We engage with a number of stakeholders on many levels, from face-to-face meetings, to conferences and social networking sites, to conference calls and briefings on specific topics.

To fulfill a commitment to report more frequently about progress on our sustainability issues, we recently pulished our first Web-based mid-year update on key commitments and will continue to do so semiannually. We are expanding our channels of engagement to enable us to reach many more people who have an interest in our business.

Groups with whom we engage
Our primary stakeholders are:

• Shareholders, prospective investors and lenders
• Customers - large and small
• AEP employees and retirees
• Labor unions
• Local communities
• Federal and state legislators, regulators, policy makers and other elected officials
• Prospective employees
• Suppliers and others doing business with AEP
• Professionals in industry, government, labor and academia

For the past four years, we have collaborated with Ceres, a national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working with companies and investors, to address sustainability challenges. Ceres facilitates a multi-stakeholder meeting with AEP executives at our Columbus, Ohio, headquarters. Our discussions typically focus on climate change, the future of coal and energy efficiency. In 2009, we expanded our discussions to include water risks. Stakeholders who participate represent environmental organizations, labor, socially responsible investors (SRIs) and other public interest groups.

This year marked the team's fourth meeting with AEP, giving us an opportunity to review our progress as well as to discuss areas where we still have work to do. We talked about our business strategy and how it is evolving as we prepare for a transformation of the electric utility industry. We agreed to further clarify our strategy and to convene a stakeholder conference call later this year to provide an update. We recognize we need to be clearer about where we stand on some issues to keep the dialogue going and prevent misperceptions.

AEP, in partnership with the Columbus Housing Partnership, supported construction of this LEED home that will be sold to a low-income family. Solar panels will provide part of the home’s energy.

AEP helps distribution suppliers think green (pdf)