PEORIA, Ill., Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- "As I indicated yesterday, the President and I fundamentally agree that the U.S. stimulus package will be beneficial to the U.S. economy and should spur demand for the types of products made by Caterpillar. The passage of significant stimulus packages in the United States and abroad would help move the global economy toward a recovery, and if these packages are enacted quickly, they could stimulate demand for our products that would likely, over time, provide Caterpillar the opportunity to recall employees who have been laid off during this downturn. We know this won't happen overnight, but I am confident that swift passage of the stimulus will lay the important groundwork to rebuild our workforce," said Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Jim Owens. Owens added, "The tractors and pipelayers made in East Peoria are used for infrastructure and mining projects in the U.S and around the world-in fact, more than 55 percent of the products made in East Peoria are exported from the U.S. As a bellwether company for the global economy, we are experiencing the unprecedented depth of this still unfolding global recession and we believe strongly a fiscal infrastructure investment will create construction jobs in the near term, and enhance the competitive position of the U.S. in the global economy." About Caterpillar: For more than 80 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making progress possible and driving positive and sustainable change on every continent. With 2008 sales and revenues of $51.324 billion, Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. The company also is a leading services provider through Caterpillar Financial Services, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services, Caterpillar Logistics Services and Progress Rail Services. More information is available at: http://www.cat.com/. SAFE HARBOR Certain statements in this release relate to future events and expectations and as such constitute forward-looking statements involving known and unknown factors that may cause actual results of Caterpillar Inc. to be different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. In this context, words such as "will," "would," "expect," "anticipate," "should" or other similar words and phrases often identify forward-looking statements made on behalf of Caterpillar. It is important to note that actual results of the company may differ materially from those described or implied in such forward-looking statements based on a number of factors and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, (i) adverse change in general economic conditions; (ii) adverse change in the industries Caterpillar serves including construction, infrastructure, mining, energy, marine and electric power generation; (iii) Caterpillar's ability to manage material, including steel, and freight costs; (iv) Caterpillar's ability to generate cash from operations, secure external funding for its operations and manage its liquidity needs; (v) material adverse change in customers' access to liquidity and capital; (vi) currency exchange or interest rates changes; (vii) political stability; (viii) market acceptance of the company's products and services; (ix) significant changes in the competitive environment; (x) epidemic diseases; (xi) severe change in weather conditions negatively impacting operations; (xii) changes in law, regulations and tax rates; and (xiii) other general economic, business and financing conditions and factors described in more detail in the company's Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 31, 2008. This filing is available on our website at http://www.cat.com/sec_filings. We do not undertake to update our forward- looking statements. DATASOURCE: Caterpillar Inc. CONTACT: Jim Dugan, Chief Corporate Spokesperson of Caterpillar Inc., +1-309-494-4100, Mobile, +1-309-360-7311, Web site: http://www.cat.com/

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