November 22, 2000

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Larry Graham
NIPSCO Acting Communications Manager
(219) 647-6375

NIPSCO SPONSORS TREE REPLACEMENT PROJECT

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. - Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of NiSource Inc., in cooperation with the city of East Chicago, will be replacing 22 trees on White Oak Avenue between Chicago and 149th Streets, East Chicago, Ind. The trees being replaced are heavily pruned tall growing trees that have grown into the overhead power lines. To ensure a safe clearance from wires and provide reliable electrical service for residents, NIPSCO and the city of East Chicago agreed to remove these trees. They will be replaced by 27 Zumi Crabapple trees, which will offer many years of beauty without the risk of reaching the overhead power lines. This project began in mid-November and will conclude by Dec. 1. Students from Bishop Noll Institute, Hammond, Ind., will be participating in the planting and will be educated on planting the right tree in the right place. In addition, NIPSCO will plant three Ginkgo trees at Bishop Noll.

"NIPSCO's main focus is to provide safe, reliable service to its customers," said Jim Barnhart, supervisor, Forestry Operations. "In order to provide customers with reliable service, NIPSCO must educate the public about proper tree care and planting."

Informing the public on proper tree care, participating in community tree plantings, and proper employee training has allowed NIPSCO to be been named a Tree Line USA Utility by the National Arbor Day Foundation for the past seven years.

For more information on choosing trees that are compatible for planting near overhead power lines, request our free brochure "Selecting the Right Tree, Choosing the Right Place" by calling 1-800-4-NIPSCO (1-800-464-7726) or visit NIPSCO's Web site at www.nipsco.nisource.com/custserv/brochure.htm and select the planting brochure.

Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), with local headquarters in Merrillville, Ind., serves approximately 700,000 gas and 425,000 electric customers in 32 Indiana counties. NIPSCO is a subsidiary of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI), a holding company with headquarters in Merrillville, Ind., whose operating companies engage in virtually all phases of the natural gas business from exploration and production to transmission, storage and distribution, as well as electric generation, transmission and distribution. As the second largest natural gas distributor in the U.S., NiSource companies serve a high-growth energy corridor from the Gulf of Mexico to the Midwest to New England. NiSource distribution companies serve 3.6 million gas and electric customers primarily in nine states.