Progress Energy CEO Johnson to Speak on Convergence of Environmental Rules

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

The convergence of pending federal environmental rule changes could have a sweeping effect on utilities and their customers in the years ahead. Utilities and regulators need to work together to manage the transformation of the electric power system in a cost-effective, orderly way to minimize the impact of changes on consumers.

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That's the message Progress Energy Chairman, President and CEO Bill Johnson will deliver to utility regulators from around the country in Washington, D.C., Feb. 14. Johnson will speak at 10 a.m. as part of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) conference at the Renaissance Washington Hotel, 999 Ninth St., Washington D.C.

Johnson's remarks will be part of a session titled "Up in the Air: What Utility and Air Regulators Need to Know about new EPA Rules." The session also will include remarks from Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator, Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and a panel discussion moderated by NARUC President Tony Clark.

For more information, visit http://winter.narucmeetings.org/

Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 500 energy company with more than 22,000 megawatts of generation capacity and approximately $10 billion in annual revenues. Progress Energy includes two major electric utilities that serve about 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. The company has earned the Edison Electric Institute's Edison Award, the industry's highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence, and was the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Founder's Award for customer service. The company is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future, which includes aggressive energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system. Progress Energy celebrated a century of service in 2008. Visit the company's website at www.progress-energy.com.

SOURCE Progress Energy