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ST. LOUIS NEWS TODAY - Tuesday, April 22, 2003

AmerenUE to Give $4 Million to Missouri Department of
Natural Resources Weatherization Program
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), April 22, 2003 - AmerenUE is contributing $2 million of a total $4 million contribution to the Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Energy Center.

The contribution is earmarked to help low-income AmerenUE Missouri electric residential customers reduce their bills by conserving energy. This ranks as the single largest private contribution ever made to this program in Missouri.

In an announcement, Ameren President and Chief Operating Officer Gary Rainwater stated that the utility has sponsored a number of programs from supporting volunteer efforts to weatherize homes to funding increased use of energy efficient systems to a range of energy education programs. "However, this contribution, simply by its scope, will yield significant benefits to individuals and families who are struggling with their energy bills," said Rainwater.

AmerenUE is making an initial grant of $2 million that is available for distribution now. In addition, $500,000 will be provided on or before June 30 of each year for the next four years.

The contribution comes as part of an electric rate case settlement between AmerenUE and other parties that was approved in 2002 by the Missouri Public Service Commission. Through that settlement, AmerenUE Missouri electric customers are receiving $110 million in phased-in electric rate reductions, in addition to other programs to encourage energy conservation and to provide energy assistance to low-income customers.

To receive these services, each potential participant who is an active AmerenUE electric customer can contact one of 14 assistance agencies, where a needs assessment will determine which clients receive the services and at what level. These agencies perform weatherization services with their own staffs or contract with vendors to provide needed services based on program criteria.

In St. Louis City, customers can call the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, 314-615-3612; in St. Louis County: Services Toward Empowering People, 314-863-0015; in Hillsboro: Jefferson-Franklin Community Action Corporation, 636-789-2686; and in Kansas City: Kansas City Department of Housing and Community Development, 816-513-3000.

Business Travel Heads for Black Hole
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), April 20, 2003 - If leisure travel has been the relative "star" in the U.S., business travel has been the "black hole" in the domestic travel constellation, according to a special spring market analysis produced by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA).

Domestic business travel declined 5.5 percent in 2002 over 2001, and was down nearly 9 percent 2002 over 2000. Business travel has fallen victim to a convergence of factors that are likely to continue in the near term.

The reports notes in the near term:

The U.S. economy is off to a slow start with the first quarter showing a "jobless recovery". Since October, the economy has shed nearly half a million jobs - 108,000 in March alone - and hiring is likely to remain depressed through spring. Nearly half of the chief executive officers of 120 of America's top corporations expect their companies to cut jobs in the next six months versus just nine percent who expect to create jobs.
Capital spending by business dropped 5.7 percent in 2002 and 5.2 percent the year before--the worst two-year decline in capital spending since World War II and a serious drag on the economy. About a quarter of those CEOs surveyed expect their companies to reduce capital spending in the next six months, while only 18 percent plan to increase their investments.
Real GPD is expected to grow at less than a 2 percent rate in the first half of the year underscoring a continued short-term weakness in the U.S. economy. Just as it did during the first Gulf War in 1990-91, uncertainty over this war with Iraq is stifling consumer and business spending.
Business travel intentions remain weak. While most (92%) Americans who have a job involving at least some business travel think they will be taking one or more business trips this spring and summer, only 10 percent say they will be traveling more than they did last year versus 19 percent who say they will travel less. Those planning to travel less or not at all for business over the next six months cite company cost cutting as the primary reason.
Nearly half of corporate travel managers surveyed say corporate profit estimates are driving down travel in their companies. Looking forward, more than half of these respondents expect their total travel spending in 2003 to be down from 2002 levels.
Some trips are also being replaced by technology. A TIA survey found that nearly half of all business travelers in the past year claimed that they had used technologies such as teleconferencing, videoconferencing and webconferencing to conduct business instead of taking a business trip by air.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is the newest threat to business travel, especially to and from Asia. An early April survey conducted among 240 companies found that 55 percent had decreased travel because of SARS. Fifty-eight percent of 180 corporations and organizations - all said to be large buyers of commercial air - have banned travel to Asia.
For the week ending April 6, system-wide U.S. airline traffic was down 17.4 percent year over year, primarily due to severe weakness in business travel. Traffic on Pacific routes was off 25.8 percent. Atlantic routes fell 25.2 percent. Latin America traffic was down 17.8 percent, and domestic traffic was off 14.7 percent.
Average occupancy rates at U.S. hotels fell 7.9 percent for the week ending April 5 compared to the same week of 2002, while revenue per available room (RevPar) fell 7.6 percent.

TIA forecasts a 2.5 percent decline in business travel this spring (March - May). This would put business travel more than 13 percent below the levels of spring 2001.

The report indicated that an improving economy and strengthening business fundamentals may serve as catalysts for the long-awaited domestic business travel recovery in the later months of 2003.

But it is not likely that we will see the volume of the hey-days of the late 1990s again for quite some time to come considering the major changes that have occurred in business travel policies and the success of new technologies to substitute for at least some business trips.

Blooming Flowers Mean Increased Allergies
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), April 20, 2003 - April showers can bring May flowers. But they also bring out the grass and tree pollen that trigger sneezing, watery eyes and runny noses for the country's 35.9 millions seasonal allergy sufferers.

"Allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, is triggered by allergens, substances that initiate an allergic response, such as pollens or molds," stated Jay M. Portnoy, MD FAAAAI, past chair of the AAAAI's Aerobiology Committee. "Many trees, grasses and weeds have small, light and dry pollens that are easily carried by the wind, which is why allergy symptoms flare up in the spring."

For allergy sufferers, it is important to know which allergens trigger their symptoms, and when to watch for them:

Trees pollinate earliest, from late February through May in most of the country, although this may fluctuate in different locations. Trees that disperse allergens include oak, elm, birch, ash, hickory, poplar, sycamore, maple, cypress, walnut and western cedar.
Grasses follow next in the cycle, distributing their pollens May to July. Grasses to watch out for are timothy, Bermuda, orchard, red top and sweet vernal. In late summer and fall weeds such as ragweed, sagebrush, pigweed, Russian thistle and cocklebur become problematic for allergy sufferers.

Each of these plants has a period of pollination that does not vary greatly from year to year. However, weather conditions can affect the amount of pollen in the air at any given time. The pollinating season starts later in the spring the further north one goes. Generally, the pollen season lasts from February or March through October.

"Molds are also an allergic trigger," Portnoy stated.

Mold spores tend to peak in late spring and again in late all when there is a lot of moisture in the atmosphere. They are affected by changing weather conditions, such as wind, rain or temperature. Allergy symptoms are often minimal on days that are rainy, cloudy or windless because pollen and mold spores do not move about in these conditions. Hot, dry and windy weather signals greater pollen and mold distribution and thus increases allergy symptoms. Pollen and spores also tend to increase just prior to thunderstorms.

Allergy sufferers should be aware of the amount of pollen and mold in the air before venturing out. Minimizing outdoor activity on days when the pollen count or humidity is reported to be high or on windy days when mold and pollen are blown about will help to reduce allergy symptoms. To find out the pollen count for your area, visit the National Allergy Bureau (NAB) Web site at http://www.aaaai.org/nab

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