MERRILLVILLE, Ind., March 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NiSource Inc. today announced the company will hold its Annual Meeting of Stockholders at 9 a.m. Central Daylight Time on Wednesday, May 10, 2006, at the Inn at the Ballpark in Houston, Texas. Stockholders of record at the close of business on March 14, 2006, will be entitled to vote at the meeting.
The Notice of Annual Meeting is included in a preliminary filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of the company's 2006 proxy statement. The preliminary filing was made because the company is proposing an amendment to its Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the board of directors. This change to the company's charter would provide for annual election of all directors. Currently, board members are elected to three-year terms, with approximately one-third of the board elected each year.
The preliminary filing begins a required 10-day period during which the SEC will review NiSource's proxy statement and comment to the company. The proxy statement then will be finalized, and will be distributed to stockholders along with the company's Annual Report beginning April 3, 2006.
If stockholders approve the proposed charter amendment, the annual election of directors would begin at the 2007 annual meeting. If the stockholders do not approve the proposal, the board members would remain in their current three-year staggered terms.
About NiSource
NiSource Inc. , based in Merrillville, Ind., is a Fortune 500 company engaged in natural gas transmission, storage and distribution, as well as electric generation, transmission and distribution. NiSource operating companies deliver energy to 3.8 million customers located within the high- demand energy corridor stretching from the Gulf Coast through the Midwest to New England. Information about NiSource and its subsidiaries is available via the Internet at http://www.nisource.com/ .
