A unit of Williams (NYSE: WMB) today announced plans for its Memphis refinery to produce even cleaner gasoline for the Memphis area by Jan. 1, 2004. That date could move ahead by several months, say the energy company officials, if Williams obtains timely approval of the application it submitted Oct. 5 to Shelby County to install a new gasoline sulfur removal unit.

"Because more than 80 percent of the gasoline made here at our Memphis refinery stays here in Memphis, our whole community will breathe cleaner air as a result of the new low-sulfur fuel," Emmett Reagan, director of support services at the Memphis refinery, said. "We're working with the top consultants in the industry to install the latest and most effective equipment to produce this cleaner gasoline."
Marc Jordan, president and CEO of the Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce, had this to say about Williams' clean gasoline project, "In addition to the major investment that Williams is making in Memphis, they are continuing to decrease their environmental impact on our community. This is an area that Williams has been focused on for sometime and we think it demonstrates their commitment to Memphis. We are privileged to have a company of this stature in Memphis."

Once the Memphis/Shelby County Health Department issues construction permits, Williams expects to begin construction of the $65 million clean fuel project in the summer. "We look forward to working with the county officials on moving this project smoothly to completion," Reagan said. "If the permits are issued rapidly, we could even see cleaner fuel here in Shelby County before the January 2004 deadline."
Williams and refiners across the nation are installing sulfur removal equipment to further reduce gasoline's sulfur content. "Right now, the standards call for us to produce gasoline with sulfur at a level of 300 parts per million, the 2004 standards will move that down to only 30 parts per million," said Dale Morris, environmental manager at Williams' Memphis refinery. "And that will be a challenge for the nations' refineries across the country."

In addition to efforts to keep Memphis' gasoline supply clean, Williams works hard to protect the environment and natural resources of the communities it serves. Here in Memphis, that hard work has paid off for the refinery. The Williams refinery in Memphis is one of a few refineries in the United States that is compliant with the federal New Source Performance Standards for Petroleum Refineries. The Williams' Memphis refinery uses the best available environmental control technologies such as ultra-low emission burners, enhanced leak detection and wet-gas scrubbing.

According to EPA's December 1999 announcement of these new standards, when fully implemented nationwide the combination of the new gasoline standards and more stringent automobile tailpipe standards will be the equivalent of taking 164 million cars off the road nationwide. As newer, cleaner cars enter the national fleet, the new tailpipe standards are expected to significantly reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides from vehicles by about 74 percent by 2030. The standards also will reduce emissions by more than 2 million tons per year by 2020 and nearly 3 million tons annually by 2030.

With a capacity to refine 170,000 barrels of crude oil per day, Williams' Memphis refinery serves the growing Mid-South market, including one of the nation's busiest inland water ports, the confluence of two major interstate highways, major rail interchanges and one of the world's largest air cargo hubs. In addition to gasoline, jet fuel and diesel, the refinery also makes propane for home heating, and propylene, which is used to make plastics.

About Williams (NYSE: WMB)
Williams, through its subsidiaries, connects businesses to energy, delivering innovative, reliable products and services. Williams information is available at www.williams.com.

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