News from Energy Association of New York State

For more information contact: Patrick J. Curran, 518-449-3440

National Fuel Gas Joins The Energy Association of NYS

ALBANY, NY (05/15/2008; 1602)(readMedia)-- The Energy Association of New York State today announced that National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation (National Fuel), the utility segment of the Williamsville New York based National Fuel Gas Company, of has become the newest member of the Association.

"We are delighted to welcome National Fuel into the family of Energy Association member companies" said Patrick J. Curran, Executive Director of the Association. "As a company that for more than 100 years has been providing safe, reliable, affordable energy and energy services in western New York State, National Fuel is a natural fit for the Energy Association. Like the other member companies, National Fuel is charged with the obligation to meet vital, pervasive public needs on a 24/7/365 basis, providing the natural gas and other energy services and commodities that have become indispensable to modern living; and like our other member companies, National Fuel does this so successfully that it's customers benefit from levels of energy reliability unsurpassed anywhere in the world. We look forward to working with National Fuel's CEO Dave Smith and the entire National Fuel team and to building on their legacy of success for many years to come."

"We are pleased to join the Energy Association, which is such a capable and effective advocate for New York State utilities and our customers. As instability in the energy marketplace continues and the price for all energies, natural gas included, is becoming more and more difficult for our customers to manage, we look forward to joining with the Energy Association and our other partners in the utility business to work with those stakeholders who can help advance changes that will help bring down prices while maintaining necessary and robust levels of energy production. We are firmly committed to helping our customers cope with the costliest element of their energy bill, gas supply charges, where neither we nor other utilities in New York earn a profit, while maintaining stability in our costs of doing business and the delivery service charges our customers pay" said David F. Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Fuel Gas Company.

The member companies of the Energy Association are the owners and operators of much the state's natural gas and electric infrastructure, comprised of many hundreds of thousands of individual shareholders including a great many New Yorkers and retirees, employing over 28,000 New Yorkers, serving over 7 million New York customers and their families and businesses, annually paying over $2.5 billion in state and local taxes and contributing tens of millions of dollars annually to community and charitable purposes. For more than 30 years The Energy Association has played a significant role in helping shape New York's energy policies by supporting and coordinating the state government relations activities of its member companies with respect to legislation, regulation, and other state government activities impacting natural gas and electricity in New York.

-30-