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Barrett Resources
News Release

NYSE:WMB


Date:      August 2, 2001

                                                                            
Contact:   Kathleen Eccleston-Bickell                Rick Rodekohr                    Robert Howard
           Williams (media relations)                Williams (investor relations)    Barrett (investor relations)
           (918) 573-1316                            (918) 573-2087                   (303) 572-3900
           kathleen.eccleston-bickell@williams.com   rick.rodekohr@williams.com       rhoward@brr.com






     Williams Completes Merger With Barrett; Announces Management Team
                   Barrett Special Stockholder Vote Today


         TULSA, Okla. and DENVER - Williams (NYSE: WMB) and Barrett
Resources Corporation (NYSE: BRR) announced the completion of their planned
merger. Barrett stockholders approved the merger at a special stockholder
meeting today in Denver. The certificate of merger was subsequently filed
with the Secretary of State of Delaware. Williams will begin distributing
the materials necessary for Barrett stockholders to effect an exchange of
their Barrett shares for Williams shares within the next five business
days.

         Williams signed a merger agreement with Barrett on May 7. Terms of
that agreement included a cash tender offer by Williams for 50 percent of
the Barrett shares at $73 per share net in cash, which was completed on
June 11. Through the merger, each remaining share of Barrett common stock,
other than shares held by Williams, was converted into the right to receive
1.767 shares of Williams common stock. Barrett stockholders will receive
cash in lieu of fractional Williams shares.

         As a result of the merger, Barrett merged into a wholly owned
subsidiary of Williams. As of the end of trading today Barrett shares will
cease trading on the New York Stock Exchange and thereafter will be
delisted from the NYSE.

         "We are very excited about the completion of the merger for a
variety of reasons, one of which being Barrett's talented work force and
its expertise in the Rocky Mountain natural gas basins. Barrett's assets
are a complementary fit with Williams' existing assets and goals
companywide. They offer synergies to Williams' horizontal assets as well as
a natural hedge to our growing power portfolio. We are also very pleased to
be able to announce the new post-merger management and forge ahead," said
Steven J. Malcolm, executive vice president of Williams and CEO Williams
Energy Services.

The new management structure for Williams' exploration and production group
consists of Ralph Hill, senior vice president and general manager; Bryan
Guderian, vice president Tulsa region; Joe Jaggers, vice president Denver
region; and Neal Buck, vice president commercial operations and gas
management.

Additional Information
In addition to the registration statement and the proxy
statement/prospectus filed in connection with the merger, Williams and
Barrett have filed annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements
and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You may
read and copy any reports, statements or other information filed by Barrett
or Williams at the SEC Public Reference Rooms at 450 Fifth St., N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20549 or at any of the SEC's other public reference rooms
in New York and Chicago. Please call the SEC at (800) SEC-0330 for further
information on the public reference rooms. Williams' and Barrett's filings
with the SEC also are available to the public from commercial
document-retrieval services and at the web site maintained by the SEC at
www.sec.gov.

About Williams (NYSE: WMB)
Williams, through its subsidiaries, connects businesses to energy,
delivering innovative, reliable products and services. Williams information
is available at www.williams.com.

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Portions of this document may constitute "forward-looking statements" as
defined by federal law. Although Williams and Barrett believe any such
statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that
actual outcomes will not be materially different. Any such statements are
made in reliance on the "safe harbor" protections provided under the
Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. Additional information about issues
that could lead to material changes in performance is contained in the
annual reports filed by Williams and Barrett with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.