STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
PHIL BRYANT, GOVERNOR
MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
TRUDY D. FISHER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2011
CONTACT: Robbie Wilbur
601/961-5277


MDEQ ACCEPTS SOUTHERN NATURAL GAS INTO enHANCE PROGRAM


(Jackson, Miss.) – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) recently accepted the Southern Natural Gas - Onward Compressor Station in Cary as a Leader in its enHance program. enHance is a voluntary stewardship program that recognizes committed environmental leaders who accomplish goals beyond their legal requirements. enHance is open to facilities, cities, counties, and other entities who are interested in the program, and applicants can choose from three tiers: Associate, Steward, or Leader.

“We are pleased that another Southern Natural Gas station has joined the enHance program, and they should be commended for their commitment to doing good work and their leadership in achieving standards beyond their environmental permit requirements,” said Trudy Fisher, MDEQ Executive Director.

"Southern Natural Gas is extremely pleased to be accepted as one of the new members of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality's enHance program. Just as our parent company, El Paso Corporation, strives to be the neighbor to have in all the areas where it operates, Southern Natural Gas works hard to protect the environment and comply with environmental regulations. This commitment extends throughout the El Paso family and is reflected in our day-to-day operations," said Jay Street, manager of Area Operations for SNG. "We are also dedicated to working with appropriate federal and state agencies, such as the MDEQ, to ensure that employed professionals and contractors do their utmost to exercise care and respect for our nation's environment."

enHance’s 2011 class:

Leaders
14th Flying Training Wing, Columbus Air Force Base (Columbus)
The Cooper Tire Company (Tupelo)
Custom Engineered Wheels (Tupelo)
Flexsteel Commercial Seating Division (Starkville)
Nissan North America, Inc. Canton Manufacturing Plant (Canton)
Southern Natural Gas - Onward Compressor Station (Cary)

Membership Level Change (from Steward to Leader)
Leaf River Cellulose, LLC (New Augusta)

Stewards
The City of Ridgeland
Zeon Chemicals Mississippi Plant (Hattiesburg)

Associate
U.S. Government Printing Office (Stennis Space Center)

Current enHance members:

Leaders --Baxter International (Cleveland), Caterpillar High Performance Extrusions (Oxford), Eka Chemicals (Columbus), Haworth (Bruce), Hunter Douglas (Tupelo), International Paper (Redwood), Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) (Gulfport), Nucor/General Recycling (Flowood), and Southern Natural Gas - Pickens Station (Pickens).
Stewards -- Columbus Brick (Columbus), DTE Petcoke (Vicksburg), Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (Gulfport), Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems (Ocean Springs), and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (Pascagoula).
Associates -- GDF Suez Choctaw Gas Generation (Ackerman), GDF Suez Red Hills Power Plant (Ackerman), and Gulf States Manufacturers - a Nucor Company (Starkville).

Information about the program is available at: http://www.deq.state.ms.us/enhance.

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