Kaiser Aluminum Nominates Board Member

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 2000--Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NYSE:KLU - news) said today that it has nominated James T. Hackett to serve on the company's board of directors until the 2001 annual meeting of stockholders. The nomination represents an addition to the board, increasing to seven the total number of directors.

Hackett, age 46, is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Ocean Energy Inc., a company engaged in oil and natural gas exploration and production worldwide. He had previously been chairman and chief executive officer of Seagull Energy Corporation until its March 1999 merger with Ocean Energy Inc. In addition, Hackett has held senior management positions with Duke Energy and Dynegy.

Hackett holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois, a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School, and completed additional engineering studies at MIT, Boston University, and the University of Houston. He is a director of New Jersey Resources Corp. and a member of the Policy Committee of the American Petroleum Institute, the executive committee of the Domestic Petroleum Council, and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Active in the Houston community, Hackett is chairman of Junior Achievement Southeast Texas Inc., chairman of the Hospice at the Texas Medical Center, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Houston Grand Opera.

``Jim Hackett would be a significant addition to the Kaiser board because of his global business perspective and his comprehensive knowledge of the kinds of energy issues that are of such importance to us,'' said Raymond J. Milchovich, president and chief executive officer of Kaiser Aluminum.

Other continuing directors nominated for election to serve until the 2001 annual meeting are Raymond J. Milchovich, George T. Haymaker Jr., Charles E. Hurwitz, Robert J. Cruikshank, Ezra G. Levin, and James D. Woods.

Kaiser Aluminum is a leading producer of alumina, primary aluminum, and fabricated aluminum products. MAXXAM Inc. (AMEX:MXM - news) directly and indirectly holds approximately 63 percent of Kaiser.