Entergy 2007 Annual Report Download - page 13

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Entergy Corporation and Subsidiaries 2007
expand our focus on environmental stewardship. rough grants and employee
volunteerism in 2007, Entergy helped local Keep America Beautiful aliates in
their eorts to build strong, healthy communities and a better environment.
A Society That Is Healthy, Productive and Educated
Approximately 25 percent of our 2.7 million utility customers fall below the
poverty level. We created our low-income customer assistance initiative in
1999 to address this stark reality. Entergy’s commitment to the ght against
poverty takes many forms – from funding for education, job training and
programs that help low-income families build assets to partnering with
the Internal Revenue Service to educate customers about benets such as
the earned income tax credit. Since launching its low-income customer
assistance initiative, Entergy has committed $35 million to funding programs
that help families escape poverty and achieve economic self-suciency.
We continued our work on behalf of our low-income customers in 2007.
Entergy along with its employees and customers raised more than $2.4 million
in local bill payment assistance funds. One hundred percent of the funds
raised go to local customers who need help to pay their utility bills. Last year,
almost 90,000 customer bills were paid by third-party sources such as our bill
payment assistance funds as well as state and federal programs.
Federal utility bill payment assistance programs only reach about 15 percent
of households in need. To increase the reach of federal programs, Entergy
employees and activists from its service areas traveled to Washington, D.C. in
February 2007 to meet with members of Congress and urge their support for
increased funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
As a result of their eorts and the eorts of advocates for the poor and
elderly, 2007 LIHEAP funding was more than $102.7 million for Arkansas,
Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Our eorts on behalf of our low-income customers were recognized again in
2007. We were honored to receive the Edison Electric Institute Advocacy Excellence
Award for the third year. e U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic
Leadership Center also recognized Entergy in 2007 for its low-income initiative
with its Corporate Citizenship Award in the category of U.S. Community Service.
Releasing Value Wherever It Exists
Providing employees the opportunity to reach their full potential in a safe and
secure work environment. Creating partnerships that enable communities to
thrive in a healthy, clean environment. Giving people in need of assistance a chance
to break the cycle of poverty and build productive lives. Value exists all around
us – in our businesses, employees and communities – and at Entergy, we are
committed to doing what it takes to create and unlock that value wherever
we nd it. Our corporate eorts in the areas of safety, the environment and
our low-income customer assistance initiative deliver benets for all our
stakeholders. While the link is less direct, we are condent that our eorts
in these areas contribute to our proven ability to meet our overarching
aspiration of continually delivering top-quartile total shareholder returns.
We aspire to consistently deliver value in keeping with our belief in sustainable development.”
Total Shareholder Return
2007, %
Philadelphia
Utility Index
19.0
S&P 500
5.5
ETR
32.5
We aspire to continually deliver top-quartile
shareholder return. We ranked in the top quartile
of our peer companies again in 2007 and we were
number one in total shareholder return over the
nine-year period ending Dec. 31, 2007.
Total Shareholder Return
12/31/1998 – 12/31/2007, %
ETR
414.3
Philadelphia
Utility Index
134.1
S&P 500
38.1