December 17, 2008 14:34 ET

T. Boone Pickens to Address EnergyBiz National Leadership Forum

Energy Leader and BP Capital Management Founder to Discuss U.S. Energy Policy Issues Being Shaped by Today's Economic and Political Climate

DENVER, CO--(Marketwire - December 17, 2008) - Energy Central, the leading resource in the global power industry for news, events, databases, insight and analysis, announced today that T. Boone Pickens will be a keynote speaker at the first annual EnergyBiz Leadership Forum (http://www.energybizforum.com).

The event, to be held at the Renaissance Mayflower in Washington, D.C. on March 8-10, 2009, will bring together legislators, energy consumer representatives, utilities, regulators, vendors and financiers for an unprecedented discussion and analysis of energy production, consumption, and policy in the United States.

As well known for his PickensPlan as he is for his wealth of experience in the oil and gas and investment industries, Pickens is a compelling force in contemporary dialogue on the present and future of domestic energy. An advocate of energy independence and stability for the U.S., he has often spoken about the relationship of energy to the economy, environment and national security.

"We are pleased to welcome Mr. Pickens to what we feel is a crucial discussion of key issues related to energy policy today," says Mark Johnson, Energy Central vice president of content and publisher of EnergyBiz magazine. "As a country and as an industry, we are confronting unprecedented times and this forum will provide the most objective and strategic view of the unique drivers shaping energy. By bringing together all the involved parties, including luminaries such as Mr. Pickens, the Leadership Forum will facilitate the development of real, workable solutions that will secure our country's future."

In addition to Pickens, other speakers include:
    -- Dick Kelly, President and CEO, Xcel Energy
    -- Kevin Burke, President and CEO, Con Edison
    -- Dan Reicher, Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives,
       Google.org
    -- Steven Specker, Chairman, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
    -- Jacques Besnainou, President, AREVA, Inc.; President and CEO,
       AREVA NC Inc.
    -- Tom Kuhn, President, Edison Electric Institute (EEI)
    -- Michael Mudd, CEO, FutureGen Alliance
    -- Michael Chesser, Chairman and CEO, Great Plains Energy; Chairman,
       Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
    -- Mark Crisson, CEO, American Public Power Association (APPA)
    -- Ray Beavers, General Manager and CEO, United Cooperative
       Services, Texas
    -- Marc Spitzer, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory
       Commission (FERC)
    -- Fred Butler, New Jersey Regulatory Commissioner, Incoming
       President, National Association of Regulatory Utility
       Commissions (NARUC)
    -- Dr. John Anderson, President, Electricity Consumers Resource Council
    -- Kim Saylors-Laster, Vice President, Energy, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
    -- Rep. Bart Gordon, US Representative, 6th District Tennessee, United
       States Congress
    -- Barry Worthington, Executive Director, United States Energy
       Association
    -- David Springe, President, National Association of State Utility
       Consumer Advocates, Consumer Counsel of the Citizens' Utility
       Ratepayer Board of Kansas
    -- Steve Winn, CEO, Nuclear Innovation North America

Energy Central is joining with media partner USA TODAY to present the EnergyBiz Leadership Forum. The Forum invites all utilities, regulatory representatives, legislators, policymakers, financiers, technology suppliers and other business professionals responsible for future energy policy creation, design, implementation and rollout to attend this precedent-setting discussion. See the EnergyBiz Leadership Forum Web site for details, including a full schedule of speakers and topics for the event.

About Energy Central:

Energy Central, headquartered in Aurora, Colorado, and established in 1996, is the leading resource connecting professionals in the global power industry to news, events, databases, insight and analysis. Encompassing web sites, e-newsletters, direct marketing channels, events and print publications, Energy Central delivers to top executives, managers, leaders and industry influencers have relied on the information they use every day. Energy Central currently publishes EnergyBiz and Intelligent Utility magazines. Sierra Energy Group is the research and analysis division of Energy Central, delivering trusted, high-value, accurate information. EnergyCentralJobs.com is the most-used job web site in the global power industry, connecting job seekers and employers.

About USA TODAY:

USA TODAY is the nation's top-selling newspaper. It is published via satellite at 34 locations in the USA and at four sites abroad. With a total average daily circulation of 2.3 million, USA TODAY is available worldwide. USA TODAY is published by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI). The USA TODAY brand also includes: USATODAY.com, an award-winning news and information Web site that is updated 24 hours per day; USA TODAY Sports Weekly, a magazine for enthusiasts of college and professional football and baseball; USA TODAY Mobile, offering up-to-the minute news and information on a variety of mobile platforms and devices; and USA TODAY LIVE, the television arm of the USA TODAY brand that brings the spirit and quality of the newspaper to television.