NAPERVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 6, 2006--Nicor today announced the company and its employees contributed more than $1.7 million in 2005 to philanthropic efforts throughout northern Illinois. The company and its employees joined with community members to donate their time, talent and money to worthy causes throughout the year, further supporting Nicor's philanthropic mission and commitment to volunteerism.

"Nicor and its employees are committed to the well-being of our communities and every year we strive to demonstrate that commitment through our participation in philanthropic activities throughout our service area," said Julian Brown, manager of corporate contributions for Nicor Gas.

In 2005 the company and its employees carried on their long-standing tradition of giving back to the communities in which they live and serve; those activities included:

-- Nicor employees showed their enthusiasm for volunteerism by
participating in Nicor's Volunteer Day, an annual celebration
of a year-round commitment to volunteerism. In 2005, nearly
900 employees, family and friends participated in 19 projects
in 16 northern Illinois communities, the largest in the
nine-year history of the event.

-- The company and its employees joined forces and together they
donated a total of $975,982 to the United Ways annual
campaign. Nicor has ranked in the top 30 of Chicago corporate
donors for the past 15 years.

-- 270 Nicor workers and family members put on their walking
shoes for the annual March of Dimes WalkAmerica which resulted
in more than $35,500 in donations to help save babies.

-- Helping keep people warm...Together Nicor Gas, its employees
and customers contributed $261,000 to the Sharing Program, a
home heating assistance program. Since the program's inception
in 1983, the program has raised $12 million in assistance and
helped 70,000 families, who did not qualify for government
assistance but needed help in paying their gas bills.

-- Through Nicor's Dollars for Scholars program 726 college-bond
students were awarded scholarships in 2005. Nicor is the
founding sponsor of Illinois Dollars for Scholars and since
1997 has helped establish 150 local foundations throughout
northern Illinois.

-- Nicor employees utilized the corporation's Matching Gifts
program to generate a combined $100,000 in donations to
support various local and national non-profit organizations.
Some of the donations went towards relief efforts for those
affected by natural disasters.

-- Nicor is the founding sponsor of Community Resource Network's
chicagovolunteer.net, a Web site that brings together
volunteers with more than 3,000 volunteer opportunities posted
each day. With Nicor's support the Web site received more than
231,000 visits, a nineteen percent increase over last year.

-- Nicor employees gave more than $20,000 in Volunteer in
Partnership grants. These grants support nonprofit
organizations that have Nicor employees as volunteers.

"We truly support our employee's philanthropic activities. As a team, we can champion our goals of helping others and make a difference in the communities we serve," said Brown.

To learn more about Nicor's philanthropic programs, visit www.nicor.com. Or contact Julian Brown, manager of corporate contributions at 630 388-2763.

Nicor Inc. (NYSE:GAS) is a holding company and is a member of the Standard and Poor's 500 Index. Its principal businesses are Nicor Gas, one of the nation's largest natural gas distribution companies, and Tropical Shipping, a containerized shipping business serving the Caribbean region and the Bahamas. Nicor also owns and has an equity interest in several energy-related businesses. For more information, visit the Nicor Web site at www.nicor.com.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

NICOR Inc.

NICOR Inc.

Nicor Inc. (NYSE: GAS) is a holding company and is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Its primary business is Nicor Gas, one of the nation's largest natural gas distribution companies. Nicor owns Tropical Shipping, a containerized shipping business serving the Caribbean region and the Bahamas. In addition, the company owns and has an equity interest in several energy-related businesses.

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