COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 18, 1999 -- Andrew Varley, 64, senior vice president for energy pricing and regulatory services, today announced he will retire from American Electric Power, effective Dec. 1. A successor has not yet been named. “Andy Varley has been a driving force in AEP’s ability to work with state and federal officials to offer customers choices in their electricity supplier,” said William J. Lhota, AEP executive vice president. “His background as a former state legislator and public service chairman have helped AEP build stronger bridges with legislators and regulatory agencies across our service territory during the past decade.” Varley joined AEP in 1988 and was elected vice president - rates. In 1996, he was elected senior vice president-energy pricing and regulatory services. Before joining AEP Varley spent eight years with the Iowa State Utilities Board, where he served as chairman from 1980-88. Earlier, he served 12 years in Iowa’s House of Representatives, including two years each as majority leader and speaker. A native of Iowa, Varley holds a bachelor’s and master of science degrees in agricultural economics from Iowa State University and North Carolina State University. He and his wife, Marilyn, plan to return to Iowa after his retirement. 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.