EPA Salutes Minnesota Power Conservation Effort.

Energy Editors/News Editors/Business Editors/Environment Writers

DULUTH, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2003

Minnesota Power, an ALLETE company (NYSE:ALE) announced today that a top U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official will be in Duluth on Thursday, Oct. 9, to help celebrate the exceptional success of the national Change-A-Light/Change the World program here in 2002 and launch the 2003 campaign.

The EPA's Jill Abelson, communication manager, will join two of the retailers in the Minnesota Power service territory who last fall participated in the sale of almost 285,000 energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) for a public observance at Daugherty Hardware & Applicances in Duluth. More than 80 retailers and wholesalers sold nearly half a million CFLs in the utility's service territory.

Abelson will be joined by Pat Mullen, Minnesota Power vice president of customer service, Daugherty's Scott Lundberg, Mark Jeronimus of Ace Hardware Downtown and Mike Birkeland of Lake Country Power.

Abelson will be visiting a number of Minnesota communities during the week to promote the upcoming Change-A-Light campaign, but her stop in Duluth is to recognize the tremendous response to the 2002 campaign. Change-A-Light is part of the national Energy Star program jointly sponsored by the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy. It encourages consumers to replace their standard lightbulbs with lamps that qualify for the Energy Star because of their efficiency.

In the Minnesota Power service territory last fall, instant cash rebates from the utility dropped the price of the bulbs, usually selling for from $7 to $12 each, to a dollar.

Minnesota Power's Mullen attributed the success here to the utility's strong relationship with retailers.

During October and November this year, participating Minnesota utilities, including Minnesota Power, will offer $2 instant and mail-in rebates on the purchase of select Energy Star qualified light bulbs. They will be available at participating hardware and appliance stores and are exempt from sales tax in Minnesota through July 31, 2005.

Energy Star qualified fixtures and bulbs last six to 10 times longer than standard models and operate on two-thirds less energy. In addition, they generate about 70 percent less heat than standard incandescent lighting.

News Editors:

The program with the EPA's Jill Abelson will begin at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at Daugherty's Hardware and Appliances, 517 E. 4th St., Duluth. It will include:

-- Welcome by Pat Mullen, Minnesota Power

-- Remarks by Jill Abelson, EPA

-- Retailer perspective by Mark Jeronimus and Scott Lundberg

-- Wrapup by Mullen

Minnesota Power, headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota, is one of the companies of ALLETE, Inc. (NYSE:ALE). It is a low-cost electric utility that serves some of the largest industrial customers in the United States. Other ALLETE holdings include ADESA, the second-largest wholesale vehicle auction network in North America; AFC, the leading provider of independent auto dealer financing; and significant real estate holdings in Florida. Learn more about Minnesota Power at www.mnpower.com and about ALLETE at www.allete.com.