The Houston, Texas-based natural gas company announced in October that it had accepted a $21 billion buyout offer from Kinder Morgan, a larger and more diversified energy company.
After moving up steadily for much of 2011, the company's shares shot up after the acquisition was announced and stayed there. (Shares of most of its competitors, which were suddenly deemed takeover targets, did too).
Should it close as expected in early 2012, El Paso's merger with Kinder Morgan would create the largest natural gas pipeline in the US.
Aside from El Paso's lucrative sales price, it's been a good year for natural gas producers overall, thanks to an uptick in demand for domestic gas.
It's not all smooth sailing. Environmentalists continue to push against "fracking," a process that injects water, sand and chemicals deep into the ground to break up the shale and release natural gas. Opponents say the process is contaminating drinking water and polluting the air.
It was a tough year for many major corporations, but this neglected bouquet of Fortune 500 companies stood out for particularly poor performance. From a bankrupt airline to an aging camera maker, here are the biggest losers.
