Kickoff Events in Austin, Dallas, and Houston Mark 100 Days Until Open Enrollment Starts

AUSTIN, TX – With open enrollment in the new health insurance marketplaces just 100 days away, Enroll America – the nation’s leading healthcare enrollment coalition – is launching the Get Covered America campaign in Texas to start a conversation with consumers about the benefits of health coverage and the new health care options they’ll have starting October 1^st.

 
“This fall, affordable health insurance will finally be available to the millions of Americans who need it, and we’re here to spread the word to people in Texas, to let them know what their options are and how they can enroll,” said Mimi Garcia, Texas State Director for Enroll America. “We’ll be engaging consumers across Texas, by knocking on doors, gathering folks together at information sessions, and working with local organizations and community centers. We have a dedicated team of staff and volunteers in place who are committed to making sure that come October, people across Texas will have the information and tools they need to choose an affordable health care plan that works best for their families.”

 
As a result of the Affordable Care Act, a new Health Insurance Marketplace will open in Texas that will allow Texans to compare prices and shop for health insurance – by phone, on-line, or in-person.  The insurance plans offered through the Marketplace will cover doctor visits, hospital stays, preventive care, prescriptions and more.  And there will be financial assistance available for many Texans. 

 
Get Covered America has staff and volunteers on the ground in Texas engaging people directly by going door-to-door, talking to consumers at places like grocery stores and community centers, and working with local organizations – like community health centers, places of worship, and schools - to get the word out about the new Marketplace.  A central component of the Get Covered America effort will be engagement with young people, key minority communities, and women.  The campaign will partner with groups like the Center for Public Priorities, Texas Health Institute, Texas Organizing Project, the Austin Sustainable Food Center, Central Health, the United Way for Greater Austin, City Square, the Greater Dallas Community Council, Gateway to Care, and Good Neighbor Healthcare Center.

 
“We at Gateway to Care, and the over 167 organizations we collaborate with on working to improve access to health care resources in the Texas Gulf Coast Region, are excited to be working with Enroll America to prepare for the opportunities related to the Affordable Care Act,” said Ron Cookston, Executive Director, Gateway to Care. “Working with Get Covered will be invaluable to our enrollment effort.  Over several campaigns we have found that neighborhood efforts are more successful when respected public media sources help raise awareness.  Together we will be able to have a significant impact that would be impossible if we each worked separately.”

Kicking off the campaign this week, the Get Covered America team is hosting a national virtual strategy session on Thursday, June 20^th, where interested volunteers will learn about the campaign and how to inform their communities about the enrollment process. On Saturday, June 22^nd, Get Covered America will join Austin City Council Member Mike Martinez for a Press Conference at City Hall Plaza. Also on Saturday, Get Covered America volunteers will be gathering together in Dallas and Houston to talk directly with local residents.  County Judge Clay Jenkins will join Get Covered America volunteers in Dallas.

 
To augment the in-state efforts, the campaign is also launching online and social media communications to help arm consumers with important information they’ll need when they’re shopping for insurance – including where they can go to get unbiased, no-nonsense help signing up for coverage, and how they can find out if they qualify for financial assistance.

This past weekend, Maverick County endured torrential downpour and flooding.  We received over 17 inches of rain in a 36 hour period.  Over 140 families suffered a complete loss of their home and hundreds of other homes were damaged.  Now that the storm has passed, it is time to recover and rebuild.

Maverick County is my home.  To see my neighbors have to face the upcoming obstacles of searching, salvaging, and cleaning what is left of their homes and personal belongings is heartbreaking.  

Despite the turmoil that ensued from the flooding, I am very proud of how Maverick County and Eagle Pass stood united and worked together to mitigate the consequences of the storm.   County, City, State, and Federal authorities joined forces to do everything necessary to ensure the safety of those battling the flood.  Due to their collaborative efforts, there were no reported deaths from the flooding. Many were saved from flood waters by brave rescuers.  Rescue crews saved over 65 persons by boat from their homes.  These rescues would not have been possible but not for the teamwork, focus, and relentless perseverance of County, City, State, and Federal leaders, to make sure every single person was out of danger. 

The Office of the Governor Rick Perry has issued a Disaster Declaration for Maverick County and all necessary measures will be taken to continue to see through that the County receives all the assistance available under the law.  Although the storm is over, the recovery process has just begun and I will do everything that I can to help rebuild.  Maverick County has overcome many challenges before, and this situation will be no different.  Maverick County will rise strong. 

Eagle Pass, Texas, May 28, 2013— In response to the ongoing drought in Maverick County, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering additional funding for agriculture operators in the county wishing to address plant health conditions on their land through the agency’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). 

“With so much of the area suffering from a lack of rainfall, this funding will help farmers and ranchers apply conservation practices to reduce the impacts of drought, while improving soil health and productivity,” says Maverick County NRCS District Conservationist Serafin M. Aguirre.

Through this additional EQIP funding, the NRCS will work with landowners in providing assistance to establish and improve plant health on their private lands. Applications will be accepted in NRCS field offices until June 14. Funding priority will target 129 counties, including Maverick County, which are designated as extreme drought (D3) or exceptional drought (D4), according to the current US Drought Monitor map. Priority counties will be adjusted as the drought changes. 

Aguirre suggests that landowners visit the NRCS field office for a free consultation and to develop a conservation plan, which is an effective management strategy for pasture and rangeland recovery, along with helping mitigate  the effects of Texas’ current drought conditions. 

Interested landowners should contact the local NRCS or Soil and Water Conservation District in Eagle Pass at(830) 773-2518. USDA Service center locations and program information can be found on the Texas NRCS Web site at www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov.

AUSTIN, TEXAS, May 16, 2013 --The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) unanimously approved May 9 an application by Electric Transmission Texas, LLC (ETT) for a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) to build a 345-kV transmission line from the Laredo area into the Rio Grande Valley.

The transmission project includes construction of approximately 156 miles of 345-kV transmission lines that will connect ETT’s Lobo Substation near Laredo with substations north of Edinburg and will add two new substations along the line route. The cost of the project is estimated at approximately $318 million.

In approving the CCN application, the PUCT also approved a unanimous settlement with nearly 100 landowners along the route, the PUCT staff and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The new transmission line from the Laredo to the Edinburg area will cross portions of Webb, Zapata, Starr and Hidalgo counties. ETT plans to construct the transmission line on steel single-pole structures, an approach overwhelmingly supported by landowners.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) determined Oct. 11, 2011, that the project is critical for the reliability of the ERCOT system and, specifically, the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Currently, there are only two 345-kV transmission lines serving the Valley. Both of the existing lines import power from the Corpus Christi area and run parallel to the Gulf Coast, which means both are vulnerable to hurricanes and other severe weather. Work to upgrade those two lines already is underway and should be complete this summer.

“I am very pleased that so many groups were able to reach the unanimous settlement regarding the route,” said ETT President Calvin Crowder. “Approval of the
CCN is a significant step to ensuring continued transmission reliability in the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo areas. We now will begin right-of-way acquisition and detailed engineering for the project, with actual construction anticipated to begin in 2014. Area residents will begin enjoying the benefits of the project in 2016.”

ETT is a joint venture between subsidiaries of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company. The joint venture acquires, constructs, owns and operates transmission facilities within ERCOT, primarily in and around the AEP Texas Central Company and AEP Texas North Company service territories.

AEP, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5.3 million customers in 11 states. AEP (www.aep.com) has extensive experience building extra-high-voltage 765-kV transmission lines and owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 40,000-mile network that includes 2,100 miles of 765-kV transmission lines, more 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.

MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company provides electric and natural gas service to more than 7 million customers worldwide, operates an extensive 18,000-mile electric transmission system, a natural gas local distribution system, and interstate natural gas pipeline systems totaling nearly 17,000 miles. Learn more at www.midamerican.com.
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This report made by American Electric Power and its Registrant Subsidiaries contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Although AEP and each of its Registrant Subsidiaries believe that their expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such statements may be influenced by factors that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those projected. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are: the economic climate, growth or contraction within and changes in market demand and demographic patterns in AEP’s service territory; inflationary or deflationary interest rate trends; volatility in the financial markets, particularly developments affecting the availability of capital on reasonable terms and developments impairing AEP’s ability to finance new capital projects and refinance existing debt at attractive rates; the availability and cost of funds to finance working capital and capital needs, particularly during periods when the time lag between incurring costs and recovery is long and the costs are material; electric load, customer growth and the impact of retail competition, particularly in Ohio; weather conditions, including storms and drought conditions, and AEP’s ability to recover significant storm restoration costs through applicable rate mechanisms; available sources and costs of, and transportation for, fuels and the creditworthiness and performance of fuel suppliers and transporters; availability of necessary generating capacity and the performance of AEP’s generating plants; AEP’s ability to recover increases in fuel and other energy costs through regulated or competitive electric rates; AEP’s ability to build or acquire generating capacity and transmission lines and facilities (including the ability to obtain any necessary regulatory approvals and permits) when needed at acceptable prices and terms and to recover those costs (including the costs of projects that are cancelled) through applicable rate cases or competitive rates; new legislation, litigation and government regulation, including oversight of nuclear generation, energy commodity trading and new or heightened requirements for reduced emissions of sulfur, nitrogen, mercury, carbon, soot or particulate matter and other substances, or additional regulation of fly ash and similar combustion products that could impact the continued operation and cost recovery of AEP’s plants and related assets; evolving public perception of the risks associated with fuels used before, during and after the generation of electricity, including nuclear fuel; a reduction in the federal statutory
tax rate that could result in an accelerated return of deferred federal income taxes to customers; timing and resolution of pending and future rate cases, negotiations and other regulatory decisions, including rate or other recovery of new investments in generation, distribution and transmission service and environmental compliance; resolution of litigation; AEP’s ability to constrain operation and maintenance costs; AEP’s ability to develop and execute a strategy based on a view regarding prices of electricity, coal, natural gas and other energy-related commodities; prices and demand for power that AEP generates and sells at wholesale; changes in technology, particularly with respect to new, developing or alternative sources of generation; AEP’s ability to recover through rates or market prices any remaining unrecovered investment in generating units that may be retired before the end of their previously projected useful lives; volatility and changes in markets for electricity, coal, natural gas and other energy-related commodities; changes in utility regulation, including the implementation of Electric Security Plans and the transition to market and expected legal separation for generation in Ohio and the allocation of costs within regional transmission organizations, including PJM and SPP; AEP’s ability to successfully manage negotiations with stakeholders and obtain regulatory approval to terminate the Interconnection Agreement; changes in the creditworthiness of the counterparties with whom AEP has contractual arrangements, including participants in the energy trading market; actions of rating agencies, including changes in the ratings of AEP debt; the impact of volatility in the capital markets on the value of the investments held by AEP’s pension, other postretirement benefit plans, captive insurance entity and nuclear decommissioning trust and the impact on future funding requirements; accounting pronouncements periodically issued by accounting standard-setting bodies; and other risks and unforeseen events, including wars, the effects of terrorism (including increased security costs), embargoes, cyber security threats and other catastrophic events.