COLUMBIA TO HALT HIGH COST GAS PURCHASES

Columbia Gas Transmission Corp. has received approval from a federal bankruptcy court in Delaware to reject 4,141 above market price gas purchase contracts it blamed for making its U.S. gas sales rate noncompetitive. Columbia Chairman James P. Holland said termination of the contracts will allow his company to buy gas at market responsive prices. Columbia may later propose more purchase contracts for rejection. Holland stressed that the rejection will not impair Columbia's ability to meet