The National Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters, has recognized PPL Electric Utilities for its tree-pruning practices.

"Each year, we prune trees along more than 4,000 miles of power lines," said John F. Sipics, president of PPL Electric Utilities. "We do this to improve electric service reliability, but our focus extends beyond keeping the lights on.

"We know how important trees are to the environment and to the communities we serve, and we take great care to protect the health of the trees we prune," he said.

The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated PPL Electric Utilities a Tree Line USA utility for 2006. The designation recognizes the company for its tree-care program and public education efforts.

Sipics said the company trains its tree contractors regularly and provides information to help customers select trees that will mature fully without growing into power lines. He said the company also prunes only those branches that grow toward power lines. Remaining branches are left to grow naturally. Because there are fewer cuts, trees are not put under as much stress.

The company's pruning techniques, endorsed by the National Arbor Day Foundation, encourage quick and complete healing. The techniques used result in less branch decay and fewer weakly attached shoots that can grow back toward power lines and create problems during storms.

"Every year more utility companies embrace Tree Line USA," said John Rosenow, president of the National Arbor Day Foundation. "We're pleased to honor these leading utilities, those who have proven their commitment to both the environment and the people they serve."

Tree care is one part of a comprehensive maintenance program that enables PPL Electric Utilities to provide award-winning, reliable service. To learn more about the company's tree-care practices, visit www.pplelectric.com.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation, has had "Highest Customer Satisfaction With Residential Electric Service in the Eastern United States"* five years in a row. Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) controls about 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to more than 5 million customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America. More information is available at www.pplweb.com.