KMP To Acquire Copano For Approximately $5 Billion In Unit For Unit Transaction

“Copano’s cash flow is largely and increasingly fee based, and our accretion projections are based on commodity prices consistent with the current forward curve for the portion that is sensitive to commodity prices,” Kinder explained.

The acquisition will be immediately accretive to KMI’s cash available to pay dividends, even after KMI foregoes a portion of the incremental incentive distributions this transaction is expected to produce. The increase in KMI’s cash available to pay dividends (net of the amounts voluntarily foregone) is expected to be approximately $25 million in 2014 growing to approximately $70 million in 2016.

“We anticipate retaining the vast majority of Copano’s approximately 415 employees,” Kinder said. “This transaction is about producing future cash flow and expanding our midstream services footprint.”

Copano is headquartered in Houston, Texas, and has a sizable office in Tulsa, Okla., which KMP intends to maintain.

Upon closing, KMP will own 100 percent of Eagle Ford Gathering (currently a joint venture with Copano), which provides gathering, transportation and processing services to natural gas producers in the Eagle Ford Shale. Eagle Ford Gathering comprises approximately 400 miles of pipelines (including its capacity rights in certain KMP pipelines) with capacity to gather and process over 700,000 MMBtu/day.

Citi acted as financial advisor for KMP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP and Bracewell & Giuliani acted as legal counsel to KMP. Barclays Capital Inc. and Jefferies & Company, Inc. provided financial advisory services to Copano and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz acted as legal counsel to Copano.

Please join Kinder Morgan at 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Jan. 30, at www.kindermorgan.com for a live webcast conference call of its annual investor conference, during which time this transaction will be discussed.

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: KMP) is a leading pipeline transportation and energy storage company and one of the largest publicly traded pipeline limited partnerships in America. It owns an interest in or operates approximately 46,000 miles of pipelines and 180 terminals. The general partner of KMP is owned by Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI). Kinder Morgan is the largest midstream and the third largest energy company in North America with a combined enterprise value of approximately $100 billion. It owns an interest in or operates approximately 75,000 miles of pipelines and 180 terminals. Its pipelines transport natural gas, gasoline, crude oil, CO ₂ and other products, and its terminals store petroleum products and chemicals and handle such products as ethanol, coal, petroleum coke and steel. KMI owns the general partner interest of KMP and El Paso Pipeline Partners, L.P. (NYSE: EPB), along with limited partner interests in KMP and EPB and shares in Kinder Morgan Management, LLC (NYSE: KMR). For more information please visit www.kindermorgan.com.

Copano Energy, L.L.C. (NASDAQ: CPNO) is a midstream natural gas company with operations in Texas, Oklahoma and Wyoming. For more information, please visit http://www.Copano.com.

CONTACTS
Larry Pierce			Peter Staples
Media Relations			Investor Relations
[phone]			[phone]
[e-mail]			[e-mail]
			www.kindermorgan.com
Copano Energy, L.L.C.
Carl A. Luna, Sr. Vice President			Andrew Siegel / Nick Lamplough
and Chief Financial Officer			Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
[phone]			[phone]

IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC

KMP plans to file with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 in connection with the transaction. KMP and Copano plan to file with the SEC and Copano plans to mail to its unitholders a Proxy Statement/Prospectus in connection with the transaction. The Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus will contain important information about KMP, Copano, the transaction and related matters. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE.

Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC by KMP and Copano through the web site maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov or by phone, email or written request by contacting the investor relations department of KMP or Copano at the following:

			KMP			Copano
Address:			1001 Louisiana Street, Suite 1000			1200 Smith Street, Suite 2300
			Houston, Texas 77002			Houston, Texas 77002
			Attention: Investor Relations			Attention: Investor Relations
Phone:			[phone]			[phone]
E-mail:			[e-mail]			[e-mail]

KMP and Copano, and their respective directors and executive officers, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. Information regarding the directors and executive officers of KMP’s general partner and Kinder Morgan Management, LLC, the delegate of KMP’s general partner, is contained in KMP’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, which has been filed with the SEC. Information regarding Copano’s directors and executive officers is contained in Copano’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and its proxy statement filed on April 8, 2012, which are filed with the SEC. A more complete description will be available in the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus.

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