, the appointment of a qualified independent underwriter is not necessary in connection with this offering.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters in connection with the offering of the Senior Notes will be passed upon for us by McGuireWoods LLP, and for the underwriters by Troutman Sanders LLP, which also performs certain legal services for us and our affiliates on other matters.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2014 incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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LOGO

 

DOMINION GAS HOLDINGS, LLC

120 Tredegar Street

Richmond, Virginia 23219

(804) 819-2000

 

Senior Debt Securities

 

Junior Subordinated Notes

 

From time to time, we may offer and sell senior or subordinated debt securities in one or more series under this prospectus.

 

We will file prospectus supplements and may provide other offering materials that furnish specific terms of the securities to be offered under this prospectus. The terms of the securities will include whether they are senior or subordinated, the initial offering price, aggregate amount of the offering, listing on any securities exchange or quotation system, investment considerations and the agents, dealers or underwriters, if any, to be used in connection with the sale of the securities. You should read this prospectus and any supplement or other offering materials carefully before you invest.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

This prospectus is dated July 3, 2014.


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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we and Dominion Resources, Inc. (Dominion) jointly filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) utilizing a shelf registration process. Dominion is our sole member and a well-known seasoned issuer. Under this shelf process, we may, from time to time, sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to an unspecified dollar amount. Neither Dominion nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of our subsidiaries are guaranteeing such securities, nor does Dominion have any liability for our obligations under the securities by virtue of being our sole member or filing the joint registration statement.

 

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement or other offering materials that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. Material United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the offered securities will also be discussed in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials as necessary. The prospectus supplement or other offering materials may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or other offering materials together with additional information described under the heading WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION. When we use the terms “we”, “our”, “us”, “Dominion Gas” or the “Company” in this prospectus, we are referring to Dominion Gas Holdings, LLC and not Dominion Resources, Inc.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

Following the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-4 (Registration No. 333-195066) on June 25, 2014, we became subject to the periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). Under those requirements, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F. Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room.

 

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update or supersede this information. We plan to make some of our filings under the Exchange Act on a combined basis with Dominion and another subsidiary of Dominion, Virginia Electric and Power Company (Virginia Power). Our combined filings with the SEC present separate filings by each of Dominion, Virginia Power and the Company. Information contained therein relating to an individual registrant is filed by that registrant on its own behalf and each registrant makes no representation as to information relating to the other registrants. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we make with the SEC

 

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under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, except those portions of filings that relate to Dominion or Virginia Power as a separate registrant, until we sell all of the securities:

 

 

Current Report on Form 8-K, filed June 26, 2014. In connection with becoming subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act as a result of the effectiveness on June 25, 2014 of our Registration Statement on Form S-4 (Registration No. 333-195066), we filed this Current Report on Form 8-K to disclose certain financial and other information about us, including our Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2013 and our Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements for the three months ended March 31, 2014.

 

You may request a copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at:

 

Corporate Secretary

Dominion Gas Holdings, LLC

120 Tredegar Street

Richmond, Virginia 23219

Telephone (804) 819-2000

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or to which this prospectus refers you. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities. The information which appears in this prospectus and which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus may only be accurate as of the date of this prospectus or the date of the document in which incorporated information appears. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

 

SAFE HARBOR AND CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus or other offering materials may contain or incorporate by reference forward-looking statements. Examples include discussions as to our expectations, beliefs, plans, goals, objectives and future financial or other performance. These statements, by their nature, involve estimates, projections, forecasts and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ substantially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements may accompany the statements themselves; generally applicable factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ from those expressed in the forward-looking statements will be discussed in our reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K incorporated by reference herein and in prospectus supplements and other offering materials.

 

By making forward-looking statements, we are not intending to become obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or other changes. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as at their dates.

 

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THE COMPANY

 

Formed in September 2013, we are a holding company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Dominion, one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy. We serve as the intermediate parent company for the majority of Dominion’s regulated natural gas operating subsidiaries, which conduct business activities through an interstate natural gas transmission pipeline system and storage facilities, a local natural gas distribution network and natural gas gathering, processing and treatment facilities. Our business activities are carried out through our primary subsidiaries, The East Ohio Gas Company d/b/a Dominion East Ohio and Dominion Transmission, Inc. Through our subsidiary, Dominion Iroquois, Inc., we also hold a 24.72% general partnership interest in the Iroquois Gas Transmission System L.P.

 

We serve as the primary financing entity for Dominion’s regulated gas business. This structure is intended to create an efficient, transparent entity to finance capital investments related to the assets and cash flow of Dominion’s regulated gas business. Neither Dominion nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of our subsidiaries are guaranteeing any of the securities described in this prospectus, nor does Dominion have any liability for our obligations under the securities by virtue of being our sole member.

 

Our principal office is located at 120 Tredegar Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219-3932. The telephone number is (804) 819-2000.

 

For additional information about us, see WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION.

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials, we will use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered by this prospectus to finance capital expenditures and to retire or redeem debt securities issued by us and for other general corporate purposes which may include the repayment of debt under any of our credit facilities.

 

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

 

Three Months
Ended


  

Twelve Months
Ended


  

Years Ended December 31,


March 31,

2014


  

March 31,

2014


  

2013


  

2012


  

2011


  

2010


  

2009


30.44

   20.39    18.67    12.52    9.61    22.01    7.57

 

For purposes of this ratio, earnings are determined by adding distributed income of equity investees and fixed charges (excluding interest capitalized) to income from continuing operations before income taxes after eliminating the equity in earnings or losses of equity investees. These earnings are then divided by total fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest charges (without reduction for allowance for funds used during construction) on long-term and short-term debt, and the portion of rental expense that is representative of the interest factor.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

 

The term Debt Securities includes the Senior Debt Securities and the Junior Subordinated Notes. We will issue the Senior Debt Securities in one or more series under our Senior Indenture dated as of October 1, 2013 between us and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee, as amended and as supplemented from time to time. We will issue the Junior Subordinated Notes in one or more series under our Junior Subordinated Notes Indenture to be entered into at a future date by us and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee, as amended and as supplemented from time to time. The indenture related to the Junior Subordinated Notes is called the Subordinated Indenture in this prospectus, and it, together with the Senior Indenture, are called the “Indentures”. We have summarized selected provisions of the Indentures below. The Senior Indenture and the Subordinated Indenture have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement, and you should read the Indentures for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to section numbers of the Indentures so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms used in the summary have the meanings specified in the Indentures.

 

Neither Dominion nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of Dominion Gas’ subsidiaries are guaranteeing the Debt Securities, nor does Dominion have any liability for Dominion Gas’ obligations under the Debt Securities by virtue of being Dominion Gas’ sole member or filing the joint registration statement.

 

General

 

The Senior Debt Securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and will rank equally with all of our other senior and unsubordinated debt except to the extent provided in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials. The Junior Subordinated Notes will be our unsecured obligations and are junior in right of payment to our Priority Indebtedness, as described under the caption ADDITIONAL TERMS OF JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES—Subordination.

 

Because we are a holding company that conducts all of our operations through our subsidiaries, our ability to meet our obligations under the Debt Securities is dependent on the earnings and cash flows of those subsidiaries and the ability of those subsidiaries to pay dividends or to advance or repay funds to us. Holders of Debt Securities will generally have a junior position to claims of creditors of our subsidiaries, including trade creditors, debtholders, secured creditors, taxing authorities, guarantee holders and any preferred stockholders.

 

As of March 31, 2014, we had approximately $1.2 billion in aggregate principal amount of outstanding long-term debt, (including securities due within one year) and our subsidiaries had no outstanding long-term debt (including securities due within one year). Neither of the Indentures limits the amount of Debt Securities that we may issue under it. We may issue Debt Securities from time to time under the Indentures in one or more series by entering into supplemental indentures or by our Board, a Board committee or at least two of our senior officers authorizing the issuance. A form of supplemental indenture to each of the Indentures to establish a new series of Debt Securities is an exhibit to the registration statement.

 

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We have the ability to borrow funds under a $4 billion external credit facility we entered into jointly with Dominion and Virginia Power with a syndicate of lenders. Currently our sub-limit under this credit facility is $500 million, all of which is currently available, and can be increased or decreased multiple times per year, up to a maximum of $1 billion. We also have the ability to borrow funds under a $500 million external credit facility we entered into jointly with Dominion and Virginia Power with another syndicate of lenders. Our current sub-limit under this credit facility is $0 and can be increased or decreased multiple times per year. We also have the ability to borrow funds from Dominion under long-term borrowing arrangements. There were no long-term borrowings with Dominion as of March 31, 2014.

 

We depend on both internal and external sources of liquidity to provide working capital and as a bridge to long-term debt financings. Short-term cash requirements not met by cash provided by operations will generally be satisfied with proceeds from short-term borrowings from Dominion under an intercompany revolving credit agreement (IRCA) or from Dominion’s money pool. As of March 31, 2014, our borrowings under the IRCA totaled $1.3 billion and we had no borrowings under the Dominion money pool.

 

The Indentures do not protect the holders of Debt Securities if we incur additional indebtedness or engage in a highly leveraged transaction.

 

Provisions of a Particular Series

 

The Debt Securities of a series need not be issued at the same time, bear interest at the same rate or mature on the same date. Unless otherwise provided in the terms of a series, a series may be reopened, without notice to or consent of any holder of outstanding Debt Securities, for issuances of additional Debt Securities of that series. The prospectus supplement or other offering materials for a particular series of Debt Securities will describe the terms of that series, including, if applicable, some or all of the following:

 

 

the title and type of the Debt Securities;

 

 

the total principal amount of the Debt Securities;

 

 

the portion of the principal payable upon acceleration of maturity, if other than the entire principal;

 

 

the date or dates on which principal is payable or the method for determining the date or dates, and any right that we have to change the date on which principal is payable;

 

 

the interest rate or rates, if any, or the method for determining the rate or rates, and the date or dates from which interest will accrue;

 

 

any interest payment dates and the regular record date for the interest payable on each interest payment date, if any;

 

 

any payments due if the maturity of the Debt Securities is accelerated;

 

 

any optional redemption terms, or any terms regarding repayment at the option of the holder;

 

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any provisions that would obligate us to repurchase, repay or otherwise redeem the Debt Securities, or any sinking fund provisions;

 

 

the currency in which payments will be made if other than U.S. dollars, and the manner of determining the equivalent of those amounts in U.S. dollars;

 

 

if payments may be made, at our election or at the holder’s election, in a currency other than that in which the Debt Securities are stated to be payable, then the currency in which those payments may be made, the terms and conditions of the election and the manner of determining those amounts;

 

 

any index or formula used for determining principal, interest, or premium, if any;

 

 

the percentage of the principal amount at which the Debt Securities will be issued, if other than 100% of the principal amount;

 

 

whether the Debt Securities are to be issued in fully registered certificated form or in book-entry form, represented by certificates deposited with the Trustee and registered in the name of a securities depositary or its nominee (Book-Entry Debt Securities);

 

 

denominations, if other than $1,000 each or multiples of $1,000;

 

 

any rights that would allow us to defer or extend an interest payment date in connection with any series of Debt Securities;

 

 

the identity of the series trustee, if other than the Trustee;

 

 

any changes to events of defaults or covenants;

 

 

if any series of Debt Securities will not be subject to defeasance or covenant defeasance; and

 

 

any other terms of the Debt Securities. (Sections 201 & 301 of the Senior Indenture & Sections 2.1& 2.3 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

The prospectus supplement will also indicate any special tax implications of the Debt Securities and any provisions granting special rights to holders when a specified event occurs.

 

Redemption

 

No Debt Security will be subject to amortization or redemption, unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials. Any provisions relating to the amortization or redemption of Debt Securities will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials, including whether amortization or redemption is mandatory or at our option. If no redemption date or redemption price is indicated with respect to a Debt Security, we may not redeem the Debt Security prior to its stated maturity. Debt Securities subject to redemption by us will be subject to the following terms:

 

 

redeemable on and after the applicable redemption dates;

 

 

redemption dates and redemption prices fixed at the time of sale and set forth on the Debt Security; and

 

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redeemable in whole or in part (provided that any remaining principal amount of the Debt Security will be equal to an authorized denomination) at our option at the applicable redemption price, together with interest, payable to the date of redemption, on notice given not more than 60 nor less than 20 days prior to the date of redemption. (Section 1104 of the Senior Indenture & Section 3.2 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

We will not be required to:

 

 

issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any Debt Securities of a series during the period beginning 15 days before the date the Debt Securities of that series are selected for redemption; or

 

 

register the transfer of, or exchange any Debt Security of that series selected for redemption except the unredeemed portion of a Debt Security being partially redeemed. (Section 305 of the Senior Indenture & Section 2.5 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Repayment at the Option of the Holders; Repurchases by the Company

 

We must repay the Debt Securities at the option of the holders prior to the Stated Maturity Date only if specified in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials. Unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement or other offering materials, the Debt Securities subject to repayment at the option of the holder will be subject to repayment:

 

 

on the specified Repayment Dates; and

 

 

at a repayment price equal to 100% of the unpaid principal amount to be repaid, together with unpaid interest accrued to the Repayment Date (Section 1302 of the Senior Indenture & Section 3.5 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

For any Debt Security to be repaid, the Trustee must receive, at its office maintained for that purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, New York City not more than 180 nor less than 60 calendar days prior to the date of repayment:

 

 

in the case of a certificated Debt Security, the certificated Debt Security and the form in the Debt Security entitled Option of Holder to Elect Purchase duly completed; or

 

 

in the case of a book-entry Debt Security, instructions to that effect from the beneficial owner to the securities depositary and forwarded by the securities depositary. Exercise of the repayment option by the holder will be irrevocable. (Section 1303 of the Senior Indenture & Section 3.6 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Only the securities depositary may exercise the repayment option in respect of beneficial interests in the book-entry Debt Securities. Accordingly, beneficial owners that desire repayment in respect of all or any portion of their beneficial interests must instruct the participants through which they own their interests to direct the securities depositary to exercise the repayment option on their behalf. All instructions given to participants from beneficial owners relating to the option to elect repayment will be irrevocable. In addition, at the time the instructions are given, each beneficial owner will cause the participant through

 

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which it owns its interest to transfer its interest in the book-entry Debt Securities or the global certificate representing the related book-entry Debt Securities, on the securities depositary’s records, to the Trustee. See DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES—Global Securities.

 

Option to Extend Interest Payment Period

 

If elected in the applicable supplemental indenture, we may defer interest payments on the Debt Securities by extending the interest payment period for the number of consecutive extension periods specified in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials (each, an Extension Period). Other details regarding the Extension Period, including any limit on our ability to make distributions during the Extension Period, will also be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials. No Extension Period may extend beyond the maturity of the applicable series of Debt Securities. At the end of the Extension Period(s), we will pay all interest then accrued and unpaid, together with interest compounded quarterly at the interest rate for the applicable series of Debt Securities, to the extent permitted by applicable law. (Section 301(27) of the Senior Indenture & 2.10 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Payment and Transfer; Paying Agent

 

The paying agent will pay the principal of any Debt Securities only if those Debt Securities are surrendered to it. Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials, the paying agent will pay principal, interest and premium, if any, on Debt Securities, subject to such surrender, where applicable, at its office or, at our option:

 

 

by wire transfer to an account at a banking institution in the United States that is designated in writing to the Trustee prior to the deadline set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials by the person entitled to that payment (which in the case of Book-Entry Debt Securities is the securities depositary or its nominee); or

 

 

by check mailed to the address of the person entitled to that interest as that address appears in the security register for those Debt Securities. (Sections 307 & 1001 of the Senior Indenture & Section 4.1 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Neither we nor the Trustee will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in a Book-Entry Debt Security, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to the beneficial ownership interests. We expect that the securities depositary, upon receipt of any payment of principal, interest or premium, if any, in a Book-Entry Debt Security, will credit immediately the accounts of the related participants with payment in amounts proportionate to their respective holdings in principal amount of beneficial interest in the Book-Entry Debt Security as shown on the records of the securities depositary. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in a Book-Entry Debt Security will be governed by standing customer instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name” and will be the responsibility of the participants.

 

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Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials, the Trustee will act as paying agent for the Debt Securities, and the principal corporate trust office of the Trustee will be the office through which the paying agent acts. We may, however, change or add paying agents or approve a change in the office through which a paying agent acts. (Section 1002 of the Senior Indenture & Section 4.4 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Any money that we have paid to a paying agent for principal or interest on any Debt Securities which remains unclaimed at the end of two years after that principal or interest has become due will be repaid to us at our request. After repayment to the Company, holders should look only to us for those payments. (Section 1003 of the Senior Indenture & Section 12.4 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Fully registered securities may be transferred or exchanged at the corporate trust office of the Trustee or at any other office or agency we maintain for those purposes, without the payment of any service charge except for any tax or governmental charge and related expenses. (Section 1002 of the Senior Indenture & Section 2.5 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Global Securities

 

We may issue some or all of the Debt Securities as Book-Entry Debt Securities. Book-Entry Debt Securities will be represented by one or more fully registered global certificates. Book-Entry Debt Securities of like tenor and terms up to $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount may be represented by a single global certificate. Each global certificate will be deposited with the Trustee and registered in the name of the securities depositary or its nominee. Unless it is exchanged in whole or in part for Debt Securities in definitive form, a global certificate may generally be transferred only as a whole unless it is being transferred to certain nominees of the depositary. (Section 305 of the Senior Indenture & Section 2.5 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Unless otherwise stated in any prospectus supplement or other offering materials, The Depository Trust Company will act as the securities depositary. Beneficial interests in global certificates will be shown on, and transfers of global certificates will be effected only through, records maintained by the securities depositary and its participants. If there are any additional or differing terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to the Book-Entry Debt Securities, we will describe them in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials.

 

Holders of beneficial interests in Book-Entry Debt Securities represented by a global certificate are referred to as beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will be limited to institutions having accounts with the securities depositary or its nominee, which are called participants in this discussion, and to persons that hold beneficial interests through participants. When a global certificate representing Book-Entry Debt Securities is issued, the securities depositary will credit on its book-entry, registration and transfer system the principal amounts of Book-Entry Debt Securities the global certificate represents to the accounts of its participants.

 

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Ownership of beneficial interests in a global certificate will be shown only on, and the transfer of those ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by:

 

 

the securities depositary, with respect to participants’ interests; and

 

 

any participant, with respect to interests the participant holds on behalf of other persons.

 

As long as the securities depositary or its nominee is the registered holder of a global certificate representing Book-Entry Debt Securities, that person will be considered the sole owner and holder of the global certificate and the Book-Entry Debt Securities it represents for all purposes. Except in limited circumstances, beneficial owners:

 

 

may not have the global certificate or any Book-Entry Debt Securities it represents registered in their names;

 

 

may not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificated Book-Entry Debt Securities in exchange for the global certificate; and

 

 

will not be considered the owners or holders of the global certificate or any Book-Entry Debt Securities it represents for any purposes under the Debt Securities or the Indentures. (Section 308 of the Senior Indenture & Section 2.2 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

We will make all payments of principal, interest and premium, if any, on a Book-Entry Debt Security to the securities depositary or its nominee as the holder of the global certificate. The laws of some jurisdictions require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. These laws may impair the ability to transfer beneficial interests in a global certificate.

 

Payments participants make to beneficial owners holding interests through those participants will be the responsibility of those participants. The securities depositary may from time to time adopt various policies and procedures governing payments, transfers, exchanges and other matters relating to beneficial interests in a global certificate. None of the following will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the securities depositary’s or any participant’s records relating to beneficial interests in a global certificate representing Book-Entry Debt Securities, for payments made on account of those beneficial interests or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to those beneficial interests:

 

 

the Company;

 

 

the Trustee; or

 

 

any agent of any of the above.

 

Covenants

 

Under the Indentures we will:

 

 

pay the principal, interest and premium, if any, on the Debt Securities when due;

 

 

maintain a place of payment;

 

 

deliver an officer’s certificate to the Trustee at the end of each fiscal year confirming our compliance with our obligations under each of the Indentures;

 

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preserve and keep in full force and effect our limited liability existence except as provided in the Indentures; and

 

 

deposit sufficient funds with any paying agent on or before the due date for any principal, interest or premium, if any. (Sections 1001, 1002, 1003, & 1006 of the Senior Indenture & Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4 & 4.6 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Consolidation, Merger or Sale

 

The Indentures provide that we may not merge or consolidate with any other corporation or sell or convey all or substantially all of our assets to any person unless (i) either we are the continuing corporation, or the successor corporation (if other than us) is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America or a State thereof or the District of Columbia and such corporation expressly assumes the due and punctual payment of the principal of and interest on the Debt Securities, and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions of the indenture to be performed by us by supplemental indenture in form satisfactory to the series trustee, executed and delivered to the series trustee by such corporation, and (ii) we or such successor corporation, as the case may be, will not, immediately after such merger or consolidation, or such sale or conveyance, be in default in the performance of any such covenant or condition.

 

In case of any such consolidation, merger or conveyance, such successor corporation will succeed to and be substituted for us, with the same effect as if it had been named as us in the applicable Indenture, and in the event of such conveyance (other than by way of a lease), we will be discharged of all of our obligations and covenants under the applicable Indenture and the Debt Securities. (Sections 801 & 802 of the Senior Indenture & Sections 11.1, 11.2 & 11.3 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Events of Default

 

Event of Default when used in each of the Indentures, will mean any of the following with respect to Debt Securities of any series:

 

 

failure to pay the principal or any premium on any Debt Security when due;

 

 

failure to deposit any sinking fund payment for that series when due that continues for 60 days;

 

 

failure to pay any interest on any Debt Securities of that series, when due, that continues for 60 days; provided that, if applicable, for this purpose, the date on which interest is due is the date on which we are required to make payment following any deferral of interest payments by us under the terms of the applicable series of Debt Securities that permit such deferrals;

 

 

failure to perform any other covenant in the Indentures (other than a covenant expressly included solely for the benefit of other series) that continues for 90 days after the Trustee or the holders of at least 33% of the outstanding Debt Securities of that series give written notice of the default;

 

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certain events in bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of the Company; or

 

 

any other Event of Default included in the Indentures or any supplemental indenture. (Section 501 of the Senior Indenture & Section 6.1 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

In the case of a general covenant default described above, the Trustee may extend the grace period. In addition, if holders of a particular series have given a notice of default, then holders of at least the same percentage of Debt Securities of that series, together with the Trustee, may also extend the grace period. The grace period will be automatically extended if we have initiated and are diligently pursuing corrective action.

 

An Event of Default for a particular series of Debt Securities does not necessarily constitute an Event of Default for any other series of Debt Securities issued under the Indentures. Additional events of default may be established for a particular series and, if established, will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, or other offering materials.

 

If an Event of Default for any series of Debt Securities occurs and continues, the Trustee or the holders of at least 33% in aggregate principal amount of the Debt Securities of the series may declare the entire principal of all the Debt Securities of that series to be due and payable immediately. If this happens, subject to certain conditions, the holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the Debt Securities of that series can void the declaration. (Section 502 of the Senior Indenture & Section 6.1 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

The Trustee may withhold notice to the holders of Debt Securities of any default (except in the payment of principal or interest) if it considers the withholding of notice to be in the best interests of the holders. Other than its duties in case of a default, a Trustee is not obligated to exercise any of its rights or powers under the Indentures at the request, order or direction of any holders, unless the holders offer the Trustee reasonable indemnity. If they provide this reasonable indemnification, the holders of a majority in principal amount of any series of Debt Securities may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding or any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any power conferred upon the Trustee, for any series of Debt Securities. However, the Trustee must give the holders of Debt Securities notice of any default to the extent provided by the Trust Indenture Act. (Sections 512, 601, 602 & 603 of the Senior Indenture & Sections 6.6, 6.7 & 7.2 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

The holder of any Debt Security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal, any premium and, within certain limitations, any interest on that Debt Security on its maturity date or redemption date and to enforce those payments. (Section 508 of the Senior Indenture & Section 14.2 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Satisfaction; Discharge

 

We may discharge all our obligations (except those described below) to holders of the Debt Securities issued under the Indentures, which Debt Securities have not already been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation and which either have become due and payable or are

 

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by their terms due and payable within one year, or are to be called for redemption within one year, by depositing with the Trustee an amount certified to be sufficient to pay when due the principal, interest and premium, if any, on all outstanding Debt Securities. However, certain of our obligations under the Indentures will survive, including with respect to the following:

 

 

remaining rights to register the transfer, conversion, substitution or exchange of Debt Securities of the applicable series;

 

 

rights of holders to receive payments of principal of, and any interest on, the Debt Securities of the applicable series, and other rights, duties and obligations of the holders of Debt Securities with respect to any amounts deposited with the Trustee; and

 

 

the rights, obligations and immunities of the Trustee under the Indentures. (Section 401 of Senior Indenture & Section 12.1 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Under U.S. federal income tax law as in effect as of the date of this prospectus, a discharge may be treated as an exchange of the related Debt Securities. Each holder might be required to recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the holder’s cost or other tax basis for the Debt Securities and the value of the holder’s interest in the defeasance trust. Holders might be required to include as income a different amount than would be includable without the discharge. We urge prospective investors to consult their own tax advisors as to the consequences of a discharge, including the applicability and effect of tax laws other than U.S. federal income tax law.

 

Defeasance

 

Unless we elect differently in the applicable supplemental indenture, we will be discharged from our obligations on the Debt Securities of any series, as applicable, at any time if we deposit with the Trustee sufficient cash or government securities to pay the principal, interest, any premium and any other sums due to the stated maturity date or a redemption date of the Debt Securities of the series. If this happens, the holders of the Debt Securities of the series will not be entitled to the benefits of the Senior Indenture or Subordinated Indenture, as applicable, except for registration of transfer and exchange of Debt Securities and replacement of lost, stolen or mutilated Debt Securities. (Section 402 of the Senior Indenture and Section 12.5 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Under federal income tax law as of the date of this prospectus, a discharge under these circumstances may be treated as an exchange of the related Debt Securities. Each holder might be required to recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the holder’s cost or other tax basis for the Debt Securities and the value of the holder’s interest in the defeasance trust. Holders might be required to include as income a different amount than would be includable without the discharge. We urge prospective investors to consult their own tax advisers as to the consequences of such a discharge, including the applicability and effect of tax laws other than U.S. federal income tax law.

 

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Modification of Indentures; Waiver

 

Under the Indentures our rights and obligations and the rights of the holders may be modified with the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of each series affected by the modification. No modification of the principal or interest payment terms, and no modification reducing the percentage required for modifications, is effective against any holder without its consent. (Section 902 of the Senior Indenture & Section 10.2 of the Subordinated Indenture.) In addition, we may supplement the Indentures to create new series of Debt Securities and for certain other purposes, without the consent of any holders of Debt Securities. (Section 901 of the Senior Indenture & Section 10.1 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

The holders of a majority of the outstanding Debt Securities of all series under the applicable Indenture with respect to which a default has occurred and is continuing may waive a default for all those series, except a default in the payment of principal or interest, or any premium, on any Debt Securities or a default with respect to a covenant or provision which cannot be amended or modified without the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debt Security of the series affected. (Section 513 of the Senior Indenture & Section 6.6 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

In addition, under certain circumstances, the holders of a majority of the outstanding Junior Subordinated Notes of any series may waive in advance, for that series, our compliance with certain restrictive provisions of the Subordinated Indenture under which those Junior Subordinated Notes were issued. (Section 4.8 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Concerning the Trustee

 

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas is the Trustee under the Senior Indenture and is expected to be the Trustee under the Subordinated Indenture if we enter into the Subordinated Indenture. We and certain of our affiliates maintain deposit accounts and banking relationships with Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas. Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas also serves as trustee under other indentures pursuant to which securities of ours and of certain of our affiliates are outstanding. Affiliates of Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas have purchased, and are likely to purchase in the future, our securities and securities of our affiliates. The Trustee will perform only those duties that are specifically described in the Indentures unless an event of default under an Indenture occurs and is continuing. The Trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of its powers under the Indentures at the request of any holder of Debt Securities unless that holder offers reasonable indemnity to the Trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities which it might incur as a result. (Section 601 of the Senior Indenture & Section 7.1 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

The Indentures permit us to name a different trustee for individual series of Debt Securities. If named, a series trustee performs the duties that would otherwise be performed by the Trustee under the applicable Indenture with respect to that series; the series trustee will have no greater liabilities or obligations and will be entitled to all the rights and exculpations with respect to such series that would otherwise be available to the Trustee. If a series trustee is

 

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named, information about any series trustee will be disclosed in the prospectus supplement and the Trustee under the applicable Indenture will have no responsibility with respect to that series.

 

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas administers its corporate trust business at 60 Wall Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10005 or such other address as the Trustee may notify to the Company from time to time.

 

ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SENIOR DEBT SECURITIES

 

Limitation on Liens

 

While any of the Senior Debt Securities are outstanding, we are not permitted to create liens upon any Principal Property (as defined below) or upon any shares of stock of any Material Subsidiary (as defined below), which we now own or will own in the future, to secure any of our debt, unless at the same time we provide that the Senior Debt Securities will also be secured by that lien on an equal and ratable basis. However, we are generally permitted to create the following types of liens:

 

(1)   purchase money liens on future property acquired by us; liens of any kind existing on property or shares of stock at the time they are acquired by us; conditional sales agreements and other title retention agreements on future property acquired by us (as long as none of those liens cover any of our other properties);

 

(2)   liens on our property or any shares of stock of any Material Subsidiary that existed as of the date the Notes were first issued; liens on the shares of stock of any corporation, which liens existed at the time that corporation became a Material Subsidiary; certain liens typically incurred in the ordinary course of business;

 

(3)   liens in favor of the United States (or any State), any foreign country or any department, agency or instrumentality or political subdivision of those jurisdictions, to secure payments pursuant to any contract or statute or to secure any debt incurred for the purpose of financing the purchase price or the cost of constructing or improving the property subject to those liens, including, for example liens to secure debt of the pollution control or industrial revenue bond type;

 

(4)   debt that we may issue in connection with a consolidation or merger of Dominion or any Material Subsidiary with or into any other company (including any of our affiliates or Material Subsidiaries) in exchange for secured debt of that company (Third Party Debt) as long as that debt (i) is secured by a mortgage on all or a portion of the property of that company, (ii) prohibits secured debt from being incurred by that company, unless the Third Party Debt is secured on an equal and ratable basis, or (iii) prohibits secured debt from being incurred by that company;

 

(5)   debt of another company that we must assume in connection with a consolidation or merger of that company, with respect to which any of our property is subjected to a lien;

 

(6)   liens on any property that we acquire, construct, develop or improve after the date the Senior Securities are first issued that are created before or within 18 months after the acquisition, construction, development or improvement of the property and secure the payment of the purchase price or related costs;

 

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(7)   liens in favor of us, our Material Subsidiaries or our wholly-owned subsidiaries;

 

(8)   the replacement, extension or renewal of any lien referred to above in clauses (1) through (7) as long as the amount secured by the liens or the property subject to the liens is not increased; and

 

(9)   any other lien not covered by clauses (1) through (8) above as long as immediately after the creation of the lien the aggregate principal amount of debt secured by all liens created or assumed under this clause (9) does not exceed 10% of the members’ equity, as shown on the company’s consolidated balance sheet for the accounting period occurring immediately prior to the creation or assumption of such lien.

 

When we use the term “lien” in this section, we mean any mortgage, lien, pledge, security interest or other encumbrance of any kind; “Material Subsidiary” means each of our subsidiaries whose total assets (as determined in accordance with GAAP in the United States) represent at least 20% of our total assets on a consolidated basis; and “Principal Property” means any of our plants or facilities located in the United States that in the opinion of our Board or management is of material importance to the business conducted by us and our consolidated subsidiaries taken as whole. (Section 1008 of the Senior Indenture.)

 

ADDITIONAL TERMS OF JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES

 

Subordination

 

Each series of Junior Subordinated Notes will be subordinate and junior in right of payment, to the extent set forth in the Subordinated Indenture, to all Priority Indebtedness as defined below. If:

 

 

we make a payment or distribution of any of our assets to creditors upon our dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization, whether in bankruptcy, insolvency or otherwise;

 

 

a default beyond any grace period has occurred and is continuing with respect to the payment of principal, interest or any other monetary amounts due and payable on any Priority Indebtedness; or

 

 

the maturity of any Priority Indebtedness has been accelerated because of a default on that Priority Indebtedness unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement and offering materials,

 

then the holders of Priority Indebtedness generally will have the right to receive payment, in the case of the first instance, of all amounts due or to become due upon that Priority Indebtedness, and, in the case of the second and third instances, of all amounts due on that Priority Indebtedness, or we will make provision for those payments, before the holders of any Junior Subordinated Notes have the right to receive any payments of principal or interest on their Junior Subordinated Notes. (Sections 14.1 & 14.9 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

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Priority Indebtedness means, with respect to any series of Junior Subordinated Notes, the principal, premium, interest and any other payment in respect of any of the following:

 

 

all of our current and future indebtedness for borrowed or purchased money or other similar instruments whether or not evidenced by notes, debentures, bonds or other written instruments;

 

 

our obligations for reimbursement under letters of credit, banker’s acceptances, security purchase facilities or similar facilities issued for our account;

 

 

any of our other indebtedness or obligations with respect to derivative contracts, including commodity contracts, interest rate, commodity and currency swap agreements, forward contracts and other similar agreements or arrangements; and

 

 

all indebtedness of others of the kinds described in the preceding categories which we have assumed or guaranteed.

 

Priority Indebtedness will not include our obligations to trade creditors or indebtedness to our subsidiaries. (Section 1.1 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

Priority Indebtedness will be entitled to the benefits of the subordination provisions in the Subordinated Indenture irrespective of the amendment, modification or waiver of any term of the Priority Indebtedness. We may not amend the Subordinated Indenture to change the subordination of any outstanding Priority Indebtedness without the consent of each holder of Priority Indebtedness that the amendment would adversely affect. (Sections 10.2 & 14.7 of the Subordinated Indenture.)

 

The Subordinated Indenture does not limit the amount of Priority Indebtedness that we may issue.

 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

We may sell the securities being offered hereby in any one or more of the following ways:

 

 

directly to purchasers;

 

 

through agents;

 

 

to or through underwriters; or

 

 

through dealers.

 

We may distribute the securities from time to time in one or more transactions at:

 

 

a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

 

 

market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

 

prices related to prevailing market prices; or

 

 

negotiated prices.

 

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We may directly solicit offers to purchase securities, or we may designate agents to solicit such offers. We will, in the prospectus supplement or other offering materials relating to such offering, name any agent that could be viewed as an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and describe any commissions we must pay. Any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment or, if indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials, on a firm commitment basis. Agents, dealers and underwriters may be customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

 

If any underwriters or agents are utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will enter into an underwriting agreement or other agreement with them at the time of sale to them, and we will set forth in the prospectus supplement or other offering materials relating to such offering their names and the terms of our agreement with them.

 

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will sell such securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell such securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealer at the time of resale.

 

The securities may also be offered and sold, if so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials, in connection with a remarketing upon their purchase, in accordance with a redemption or repayment pursuant to their terms, or otherwise, by one or more remarketing firms, acting as principals for their own accounts or as agents for us. Any remarketing firm will be identified and the terms of its agreement, if any, with us and its compensation will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials.

 

Remarketing firms, agents, underwriters and dealers may be entitled under agreements which they may enter into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

 

In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities or any other securities the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, any underwriters may over-allot in connection with the offering, creating a short position for their own accounts. In addition, to cover over-allotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of any such other securities, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the securities or any such other securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of the securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. Any such underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.

 

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We may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third parties may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of securities, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of securities. The third parties in such sale transactions will be underwriters and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials (or a post-effective amendment).

 

We or one of our affiliates may loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities using this prospectus. Such financial institution or third party may transfer its short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a simultaneous offering of other securities offered by this prospectus or otherwise.

 

Any underwriter, agent or dealer utilized in the initial offering of securities will not confirm sales to accounts over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of its customer.

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

McGuireWoods LLP, counsel to the Company, will issue an opinion about the legality of the offered securities for us. As of May 31, 2014, partners of McGuireWoods LLP owned less than one-half of one percent of common stock of Dominion, our parent company, and none of our membership interests. Underwriters, dealers or agents, if any, who we will identify in a prospectus supplement or other offering materials, may have their counsel pass upon certain legal matters in connection with the securities offered by this prospectus.

 

EXPERTS

 

The consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2013 incorporated in this Prospectus by reference from the Dominion Gas Holdings, LLC Current report on Form 8-K dated June 26, 2014 have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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