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COLONIAL ASSESSING HURRICANE IMPACT, WORKING ON RETURN OF FULL SERVICE

September 24, 2005

Colonial Pipeline today is assessing its facilities in wake of Hurricane Rita and implementing plans that will lead to a speedy resumption of normal operations in the Gulf Coast.

Preliminary indications are that Colonial avoided significant damage. More complete checks are being made as the local weather permits. Portable sources of electricity, which had been pre-positioned before the storm, are being delivered to Colonial stations in case they are needed to supplement commercial power. It is expected that operations from Colonial Pipeline's origins points in Houston and Pasadena, Texas, will be able to resume when fuel supplies become available and local power is restored.

Colonial's mainlines continue to have full operational capability from Krotz Springs, La., eastward on the Colonial system. Deliveries on the Colonial's main distillate line – which carries diesel fuel, aviation fuel, home heating oil and other products – are scheduled to resume today from Baton Rouge eastward.

Colonial continues to make deliveries of gasoline and other refined petroleum products through stublines from inventories at junction tank farms.

"We are committed to resuming full and normal operations as soon as it is safe to do so," said Dave Lemmon, Colonial’s President and CEO. "Safety continues to be our first priority, but we understand the importance of getting fuel moving again and we are working hard to make that happen."

Colonial Pipeline, headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga., delivers a daily average of 100 million gallons of gasoline, home heating oil, aviation fuel and other refined petroleum products to communities and businesses throughout the South and Eastern United States. Colonial consists of more than 5,500 miles of pipeline, originating at Houston, Texas, and terminating at the New York harbor.