February 26, 1999

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — Residential customers in St. Joseph County and business customers across northern Indiana who may be interested in participating in the NIPSCO Choice program now have three additional options for enrollment in the program. Program participants now can sign up via the phone, fax, or Internet.

"These additional enrollment options provide people interested in participating in NIPSCO Choice with an easy and convenient means of doing so," said Peggy Landini, vice president of Commercial Operations at Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO).

The procedure will begin March 1. Customers may obtain information on electronic enrollment by calling the following qualified suppliers:

• Columbia Energy

• NICOR Energy, L.L.C.

• Volunteer Energy Services

• NESI Integrated Energy

More information about NIPSCO Choice is available via the Internet at www.nipsco.com or by calling 1-800-4-NIPSCO (1-800-464-7726). Customers also may call the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) at 1-888-441-2494, or visit its Web site at www.state.in.us./oucc. The OUCC is the state agency that represents the interests of utility consumers and the public in matters related to the provision of utility services. Participation in the NIPSCO Choice pilot program is voluntary. For customers who choose not to select a new supplier, service with NIPSCO will remain unchanged.

NIPSCO Choice is a part of NIPSCO’s alternative regulatory plan, which was approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) in October 1997. The plan provides for a transition to a more competitive natural gas market by giving all customers an opportunity to choose their natural gas supplier within the next several years.

Customers who select suppliers other than NIPSCO will continue to receive basic services from NIPSCO, including: distribution of natural gas from the interstate pipeline to the customer’s location; emergency services including leak response; 24-hour toll-free customer service response phone line; metering and billing; and design, installation and maintenance of the gas transmission and distribution pipeline system.

NIPSCO, a subsidiary of NIPSCO Industries, Inc. (NI), provides natural gas and electricity to a population of approximately 2.2 million across the northern third of Indiana. With nearly 700,000 gas customers and 416,000 electric customers, NIPSCO is the largest natural gas distribution company, and the second largest electric distribution company, in the state of Indiana.

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