COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 20, 2008 – American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) has been named one of the “100 best corporate citizens” for 2008 by CRO (Corporate Responsibility Officer) magazine.

Large-cap companies in the Russell 1000 Index were ranked based on their efforts and performance in these areas: climate change, employee relations, environment, financial, governance, human rights, lobbying and philanthropy.

CRO compiled the “100 best” list in partnership with IW Financial, a Maine-based research and consulting firm focused on environmental, social and governance issues.

AEP ranks 69th on this year’s list, which is the ninth annual list to be published. The top 10 companies are Intel, Eaton Corp., Nike Inc., Deere & Co., Genentech, Corning Inc., Humana, Bank of America, ITT Corp. and PG&E Corp.

More information about the rankings is available at www.thecro.com. The companies will be honored March 27 at the Spring CRO Conference in New York.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.