HOUSTON, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With the new school year well underway, CenterPoint Energy is making available to its customers and the public a newly updated educational Web site, Energy Underground.

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For elementary through high school students, Energy Underground contains more than 200 pages of natural gas safety, educational and consumer information on energy conservation, science, careers, and the history of natural gas formation millions of years ago.

Also available is a Teacher's Lounge, where teachers can access free lesson plans on natural gas topics for their classrooms and Contractor Information, which contains important Call Before You Dig, and pipeline safety information.

Cheryl Braaten, a fourth grade teacher in the Fort Bend Independent School District in Texas, recommends the Energy Underground Web site for her students. "As a longtime public school teacher, I am constantly looking for new things for my students to access, and Energy Underground is a great resource tool for them," she said. "The information about natural gas correlates well with the essential elements we share with our students in class, and the interactive programs are a fun way for our students to learn."

"We are happy to work with local schools to promote these excellent, free teaching resources," said Lucretia Ahrens, manager in Corporate Community Relations for CenterPoint Energy. "The materials and exercises are great ways for students to review and augment the information they receive in their in-class instructional programs."

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission & distribution, natural gas distribution, competitive natural gas sales and services, interstate pipelines, and field services operations. The company serves more than five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. Assets total almost $19 billion. With about 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 135 years. For more information, visit the Web site at www.CenterPointEnergy.com.

    For more information contact:
    Alicia Dixon
    Phone   713.207.5885
    Pager   713.619.5143

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc.