FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO, September 9, 1997 - El Paso Energy Corporation (NYSE:EPG) received the 1997 Regional Administrator's Air Compliance Environmental Excellence Award for the State of New Mexico given by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Andy Shaffer, vice president of operations for El Paso Field Services Company, a business unit of El Paso Energy, accepted the award at a ceremony held in Santa Fe, New Mexico on September 5. The award was granted for state air compliance above and beyond requirements during the past two years at the company's Chaco Cryogenic Plant in Farmington, New Mexico.

The Chaco Cryogenic Plant is one of the largest natural gas liquids production plants in the United States, with a total inlet gas capacity of 600 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d). It was constructed in 1995 in the San Juan Basin of northern New Mexico. The cryogenic method is the leading technology in natural gas liquids extraction today.

"Without support from dedicated, competent and assertive personnel, the high level of success your facility has achieved would not be possible," said Jerry Clifford, acting regional administrator for the EPA.

"It's a great honor to be recognized for this achievement, " said Shaffer. "This award, along with the Health of the Land Award we received from the Bureau of Land Management, clearly demonstrate our continuing commitment to protect the environment for the benefit of the communities in which we live and work."

El Paso Energy was presented the Health of the Land Award earlier this year for outstanding efforts in protecting the natural and cultural resource value of some 8,500 right-of-ways on public lands in New Mexico. This marked the first time a pipeline company had ever received the national honor. The company routinely conducts voluntary cultural resource surveys before beginning maintenance on pipelines and is willing to halt operations for excavation and data recovery when sites are discovered. Additionally,

El Paso Field Services Company has instituted an employee training program to reinforce the company's commitment to environmental excellence.

El Paso Energy Corporation provides total energy solutions through five business units: El Paso Natural Gas Company, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, El Paso Field Services Company, El Paso Energy Marketing Company and El Paso Energy International Company. With offices worldwide, the company has operations in interstate natural gas transmission, gas gathering and processing, energy marketing, and international energy infrastructure development.

This release includes forward-looking statements and projections, made in reliance on the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The company has made every reasonable effort to ensure that the information and assumptions on which these statements and projections are based are current, reasonable, and complete. However, a variety of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the projections, anticipated results or other expectations expressed in this release. While the company makes these statements and projections in good faith, neither the company nor its management can guarantee that the anticipated future results will be achieved. Reference should be made to the company's (and its affiliates') Securities and Exchange Commission filings for additional important factors that may affect actual results.