MERRILLVILLE-Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of NiSource Inc., was recognized for its environmental efforts at the Indiana Trails and Greenways Conference awards banquet in Indianapolis on Monday. NIPSCO received the "Outstanding Corporation" award for promoting the development of trails and greenways throughout Indiana and the surrounding area. The biennial conference is organized and sponsored by more than 35 government, environmental and non-profit organizations.

"NIPSCO is honored to be recognized with such a prestigious award," said Art Smith, NiSource vice president and environmental counsel, who accepted the award on NIPSCO's behalf. "Our environmental efforts provide additional public access for our customers and the communities we serve, while enhancing the habitat of those areas."

Smith stated that NIPSCO was specifically recognized for its work with the Calumet Trail, which is a bike trail that begins at the company's Bailly Generating Station in Porter and ends in Michigan City; and the Lackawanna Trail, which travels from Schererville to Crown Point. Both trails follow a NIPSCO electric and gas right-of-way.

"The Calumet Trail could not have been possible without NIPSCO providing an easement onto their property," said Steven Morris, conference co-chair and Outdoor Recreation Division representative for the Department of Natural Resources. "The trail is quite an asset to the area."

"I agree," said Rory Robinson, conference co-chair and National Park Service representative. "I think it's very exciting to see a utility that recognizes recreation opportunities for its communities, and then works to develop those opportunities for its customers."

The award is one of several environmental accolades that NIPSCO has earned in recent years. Earlier this month Project Habitat, a consortium of utility and wildlife organizations, recognized NIPSCO for improving the habitat for wildlife on utility rights-of-way while ensuring electric reliability. In addition, NIPSCO was the first utility to receive the prestigious Blue Heron Award from the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The Blue Heron Award recognized NIPSCO in 1999 for its land donation, contributions for local environmental projects, redevelopment of brownfields and efforts to reduce air emissions.

"NIPSCO and other NiSource subsidiary companies seek to partner with community and government groups throughout their service territories to incorporate public access and habitat improvements into their business activities," Smith added. "Our commitment to the communities we serve, our customers and the environment is unwavering," Smith continued. "This award proves that our continued efforts help maintain a balance between the environment and industry."

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.