Ashland Inc. Chairman and CEO O'Brien Speaks at Credit Suisse Annual Chemical Conference

Ashland Inc. Chairman and CEO O'Brien Speaks at Credit Suisse Annual Chemical ConferenceCOVINGTON, Ky., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- James J. O'Brien, chairman and chief executive officer, Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), will make a presentation at the Credit Suisse Chemical and Ag Science Conference in New York City on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008, at 10:40 a.m. (EDT). In his remarks, O'Brien will review and provide an update on Ashland's businesses, priorities and strategies, including the pending acquisition of Hercules Inc.

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An audio webcast will be presented live and can be accessed, along with supporting materials, through the Ashland website at www.ashland.com. The replay will be available within 24 hours of the live presentation and will be archived on Ashland's website for 90 days. Supporting materials will be available for 12 months. Copies of the presentation can also be requested by sending an e-mail to investor_relations@ashland.com, or by calling 859-815-4454.

Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), a diversified, global chemical company, provides quality products, services and solutions to customers in more than 100 countries. A FORTUNE 500 company, it operates through four divisions: Ashland Performance Materials, Ashland Distribution, Valvoline and Ashland Water Technologies. To learn more about Ashland, visit www.ashland.com .

FORTUNE 500 is a registered trademark of Time Inc.

SOURCE  Ashland Inc.
    -0-                             09/10/2008
    /CONTACT:  Media Relations: Jim Vitak, +1-614-790-3715,
jevitak@ashland.com, or Investor Relations: Eric Boni, +1-859-815-4454,
enboni@ashland.com, both of Ashland Inc./
    /Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040113/ASHLANDLOGO
              AP Archive:  http://photoarchive.ap.org
              PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com/
    /Company News On-Call:  http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/065263.html /
    /Web site:  http://www.ashland.com /
    (ASH)

CO:  Ashland Inc.; Credit Suisse Chemical and Ag Science Conference
ST:  Ohio, New York, Kentucky, New Jersey
IN:  OIL CHM TRN CST
SU:  CCA

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7303 09/10/2008 11:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Ashland's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.