NEW YORK, July 28 /EMWNews/ -- The New York Mercantile

Exchange, Inc., a subsidiary of NYMEX Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMX), today

announced that it will launch a Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

carbon dioxide allowance futures contract on August 24, for the August 25

trade date. It will also list a RGGI options contract for trade date August

26. The listing of these products on NYMEX is a Green Exchange initiative,

which will provide a trading platform for environmental commodities.



    The new futures contract, with commodity code RJ, will be physically

delivered to the RGGI CO2 Allowance Trading System (RGGI-COATS). It will be

available for trading on the CME Globex(R) electronic trading platform.

Additionally, off-exchange transactions can be submitted for clearing via

NYMEX ClearPort(R). The size of the futures contract will be 1,000 RGGI CO2

allowances with a minimum price fluctuation of $0.01 per allowance. It will

expire at the termination of the third business day prior to the first

business day of the contract month.



    The RGGI options contract, with contract code OR, will be an

American-style option that exercises into the underlying RGGI futures

contract. The options will expire three business days prior to the

expiration of the underlying RGGI futures contract. There will be five

strike prices in increments of $0.50 per allowance above and below the

at-the-money strike price. The minimum price fluctuation will be $0.01 per

allowance. The contract will trade on the NYMEX trading floor.

Additionally, off-exchange options transactions can be submitted for

clearing via NYMEX ClearPort.



    December 2009 will be the first listed month for both the futures and

options contracts, with additional contract months to be added.



    RGGI is a cooperative effort of ten northeastern states to reduce CO2

emissions. Participating states have pledged to reduce by 2010 greenhouse

gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels. RGGI states have put in place a

regional cap-and-trade system to regulate CO2 emissions from power plants,

and the trading of carbon allowances under this program has begun in the

over-the-counter market. RGGI plans to begin quarterly auctions of

allowances on September 25, 2008, and the launch of the NYMEX RGGI futures

and options contracts are expected to provide the market with a valuable

tool for hedging price risk.

    About the New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc.



    The New York Mercantile Exchange, a subsidiary of NYMEX Holdings, Inc.

(NYSE: NMX), is the world's largest physical commodities exchange, offering

futures and options trading in energy and metals contracts and clearing

services for more than 350 off-exchange energy contracts. Through a hybrid

model of open outcry floor trading and electronic trading on CME Globex(R)

and NYMEX ClearPort(R), NYMEX offers crude oil, petroleum products, natural

gas, coal, electricity, gold, silver, copper, aluminum, platinum group

metals, emissions, and soft commodities contracts for trading and clearing

virtually 24 hours each day. For more information, visit the NYMEX website

at http://www.nymex.com.



    Forward Looking and Cautionary Statements



    This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the

meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, with respect to

our future performance, operating results, strategy, and other future

events. Such statements generally include words such as could, can,

anticipate, believe, expect, seek, pursue, and similar words and terms, in

connection with any discussion of future results. Forward-looking

statements involve a number of assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, any

of which may cause actual results to differ materially from the

anticipated, estimated, or projected results referenced in forward-looking

statements. In particular, the forward-looking statements of NYMEX

Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries are subject to the following risks and

uncertainties: the success and timing of new futures contracts and

products; changes in political, economic, or industry conditions; the

unfavorable resolution of material legal proceedings; the impact and timing

of technological changes and the adequacy of intellectual property

protection; the impact of legislative and regulatory actions, including

without limitation, actions by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission;

and terrorist activities and international hostilities, which may affect

the general economy as well as oil and other commodity markets. We assume

no obligation to update or supplement our forward-looking statements.