HOUSTON, TEXAS, April 12, 2001—El Paso Corporation (NYSE:EPG) announced today that Norma F. Dunn will assume the role as senior vice president of Communications and Government Affairs effective immediately. In this new role, Dunn will manage all local, state, federal, and international government relations while retaining her current responsibilities as senior vice president over all corporate communications, public relations, media relations, regional issues management, and emergency response activities. She also is president of the El Paso Corporate Foundation, the company's primary channel for philanthropic and charitable contributions.

Norma Dunn has held a number of positions since joining El Paso in 1987. She established the Investor Relations group in 1992 when El Paso completed its initial public offering following the spin-off from Burlington Resources, and she became vice president of Investor and Public Relations in 1993. In 1999, Dunn was promoted to senior vice president of Public Relations. She is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Public Relations Society of America. Dunn currently serves on the boards of directors for a number of civic, cultural, and educational organizations and is active in various industry organizations. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso.

El Paso Corporation, the largest and most broadly based natural gas company in the world, spans the energy value chain from wellhead to electron. With an enterprise value in excess of $50 billion, El Paso is a leader in every phase of the natural gas industry. The company owns and operates a significant portion of the North American natural gas delivery grid, operates the fastest growing, most sophisticated energy merchant group, and is the nation's third largest natural gas producer. El Paso, a leader in risk management techniques, is focused on maximizing shareholder value, transforming existing markets, and speeding the development of new markets. Visit El Paso at www.elpaso.com.

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.