NiSource Publishes 2011 Sustainability Report

MERRILLVILLE, Ind., June 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NiSource (NYSE: NI) today issued its third Sustainability Report, which highlights the company's progress toward building a tradition of steady growth, customer-focused solutions, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. The report and its data align with the Global Reporting Initiative's sustainability reporting requirements and received external assurance in support of the report's completeness. The full report is available at http://www.nisource.com/sustainability. 

"We continue to 'step up our game' when it comes to our sustainability efforts – and our reporting – across NiSource," NiSource President and CEO Robert C. Skaggs, Jr. said. "From introducing significant new customer-focused programs, to improving air quality, to supporting economic development, and to being named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies, 2011 was a year of significant achievement." 

The 2011 report provides an in-depth review of the sustainability efforts across NiSource and its subsidiary companies.

Performance highlights from the 2011 Sustainability Report include:

• Investing for our customers: NiSource invested $1.13 billion in capital expenditures, with the majority of that investment dedicated to enhancing and modernizing our energy infrastructure to better serve our customers.
• Creating jobs, community development: NiSource infrastructure investments have created more than 100 new positions at NiSource and hundreds of local construction jobs, including pipefitters, welders, heavy equipment operators and other contractors.
• Improving the environment: Our investment in flue gas desulfurization (FGD) equipment at the company's coal-fired electric generating facilities will reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by more than 95 percent. When completed in 2018, NiSource's generation fleet will be fully 'scrubbed' with the latest technology available to reduce sulfur dioxide, one of the industry's most significant air emissions.
• Keeping employees safe: We introduced various safety initiatives, including a training program to reduce preventable vehicle accidents. The training begins with an online hazard perception module, and based on those results, other driving improvement modules are assigned to help our employees improve in areas needed.
• Continuous improvement and goal setting: An employee-led Sustainability Council, created in early 2011, has worked together to create a common understanding of sustainability across the company.  The Council is now focused on finalizing a strategy with defined goals, objectives and performance indicators that will be incorporated into NiSource's business-planning processes.

About NiSource

NiSource Inc., based in Merrillville, Ind., is a Fortune 500 company engaged in natural gas transmission, storage and distribution, as well as electric generation, transmission and distribution. NiSource operating companies deliver energy to 3.8 million customers located within the high-demand energy corridor stretching from the Gulf Coast through the Midwest to New England.  Information about NiSource and its subsidiaries is available via the Internet at www.nisource.com. NI-F

About Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a network-based non-profit organization that promotes economic, environmental and social sustainability. GRI provides a comprehensive sustainability reporting framework that is widely used around the world. More information available at www.globalreporting.org.

SOURCE NiSource Inc.

Copyright 2011 PR Newswire. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.