FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 04, 2001

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
Julia Van De Water, Manager
Corporate Communications
219-647-6375

NEARLY 900 RECEIVE HELP THROUGH NIPSCO FUND

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. - Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) reported today that nearly 900 customers have received approximately $250,000 through the company's Supplemental Energy Assistance Fund. NIPSCO announced in April that it had set aside $1.3 million to help customers pay this past winter's heating bills. The program will continue until all of the money is distributed. The NIPSCO Supplemental Energy Assistance Fund is a company-sponsored program designed to assist customers who have had difficulty, possibly for the first time, in paying their 2000-2001 winter natural gas bills.

"Since the announcement of this program in April, we have been monitoring its progress closely," said Violet Sistovaris, executive director of NIPSCO Customer Service. "We recognize that a significant amount is still available so we've changed some of the initial qualifications of the program to make it easier for our customers to qualify and get the help they need-particularly those customers who are not accustomed to asking for help."

"This is wonderful," said Naiomi Roby, a Gary resident and talk show host at AM 1370, WLTH in Gary. "It seems like all the help available always goes to the same people. It's nice to know that there is help out there for working-class people too."

Roby, who hosts "Northwest Indiana This Morning" from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, said that she has mentioned NIPSCO's assistance program to listeners several times and encourages them to call the Salvation Army to see if they qualify.

"There is absolutely nothing to feel ashamed about having to ask for help. That's what it's there for."

Roby said that within 15 minutes of her scheduled appointment at the Gary Salvation Army office, she had qualified for her assistance. "It was so easy," she said. "I just brought what the Salvation Army people told me to bring when I made my appointment. They were so nice too-they treated me with respect."

Sistovaris said the fund was created to assist NIPSCO customers who typically don't qualify for energy assistance under Indiana's Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) guidelines. Instead, NIPSCO's fund focuses on customers who have received a notice of discontinuation for service and demonstrate they are within the 175 to 250 percentiles of state poverty guidelines. Sistovaris added that under enhanced guidelines BudgetPlan customers who are currently in arrears may be considered for assistance.

Salvation Army offices located across NIPSCO's service territory will continue to administer the funds for NIPSCO. Customers who think they may qualify should contact a local Salvation Army office immediately.

"We encourage our customers to call their local Salvation Army office as soon as possible to see if they qualify," said Violet Sistovaris. "And we encourage those customers who may have previously been ineligible to re-apply if the changes to the qualifications apply to them." In addition to the Salvation Army offices available to NIPSCO customers throughout its service territory, many of the Salvation Army offices in northern Indiana already administer NIPSCO's Gift of Warmth dollars and are very familiar with energy assistance programs.

Recognizing the difficulty its customers faced this heating season, NIPSCO shareholders increased the dollar match for NIPSCO's Gift of Warmth program this year to two dollars for every dollar raised in each community.

NIPSCO, with headquarters in Merrillville, Ind., is one of the 10 energy distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI). With approximately 700,000 natural gas customers and 430,000 electric customers across the northern third of Indiana, NIPSCO is the largest natural gas distribution company, and the second largest electric distribution company, in the state. NiSource distribution companies serve 3.6 million natural gas and electric customers primarily in nine states. More information about NIPSCO is available at www.nipsco.com.