COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 12, 2002 - American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) has named Joseph R. Hartsoe vice president and associate general counsel - federal policy. He will report to Jeff Cross, senior vice president and general counsel. Hartsoe will be based in Washington, D.C.

Hartsoe’s responsibilities at AEP include developing, coordinating and evaluating federal energy policies related to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and legislative initiatives in Congress.

“AEP is particularly pleased with Joe’s appointment as he brings more than 20 years of experience in the field of energy regulation and policy issues to his new position. His depth of knowledge and experience concerning the transition of both the electric and natural gas industries to competitive wholesale markets, in general, and open-access transmission, in particular, will be of great importance to AEP as it begins to implement its corporate separation plan later this year,” said Cross.

Hartsoe served for eight years as an attorney with steadily increasing responsibility at FERC. In 1988 Hartsoe joined the Office of the General Counsel at United Gas Pipeline Company in Houston, Texas. In 1989 he accepted a position at Enron Corp. where his positions included vice president - federal regulatory affairs and vice president - regulatory and legislative affairs for Enron Transportation Services. He has held key committee positions in the Electric Power Supply Association and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America. Hartsoe was an active participant in the formulation of reliability standards and policy before the North American Electric Reliability Council and energy policy before the FERC.

Hartsoe has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Davidson College, law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and master’s degree in tax law from Georgetown University. He is a member of the Virginia, District of Columbia and Texas bar associations.

American Electric Power is a multinational energy company based in Columbus, Ohio. AEP owns and operates more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity, making it America’s largest generator of electricity. The company is also a leading wholesale energy marketer and trader, ranking second in North America in wholesale electricity and wholesale natural gas volume. AEP provides retail electricity to more than 7 million customers worldwide and has holdings in the U.S. and select international markets. Wholly owned subsidiaries are involved in power engineering and construction services.