The Plan and all rights thereunder shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. All references to time are Charlotte, North Carolina time. The following definitions will apply unless another definition is specifically provided in a grant agreement.
2.1 Administravive Committee means the Administrative Benefits Committee of Dominion Resources Services, Inc.
2.2 Administrator means Opt Capital or any successor entity designated by the Administrative Committee.
2.3 Affiliate means any corporation that is in a controlled group of corporations with the Company within the meaning of Section 414(b) of the Code.
2.4 Aggregate Fund Valuemeans, with respect to a Fund Option as of any date, the aggregate of the Fund Values for such Fund Option.
2.5 Allocation means with respect to a Fund Option as of any date, the percentage allocation of the Fund Option's Aggregate Fund Value among the types of Funds on the Fund Menu.
2.6 Allocation Election means the Fund Optionholder's written election made in accordance with Article 5 specifying the Grant Date Allocation of Fund Options granted on or after the date such election takes effect. The election shall be in substantially the form the Administrative Committee prescribes.
2.7 Beneficiary means the Person designated by a Participant pursuant to Article 11 to become the Fund Optionholder of specified Fund Options owned by the Participant upon the death of such Participant. If, however, there has been no such designation or an invalid designation, Beneficiary means the Person who becomes the Fund Optionholder pursuant to Section 11.2.
2.8 Board means the board of directors of the Company.
Page 1
2.9 Business Day means any day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.
2.10 Causemeans (i) fraud or material misappropriation with respect to the business or assets of the Company, (ii) persistent refusal or willful failure of the Participant to perform substantially his duties and responsibilities to the Company, which continues after the Participant receives notice of such refusal or failure, (iii) conviction of a felony or crime involving moral turpitude, or (iv) the use of drugs or alcohol that interferes materially with the Participant's performance of his duties.
2.11 Change of Control means the occurrence of any of the following events:
(a) Any person, including a "group" as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, becomes the owner or beneficial owner of Company securities having 20% or more of the combined voting power of the then outstanding Company securities that may be cast for the election of the Board (other than as a result of an issuance of securities initiated by the Company, or open market purchases approved by the Board, as long as the majority of the Board approving the purchases is also the majority at the time the purchases are made);
(b) As the direct or indirect result of, or in connection with, a cash tender or exchange offer, a merger or other business combination, a sale of assets, a contested election, or any combination of these transactions, the persons who were directors of the Company before such transactions cease to constitute a majority of the Board, or any successor's board, within two years of the last of such transactions; or
(c) With respect to a particular Participant, an event occurs with respect to the Participant's employer such that, after the event, the Participant's employer is no longer an Affiliate of the Company.
2.12 Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
2.13 Company means Dominion Resources, Inc., and any successor business by merger, purchase, or otherwise that maintains the Plan.
2.14 Compensation means a Participant's base salary, cash incentive pay and other cash compensation from the Company, including bonuses and pre-scheduled one-time performance-based payments. The Administrative Committee may determine whether to include or exclude an item of income from Compensation.
2.15 Deferral Election Form means the Form that a Participant uses to elect to defer Compensation pursuant to Article 3.
2.16 Deferred Compensation Plan means the Dominion Resources, Inc. Executives' Deferred Compensation Plan.
Page 2
2.17 Disability means the Participant has a condition that renders the Participant eligible for benefits under the Company's long-term disability plan or program applicable to the Participant.
2.18 Disability Termination means a Participant's Termination of Employment on account of Disability.
2.19 Effective Date is January 1, 2003.
2.20 Election Cutoff Time is 4 p.m. for elections made electronically to the Administrator, and 10:00 a.m. for elections communicated to the Administrator in person or via telephone, facsimile, email, or mail.
2.21 Election Datemeans the date by which an Employee must submit a valid Deferral Election Form. For each Plan Year, the Election Date shall be December 31 for deferrals of base salary, annual cash incentive award, long-term cash incentive payments and pre-scheduled one-time cash payments, unless the Administrative Committee sets an earlier Election Date. For a rollover election under Section 3.4(a), the Election Date shall be December 31, 2002 (unless the Administrative Committee sets an earlier Election Date) and such additional dates as established by Administrative Committee. The Election Date under Section 3.4(a) shall be not later than either (i) at least six (6) months prior to the commencement of the receipt of benefits under the Deferred Compensation Plan or (ii) at least one (1) month prior to the commencement of the receipt of benefits under the Deferred Compensation Plan if the election is appr oved by the Administrative Committee in its absolute discretion. For a rollover election under Section 3.4(b), the Election Date shall beeither (i) at least six (6) months prior to the commencement of the receipt of benefits under the Supplemental Retirement Plan or (ii) at least one (1) month prior to the commencement of the receipt of benefits under the Supplemental Retirement Plan if the election is approved by the Administrative Committee in its absolute discretion.
2.22 Employeemeans an individual who is employed by a Participating Company on a full-time salaried basis and whose terms and conditions of employment are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement.
2.23 Exercisemeans, with respect to a Fund Option, the Fund Optionholder's exercise of the right to purchase all or part of the Fund Option's Funds that are Vested.
2.24 Exercise Electionmeans the Fund Optionholder's written Exercise election made in accordance with Article 5, and which is in substantially the form the Administrative Committee prescribes.
2.25 Expirationmeans the occurrence of the Fund Option's Expiration Date without an Exercise.
2.26 Expiration Datemeans the date of Expiration of a Fund Option as provided in Section 6.2.
Page 3
2.27 Forfeituremeans, with respect to a Participant who incurs a Termination of Employment, the amount of the Participant's Unvested Shares that are forfeited by the Participant.
2.28 Fundmeans an open-end investment company that is registered as such under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
2.29 Fund Menumeans the menu of Funds, as approved from time to time by the Committee, that can serve as Funds for Fund Options. At its sole discretion, the Committee may change the number and type of Funds at any time and may establish procedures for the transition between Funds.
2.30 Fund Optionmeans each discrete bundle of rights the Participating Company grants to a Participant under this Plan to purchase a specified Fund, when Vested, at a specified Strike Price, subject to any conditions set forth in this Plan or in a Fund Option Agreement that applies to the Fund Option.
2.31 Fund Optionholdermeans, with respect to a Fund Option, the Person who is the beneficial owner of the Fund Option and the Fund Option's entitlements, including any rights the Fund Option gives the Fund Optionholder to Exercise the Fund Option, to allocate or reallocate the Funds of the Fund Options, or to assign the Fund Option.
2.32 Fund Returnmeans, with respect to a Fund Option, the rate of growth or decline of the Fund Option's Aggregate Fund Value.
2.33 Fund Valuemeans, with respect to one type of Fund of a Fund Option as of any date, the aggregate of the Share Values of such Fund.
2.34 Grantmeans the Participating Company's issuance or grant of a Fund Option to a Participant.
2.35 Grant Datemeans the date the Fund Option is granted to a Participant under Section 4.2.
2.36 Indexed Strike Pricemeans, as of the Grant Date, 90% of the Grant Date Aggregate Fund Value. Each Business Day after the Grant Date, the Indexed Strike Price is adjusted by the Indexed Strike Price Adjustment Factor.
2.37 Indexed Strike Price Adjustment Factormeans, with respect to a Fund Option, the Fund Return.
2.38 Issuermeans, with respect to a Fund, the Person that issues the Fund.
2.39 Minimum Strike Pricemeans, with respect to a Fund Option, 25% of the Grant Date Aggregate Fund Value.
Page 4
2.40 Participantmeans, as of any date, any Employee who has received one or more Fund Options from the Participating Company and any part of such Fund Options has not expired.
2.41 Participating Companymeans the Company and all Affiliates, unless the Administrative Committee determines that the Affiliate should not participate in the Plan. All Affiliates are deemed to have adopted the Plan. By its participation in the Plan, a Participating Company shall be deemed to appoint the Company its exclusive agent to exercise on its behalf all of the power and authority conferred by the Plan upon the Company and accept the delegation to the Administrative Committee of all the power and authority conferred upon it by the Plan. The authority of the Company to act as such agent shall continue until the Plan is terminated as to the Participating Company. The term "Participating Company" shall be construed as if the Plan were solely the Plan of such Participating Company, unless the context plainly requires otherwise.
2.42 Personmeans a natural person or any duly organized and validly existing entity such as a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association or trust.
2.43 Planmeans the Dominion Resources, Inc. Security Option Plan.
2.44 Plan Yearmeans the calendar year.
2.45 Pre-Termination Deathmeans the death of a Participant before a Termination of Employment, Retirement or Disability.
2.46 Reallocation Electionmeans with respect to a Fund Option, the Fund Optionholder's written election, made in accordance with Article 5 specifying an Allocation for such Fund Option. The election shall be in substantially the form the Administrative Committee prescribes.
2.47 Retirementmeans Termination of Employment with receipt of early or normal retirement benefits under the Dominion Resources Retirement Plan or any other tax-qualified defined benefit retirement plan of the Company or an Affiliate in which the Participant participates.
2.48 Rollover Amountis an amount equal to the Participant's benefits in the Deferred Compensation Plan and/or the Supplemental Retirement Plan that the Participant has elected to rollover to this Plan by properly completing a Rollover Election Form.
2.49 Rollover Election Formmeans the form that a Participant uses to rollover benefits to this Plan that are either (i) payable in the form of a lump sum payment from a Supplemental Retirement Plan or (ii) held for the benefit of the Participant in the Deferred Compensation Plan.
2.50 Savings Planmeans the Dominion Salaried Savings Plan.
2.51 Sharemeans an equal undivided interest in the Fund, as established by the Issuer.
Page 5
2.52 Share Valuemeans with respect to a Share as of any date the fair market value of the Share as of the close of business on such date, or, if such date is not a Business Day, the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding.
2.53 Special Optionmeans a Fund Option granted to a Participant at the discretion of the Company for any reason, including a Fund Option granted as a special performance award, as an inducement to initial or continued employment, or in lieu of a cash bonus or other compensation.
2.54 Spreadmeans, with respect to a Fund Option as of any date, the excess, if any, of the Fund Option's Aggregate Fund Value as of such date over the Fund Option's Strike Price as of such date.
2.55 Strike Pricemeans with respect to a Fund Option as of any date the greater of the Fund Option's Indexed Strike Price as of such date and the Fund Option's Minimum Strike Price as of such date.
2.56 Supplemental Retirement Planmeans the Dominion Resources, Inc. Retirement Benefit Restoration Plan and/or the Dominion Resources, Inc. Executive Supplemental Retirement Plan, and any similar plan that is maintained by a Participating Company.
2.57 Surviving Spousemeans the survivor of a deceased Fund Optionholder to whom such deceased Fund Optionholder was legally married (as determined by the Administrative Committee) immediately before the Fund Optionholder's death.
2.58 Termination of Employmentmeans a termination of employment with the Participating Company or an Affiliate as determined by regular practices and policies of the Participating Company or Affiliate, unless otherwise provided by the Administrative Committee; provided, however, that the transfer of an Employee from employment by one Participating Company or an Affiliate to employment by another Participating Company or Affiliate shall not constitute a Termination of Employment.
2.59 Trustmeans the Dominion Resources, Inc. Executive Security Trust.
2.60 Unvested Sharesmeans with respect to a Fund Option as of a given date the Shares of Funds that are not Vested.
2.61 Vestedmeans a Fund Option that is nonforfeitable and that can be exercised at any time by the Fund Optionholder.