COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 26, 1999 – A memorial to honor the men and women who mined coal in southeastern Ohio will be built in a popular public recreational area on a reclaimed surface mine, according to American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP).

The Miners´ Memorial Park will be located at the former R.V. Crews Memorial Campsite in ReCreation Land, a 30,000 acre public recreational area near McConnelsville in Morgan County, Ohio. ReCreation Land is an area that has been surface mined for coal and reclaimed through the planting of more than 47 million trees.

"ReCreation Land stands as a tribute to all coal miners and is a symbol of AEP´s environmental and mining stewardship," said William J. Lhota, AEP executive vice president. "We selected this site for the memorial because the area captures AEP´s mining history and is a special place in its own right that will leave visitors with an appreciation of the work done by the men and women who mined coal in southeastern Ohio."

The mining memorial will include the 220-cubic-yard, 240-ton bucket of AEP´s Big Muskie dragline as the centerpiece of a display to educate visitors about the Big Muskie´s operation, surface mining and reclamation efforts in the region. Big Muskie, known as the "largest walking dragline in the world," moved more than 483 million cubic yards of rock and earth between 1969 and 1991 while operated by AEP´s Central Ohio Coal Company. AEP announced plans in January to dismantle the dragline. The demolition process is underway.

The memorial is expected to be dedicated in spring of 2000. The memorial will be open to the public free of charge.

ReCreation Land features more than 350 stocked lakes and ponds and nearly 380 campsites, available free to the public, to be used for hunting, fishing, camping, and horseback riding. In the early 1960´s, in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, AEP began opening recreational areas to the public on land which once had been mined for coal. Today, ReCreation Land is the largest public recreational area in Ohio, with more than 100,000 visitors per year.

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.