"To be recognized as the highest ranked in the east region by J.D. Power and Associates, an organization synonymous with quality, is a tremendous accomplishment and honor," said Laurence M. Downes, chairman and CEO of NJNG. "I'd like to thank our employees for their extraordinary commitment to serving our customers during these challenging times. Their dedication and expertise continue to enhance the quality of life for our customers."

NJNG ranked highest overall customer satisfaction among the 20 largest natural gas utilities in the east region. The company's overall score of 625 is well above the regional average of 595. Additionally, NJNG was ranked as the top performer in the billing and payment, corporate citizenship, communications and customer service factors.

The economy was a significant factor this year. With approximately half of customers believing they are financially worse off this year compared with last, they still value NJNG's efforts. NJNG ranked the highest in the state and the region when it came to the company's educational and rebate programs as well as its efforts to improve the environment. Through Conserve to Preserve®, the umbrella for NJNG's commitment to environmental stewardship, customers are provided with the tools and information to help save energy and money, as well as reduce their carbon footprint.

Furthermore, according to the study, gas utility customers want to be made aware of the corporate citizenship activities of their gas provider. Not only are customers more satisfied when they have an understanding of how their utility is giving back to the community, but also, customers with favorable impressions of how their utility manages business costs and treats its employees have notably higher levels of satisfaction.

The Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, published for the past eight years, measures customer satisfaction with the 75 largest U.S. gas utility providers. These results are based on more than 54,000 responses collected online over four quarterly fielding periods from September 2008 through July 2009. More information on the J.D. Power and Associates study can be found at www.jdpower.com.

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For information on cell phone ratings, car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance and more, please visit jdpower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) is the principal subsidiary of New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR), a Fortune 1000 company. NJNG serves more than 487,000 customers in New Jersey's Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex and Morris counties. This service area's demographics and quality of life contribute greatly to NJNG's growth. NJNG's progress is a tribute to the dedicated employees who have shared their expertise and focus on quality through more than 50 years of serving customers and the community to make the company a leader in the competitive energy marketplace. For more information, visit NJNG's Web site at www.njliving.com.

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