Ceiling Test	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industries Disclosures [Abstract]
Ceiling Test	Ceiling Test Dominion follows the full cost method of accounting for its gas and oil E&P activities, which subjects capitalized costs to a quarterly ceiling test using hedge-adjusted prices. Due to the April 2010 sale of substantially all of its Appalachian E&P operations, as of September 30, 2011, Dominion no longer has any significant gas and oil properties subject to the ceiling test calculation. At March 31, 2010, Dominion recorded a ceiling test impairment charge of $21 million ($13 million after-tax) in other operations and maintenance expense in its Consolidated Statement of Income primarily due to a decline in hedge-adjusted prices reflecting the discontinuance of hedge accounting for certain cash flow hedges, as discussed in Note 3.

Ceiling Test

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industries Disclosures [Abstract]

Dominion follows the full cost method of accounting for its gas and oil E&P activities, which subjects capitalized costs to a quarterly ceiling test using hedge-adjusted prices. Due to the April 2010 sale of substantially all of its Appalachian E&P operations, as of September 30, 2011, Dominion no longer has any significant gas and oil properties subject to the ceiling test calculation.

At March 31, 2010, Dominion recorded a ceiling test impairment charge of $21 million ($13 million after-tax) in other operations and maintenance expense in its Consolidated Statement of Income primarily due to a decline in hedge-adjusted prices reflecting the discontinuance of hedge accounting for certain cash flow hedges, as discussed in Note 3.