Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation Announces $250K Grant to North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Piedmont Natural Gas (NYSE: PNY) today announced support for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' new Nature Research Center, currently under construction in Raleigh, through a $250,000 Environmental Grant from the Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation.  The grant was given to Dr. Betsy Bennett, Director of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, during a special check presentation ceremony today at the museum by Piedmont Natural Gas Chairman, President and CEO, Thomas E. Skains.

The Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation ("Foundation"), formed in late 2004 with an initial funding level of $7 million, has provided over $4.5 million in grants to more than 600 organizations since its inception.  The Foundation assists qualified charitable agencies and organizations within Piedmont Natural Gas' three-state service area. Early in 2010 the Foundation adopted a new mission of "Enriching Our Communities," supported by grants focused in the areas of Environmental Stewardship and Energy Sustainability, and Community Enrichment Initiatives around Education, Workforce Development, and Health and Human Services.

"The Nature Research Center ("NRC") provides the Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation with the perfect opportunity for our new focus in support of Environmental Stewardship and Energy Sustainability, through an initiative that is sure to have a positive impact on our state and our communities," said Mr. Skains. "The NRC will be a forum where environmentally focused ideas can be proposed, researched, discussed and then shared. It will be a facility where students and all North Carolinians can learn about energy issues and potential solutions that are important to us all. For these reasons, we are pleased to support this effort and to make this contribution on behalf of the Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation."

Dr. Betsy Bennett, Director of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, commented on the grant, "We are very excited to partner with Piedmont Natural Gas on this innovative new project that promises to have a dramatic impact on science and environmental education and research throughout North Carolina."

About the Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation

The Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation was established in 2004 with initial funding of $7 million from Piedmont Natural Gas. The Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation assists qualified charitable agencies and organizations within Piedmont Natural Gas' three-state service area, through the awarding of grants. The Foundation's mission of, "Enriching Our Communities," mirrors Piedmont Natural Gas' strong philanthropic commitment to the communities it serves.  The Foundation's grant making strategy further reflects that commitment by focusing on two areas:  Environmental Stewardship and Energy Sustainability, and Community Enrichment Initiatives centered on Education, Workforce Development and Health and Human Services.  Since its inception, the Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation has invested more than $4.5 million in grants to more than 600 organizations.

About the Nature Research Center

The mission of the Nature Research Center ("NRC") is to engage the public in understanding the scientific research that affects their daily lives. The NRC, an 80,000-square-foot environmental science center, is scheduled to open in 2011 and is projected to attract more than 200,000 visitors annually. The NRC will feature various levels of public engagement: from live presentations to interactive exhibits, and from hands-on Investigate Labs to collaboration opportunities with research scientists. The NRC will focus on current scientific research and will partner with leading government agencies, prestigious universities, prominent corporations and private foundations to ensure the public has access to an innovative venue for exploring the latest advances in science and environmental research. For more information on the NRC, visit: http://naturalsciences.org/.

About Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas is an energy services company primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to more than one million residential, commercial and industrial utility customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, including 61,000 customers served by municipalities who are wholesale customers. Our subsidiaries are invested in joint venture, energy-related businesses, including unregulated retail natural gas marketing, interstate natural gas storage and intrastate natural gas transportation.

SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas