LOS ANGELES, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- El Paso Corporation (NYSE: EP) has joined the California Climate Action Registry (Registry), a distinguished group of organizations demonstrating leadership by voluntarily taking action on climate change. El Paso, the nation's largest interstate natural gas pipeline company and owner of a leading independent oil and natural gas exploration and production business, is the first natural gas company to participate in this rigorous program.

As a member, El Paso will work with the Registry to annually track, report, and certify its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. El Paso will begin reporting greenhouse gas emissions to the Registry in 2008.

El Paso has been active in advancing dialogue on greenhouse gas emissions and development of GHG emissions quantification standards within the interstate natural gas pipeline industry. El Paso has demonstrated its stewardship in minimizing methane through its participation in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Natural Gas STAR program and various internal initiatives. Thus far, El Paso estimates that it has saved more than 26.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas -- equivalent to removing 2.4 million cars from the roads.

"El Paso believes in advancing constructive debate and greater understanding of global warming issues and, specifically, greenhouse gas emissions," said Doug Foshee, president and chief executive officer of El Paso. "We are committed to being an active participant in that debate and to developing sound, technology-based solutions that benefit the nation, consumers, and industry."

"For perspective," Foshee added, "natural gas has the lowest GHG and air emissions intensity of all fossil fuels and provides about 25 percent of all the energy used in the United States today. Natural gas will continue to play a pivotal role in the nation's energy infrastructure and solution to future greenhouse gas management and air quality strategies. We are proud to be the first natural gas company to be part of the California Climate Action Registry."

"Transmission and use of natural gas are significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions here in California, and it's important for us to better track those sources," said Diane Wittenberg, president of the California Climate Action Registry. "El Paso is leading its industry by participating in the Registry, and will also play an important role in helping with development of our GHG accounting standards for the natural gas transmission and distribution sector in the coming months."

The Registry, created by the California legislature in 2000, helps companies and organizations throughout the United States to track, publicly report, and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The reports are certified by independent third-parties to ensure compliance with Registry protocols and standardization across participants and sectors. The Registry has been widely recognized as a gold standard for public reporting of greenhouse gases.

El Paso Corporation provides natural gas and related energy products in a safe, efficient, and dependable manner. The company owns North America's largest natural gas pipeline system and one of North America's largest independent natural gas producers. http://www.elpaso.com

The California Climate Action Registry is a non-profit public/private partnership that serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry to protect, encourage, and promote early actions to reduce GHG emissions. Over 85 major companies, cities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) quantify and publicly report their GHG emissions through the Registry. http://www.climateregistry.org

SOURCE  El Paso Corporation
    -0-                             09/06/2006
    /CONTACT:  Joel Levin of California Climate Action Registry,
+1-213-891-6927; or Richard Wheatley of El Paso Corporation, +1-713-420-6828/
    /Web site:  http://www.elpaso.com
                http://www.climateregistry.org /
    (EP)

CO:  El Paso Corporation; California Climate Action Registry
ST:  Texas, California
IN:  OIL UTI ENV
SU:  NPT

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