Columbia Gas Transmission Presents Grant to Nature Conservancy

Columbia Gas Transmission representatives on Wednesday awarded a $4,275 grant to The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia through the NiSource Environmental Challenge Fund. The grant will go toward habitat management and restoration for 19 at-risk species in Canaan Valley. “Columbia Gas has been operating in Tucker County for nearly 50 years, and we are proud to support The Nature Conservancy in its effort to preserve the environment and maintain the area’s natural beauty,” Carl Warner, operations manager, said. Columbia Gas Transmission, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI), operates a natural gas pipeline through the Canaan Valley area that provides natural gas service to the East Coast. Columbia Gas Transmission is awarding grants totaling more than $13,000 to five West Virginia organizations through the NiSource Environmental Challenge Fund. The Environmental Challenge Fund is a not-for-profit corporation that offers an annual grant competition to support local natural resources and wildlife enhancement projects and related educational efforts in the communities across NiSource’s service area. This geographic area stretches across 19 states, from the Gulf Coast through the Midwest to New England. In total, NiSource operating companies are awarding more than $95,000 in grants to non-for-profit organizations in conjunction with Earth Day 2008. A Columbia Transmission Environmental Challenge Fund Advisory Board reviewed and selected the winning proposals from grant requests submitted earlier this year.