COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 29, 1999 -- Renew America and the National Awards Council for Environmental Sustainability has selected American Electric Power Company’s (NYSE: AEP) Climate Challenge Tree Planting Program to receive a Certificate of Environmental Achievement.

As of April 1, 1999, AEP had planted more than 12.6 million hardwood and pine trees throughout its seven-state service territory since 1995 as part of its Climate Challenge commitment. AEP has pledged to plant 15 million trees by the year 2000.

The certificate of achievement signifies that AEP’s tree planting program underwent a rigorous verification process, including local and state evaluation and careful screening by the National Awards Council. The program will be included in Renew America’s Environmental Success Index, available on the World Wide Web at https://selectra.co.uk/energy/guides/market/repp-crest.

“We’re pleased that our efforts received this recognition,” said Dale Heydlauff, vice president - Environmental Affairs for AEP. “To help commemorate Arbor Day on April 30, we encourage everyone to enjoy the trees that provide beauty to our landscapes as well as important benefits to our environment.”

The Climate Challenge Program is a partnership between the utility industry and the U.S. Department of Energy to reduce, avoid or sequester carbon dioxide emissions, which are implicated in concerns about climate change. AEP’s tree planting initiative under the Program is designed to sequester or capture carbon dioxide.

This tree planting program continues a long history of voluntary reforestation by the company. Since 1944, AEP has planted approximately 58 million trees and manages 170,000 acres of forest land for sustained yield in accordance with U.S. Forest Service guidelines, and each state’s Best Management Practices.

AEP, a global energy company, is one of the United States’ largest investor-owned utilities, providing energy to 3 million customers in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. AEP has holdings in the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Australia. Wholly owned subsidiaries provide power engineering, energy consulting and energy management services around the world. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio. On Dec. 22, 1997, AEP announced a definitive merger agreement for a tax-free, stock-for-stock transaction with Central and South West Corp., a public utility holding company based in Dallas.