Alcoa to Grant Conservation Easements to Nature Conservancy.

ALCOA, Tenn. -- In April 2004, Alcoa Power Generating Inc. (APGI) successfully worked with more than 20 national and local organizations (including The Nature Conservancy, National Parks Conservation Association, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the United States Forest Service) to craft a landmark relicensing agreement that, among other things, protects ecologically important lands through the use of permanent and term conservation easements.

On August 30, 2005 and as part of the agreement reached, APGI will grant to The Nature Conservancy, at no cost, permanent conservation easements covering approximately 5,900 acres and term conservation easements on an additional 3,975 acres of land.

The lands over which the conservation easements will be granted are located in Blount and Monroe counties, Tennessee. More specifically, the land effected sits between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cherokee National Forest. The Nature Conservancy will have the option to buy this land from APGI, ultimately transferring it to the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, or the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, assuring its long-term protection.

"The relicensing agreement is an excellent example of joint environmental and conservation stewardship," said Kevin Anton, President of Alcoa Materials Management. "Delivering on our commitment to grant permanent and term easements continues our goal in setting higher standards in the areas of conservation and sustainability."

"The Smoky Mountains represent the heart of what is rare and beautiful in our state. Having the opportunity to help protect a part of it is an incredible opportunity for The Nature Conservancy," said Scott Davis, the Tennessee Chapter's state director.

Tapoco is a division of the Alcoa Power Generating Inc. (APGI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Alcoa Inc. (NYSE:AA). The Tapoco Division of APGI supplies electric power to Alcoa's Tennessee Operations, an aluminum smelting and rolling mill, located in Alcoa, Tennessee.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. In Tennessee, the Conservancy has helped protect more than 200,000 acres.

The easement documents will be signed on Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 1:00 p.m. at the offices of Kramer, Rayson, Leake, Rodgers, and Morgan located in First Tennessee Plaza in downtown Knoxville (800 S. Gay Street, Suite 2500).

Media that wish to attend the signing ceremony should RSVP to Melissa Copelan at [phone].

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