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Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., on behalf of the New York City Pension Funds, today announced that Sempra Energy and the Ameren Corporation have agreed to disclose cost-effective ways to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions from their power plant operations.

“Sempra Energy and Ameren have made the right decision by recognizing that they should identify cost-effective steps that their companies can take to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions,” Thompson said.

The New York City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers’ Retirement System of New York City, New York City Police Department Pension Fund, New York City Fire Department Pension Fund, and New York City Board of Education Retirement System filed shareholder resolutions with Sempra and Ameren in December.

The resolutions called for Sempra, which is based on San Diego, CA, and Ameren, which is based in St. Louis, MO, to review and report on how they will respond to rising regulatory, competitive and public pressure to significantly reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions from their current and proposed power plant operations.

Sempra agreed to and made public disclosure last week to comply with the shareholder resolution, while Ameren committed to producing the report called for in the resolution by September 1, 2007. Accordingly, the Comptroller withdrew the measures.

Similar resolutions filed by the Pension Funds will be presented to shareholders this Spring. The Funds submitted proposals with: Dominion Resources of Richmond, VA: Allegheny Energy of Greensburg, PA; Consol Energy of Pittsburgh, PA; and Massey Energy of Richmond, VA.

Last year, Sempra Energy successfully petitioned the Securities and Exchange Commission to omit the proposal from its proxy statement. Collectively, the Funds have 705,105 shares worth $39,514,084 invested in Sempra, and 749,622 shares worth $40,277,190 in Ameren.

“By pushing companies like Sempra Energy and Ameren to disclose their policies for reducing emissions, the New York City Pension Funds are not only contributing to a cleaner environment but also working to ensure that shareholders get the best possible return on their money,” said New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, a NYCERS trustee.  “I am proud that the Pension Funds are once again leading the way in shareholder activism.”

The trustees for the Pension Funds are:

NYCERS: New York City Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark (Chair); New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum; Borough Presidents Scott Stringer (Manhattan), Helen Marshall (Queens), Marty Markowitz (Brooklyn), Adolfo Carrion (Bronx), and James Molinaro (Staten Island); Lillian Roberts, Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME; Roger Toussaint, President Transport Workers Union Local 100; and, Carroll (Carl) Haynes, President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

TRS: New York City Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark (Chair); Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm, New York City Department of Education; and, Sandra March, Melvyn Aaronson and Mona Romain, all of the United Federation of Teachers.

Fire Department Pension Fund: Mayor Michael Bloomberg; New York City Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta (Chair); New York City Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark; Stephen Cassidy, President, James Slevin, Vice President, Robert Straub, Treasurer, and John Kelly, Brooklyn Representative and Chair, Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York; Peter Gorman, President and Captains’ Rep., Nicholas J. Visconti, Chiefs’ Rep., and Stephen J. Carbone, Lieutenants’ Rep., Uniformed Fire Officers Association; and, Joseph Gagliardi, Marine Engineers Association.

Police Pension Fund: Mayor Michael Bloomberg; New York City Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark; New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly (Chair); Patrick Lynch, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association; Michael Palladino, Detectives Endowment Association; Edwin Mullins, Sergeants Benevolent Association; Anthony Garvey, Lieutenants Benevolent Association; and, John Driscoll, Captains Endowment Association.

BERS: mayoral appointees Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, Alan Aviles, Philip Berry, David Chang, Tino Hernandez, Augusta Souza Kappner, Richard Menschel and Marita Regan; Borough President appointees Martine G. Guerrier (Brooklyn), Vivian Farmery (Manhattan), Michael Flowers (Queens), and Joan Correale (Staten Island); and employee members Thomas J. Malanga of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 891, and Milagros Rodriguez of District Council 37, Local 372.

You can view the shareholder proposals and letters from the companies at: www.comptroller.nyc.gov.

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