COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 20, 2000 – American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP) is taking students and teachers from several central Ohio schools on an educational adventure in Bolivia to learn about preserving the environment.

Two high school students and two teachers were selected to participate in AEP’s pilot Environmental Learning and Adventure in Bolivia (E-LAB) program June 18-24. The E-LAB group will act as consultants and offer suggestions on refining the itinerary and curriculum for the official E-LAB program that begins next year.

E-LAB participants selected for the pilot include Christy Howell, 17, a junior at Eastmoor High School in Columbus; Sarah Wehmer, 17, a junior at West Jefferson High School in West Jefferson; and teachers Becky Grimm of Hastings Middle School in Upper Arlington and Craig Kramer from Bexley High School in Bexley.

Beginning in 2001, AEP will take five students and five teachers from high schools near its power plants on a 10-day Bolivian excursion. While in Bolivia, E-LAB participants will learn about environmental issues, tropical forest ecology and Bolivian culture, with the primary focus on the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park.

E-LAB adds an educational component to AEP’s commitment to help preserve the tropical forest in South America and avoid carbon dioxide emissions, which may be linked to climate change. The purpose of E-LAB is two-fold: to promote the Noel Kempff Mercado Climate Action Project and to build a better understanding of climate change issues, biodiversity preservation and sustainable development.

AEP developed the Noel Kempff Mercado Climate Action Project in support of President Clinton’s plan to address the issue of global climate change. In 1996, AEP joined with The Nature Conservancy and Friends of Nature Foundation, a Bolivian conservation organization, to voluntarily preserve 4.2 million acres of threatened tropical forests in the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, located in northeast Bolivia.

Protecting the park, which is home to 620 bird species, 130 species of mammals and 70 species of reptiles, will preserve biodiversity and avoid carbon emissions through the cessation of logging activities. About 14.5 million tons of carbon are expected to be absorbed in the park during the 30-year project.

“E-LAB is designed to provide teachers and students in communities surrounding our power plants an outstanding opportunity for personal and professional growth,” said Dale Heydlauff, AEP’s vice president - environmental affairs.

“Ultimately, we hope the educators and students will appreciate the difficult challenges associated with environmental protection, sustainability and economic growth, and the imperative for these objectives to be achieved for the betterment of people and our natural environment,” Heydlauff said.

The teachers selected for the pilot E-LAB are past participants in AEP’s Workshops for Educators, which focused on energy and environmental issues. The educators have in-depth knowledge of energy issues and have incorporated this information into their classroom curriculum. Several community leaders in the fields of science and energy recommended the students.

Future E-LAB participants will be required to meet several obligations in exchange for participation in the program. Teachers, assisted by students, will be required to develop a lesson plan covering the general subjects of sustainability, tropical forest ecology and biodiversity. Participants will keep journals of their impressions, concerns and insights, and after returning from Bolivia, will be expected to provide presentations about their trip to local community groups. AEP will work with schools to select the candidates.

“I like science. It comes natural to me,” Howell said. “The trip to Bolivia is all about observing and preserving the rain forest, and what we can do to help will benefit us and the rain forest.”

Grimm said the trip should increase her understanding of topics such as carbon credits and carbon sequestering.

“It will be great to see it firsthand. The environment is such a complicated issue. I hope to come back with a better understanding of biodiversity,” Grimm said.

“I was a little bit aware of the rain forest and that people are cutting it down,” said Wehmer. “Now I’m aware that it has an important role in the world. It’s important to everyone.”
Kramer said he is interested in anything related to science.

“I’ve been reading about carbon sequestration, and I participated in an AEP workshop on environmental education. The theme of the workshop was what’s going on with the weather and carbon dioxide. This trip parallels back to carbon sequestration. It’s all so exciting,” Kramer said. “I’m going to use what I learn in my classes and share it with a network of my colleagues and scientists in central Ohio.”

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.