For Immediate Release

Friday, September 7, 2001

For more information, contact: Jen Waller, Communications Assistant, 859-288-6154/http://gov.state.ky.us/sga/index.htm

ENERGY POLICY TO TAKE CENTER STAGE AT SGA ANNUAL MEETING

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The southern governors will release an in-depth, comprehensive report on energy policy in the South on September 10, 2001, during their 67th annual meeting. This report will be released on the same day that Vice President Dick Cheney is confirmed to address the governors on the topic of the national energy policy.

“We look forward to hearing from the Vice President, who headed up the Administration’s National Energy Policy Development Group, and we look forward to sharing with him some of our concerns related to the legislation currently being considered in Congress,” said SGA chairman Governor Paul E. Patton of Kentucky.

The report, which is embargoed until 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, will call for a national energy policy based on maintaining a stable energy market achieved by addressing supply needs, increasing conservation and improving efficiency.

There is no registration fee for media; however, media must be registered to receive credentials that permit access to the sessions and press conferences only. Please visit the SGA website: http://www.southerngovernors.org/ or Kentucky's website: http://sga.state.ky.us for registration and conference schedule information. You can also obtain press releases and photos following each SGA session on these websites.

For information on live video streaming, please visit the KET website: http://edit-www.ket.org/content/sga2001/

Founded in 1934, the Southern Governors' Association is the oldest and historically largest of the regional governors' associations. The mission of SGA is to support the work of the governors by providing a bipartisan, regional forum to help shape and implement national policy and to solve state and regional problems. The association's membership is composed of the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.

Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) is an interstate compact organization created in 1960 with the mission to enhance economic development and the quality of life in the South through innovations in energy and environmental programs and technologies. SSEB develops, promotes and recommends policies and programs that protect and enhance the environment without compromising the needs of future generations. Sixteen southern states and two territories comprise the membership of SSEB. The governor and a state legislator from the House and Senate of each member jurisdiction serve on the Board. In addition, the President appoints a federal representative who serves as an ex-officio member.