American Electric Power 2008 Corporate Sustainability Report

2008 Corporate Sustainability Report 59 WORKING WITH ADVOCATES After working with Ceres to develop the 2006 Corporate Responsibility Report, we pledged to hold quarterly stakeholder briefings. Although not quite quarterly, we did hold periodic meetings with Ceres, the Pew Center for Global Climate Change, the NRDC and the Environmental Defense Fund to discuss our climate change strategy and plans for carbon capture and storage. Our CEO and Chairman, Mike Morris, led most of these meetings. We continued to touch base with the Ceres stakeholder team (17 organizations) throughout the year. For example, we briefed them when the New Source Review (NSR) settlement was being announced, and when we decided to support the Bingaman/Specter climate bill in Congress. In November 2007, we organized a stakeholder briefing call, led by AEP Chairman Mike Morris. We also worked with other groups throughout the year, including The Great Plains Institute, the Clean Air Task Force, ACEEE and the National Wild Turkey Federation on various initiatives. When the Oklahoma Corporation Commission opened a notice of proposed rulemaking for development of energy efficiency programs, AEP seized the opportunity to work with stakeholders, including Ceres and the NRDC, on this issue of mutual concern. While they did not agree completely with our position, the dialogue we had was productive. We learned more about what is important to them in establishing energy efficiency programs and they learned how AEP recovers its costs for such programs. WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNITIES AEP management routinely participates in webcasts for employees to discuss earnings and significant company announcements. working with communities, affected landowners and agencies, such as the National Park Service. The session was well-received and we pledged to keep the group informed as the project develops. Our employees are often engaged in forming relationships between AEP and the communities in which we operate. Habitat for Humanity, for example, receives significant volunteer support from our employees. In 2007, AEP sponsored and built a two-story home in Columbus, Ohio, through more than 2,400 hours of donated work. In another volunteer effort, employees at the Welsh Plant in Texas set up a fund to help less fortunate families and to provide local children with Christmas gifts. Last year, the employees made home repairs, installed new energy-efficient appliances and donated gifts for a family faced with family medical hardships. We believe that our vision for an interstate transmission system is necessary for America’s energy future, but not everyone agrees. AEP’s original 550-mile 765 kV transmission line proposed to run from West Virginia to New Jersey raised concerns among national park managers in the region. At the request of stakeholders, we met with 40 national park superintendents in Gettysburg, Pa., to explain the proposed project and the potential impact on the many national parks in the area. We also shared our approach to STAYING CONNECTED WITH OUR EMPLOYEES & CUSTOMERS informed and engaged. We stay connected to our employees with an Intranet site (“AEPNow”) that provides tools, information and resources; a monthly employee newsletter (“Inside AEP”) that is mailed home to ensure we communicate with all employees; quarterly employee webcasts scheduled around earnings announcements and other spe- Stakeholder Engagement We take seriously our responsibility to keep our employees

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Electric Power 2008 Corporate Sustainability Report

American Electric Power 2008 Corporate Sustainability Report Contents Leadership, Management & Strategy A Message from Michael G. Morris A Message from Dennis E. Welch About This Report Environmental Performance Work Force Issues Public Policy Climate Change Energy Security, Reliability & Growth Stakeholder Engagement Glossary GRI Table of Contents

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