Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation President and COO to Retire; Board Announces Industry Veteran Appointed as Utility

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., Oct 14, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
CHG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- The Board of Directors CH Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE: CHG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) has announced
the appointment of James P. Laurito as Executive Vice President of the
holding company and of its utility subsidiary, Central Hudson Gas &
Electric Corporation, effective Nov. 1, 2009. Laurito will succeed Carl
E. Meyer as President of Central Hudson, effective with Meyer's
retirement on Dec. 31, 2009.

"On behalf of the entire organization, I express sincere appreciation to
Carl, who served so capably as President and Chief Operating Officer of
Central Hudson for the past 10 years and for his outstanding 40-year
career with our Company," said Steven V. Lant, Chairman of the Board,
President and C.E.O.

"During the last decade, under Carl's leadership, we confronted such
challenges as deregulation of our industry, the requirement to provide
superior service while controlling costs, and the need to meet our
customers' growing expectations for ever-more reliable power," Lant
said. "We thank him for his dedicated service to the Company and to the
community and we wish him the best in retirement."

Reflecting on his four-decade-long career with Central Hudson, Meyer
said, "I have had the pleasure of working with a very talented,
dedicated and skilled team of employees -- professionals as well as
craftsmen/women. I feel privileged to have been able to contribute to
the Company's success in achieving 'best-in-class' employee safety and
in producing cost-efficient, sustainable improvements in service
quality, as well as in preparing the Company to face future operating
challenges and to pursue opportunities to improve earnings."

Meyer joined Central Hudson as a Junior Engineer in 1970 and was
promoted to positions of increasing responsibility before his
appointment as Vice President of Engineering and Production in 1988. He
later served as Vice President and Senior Vice President of Customer
Services before assuming the duties of President in 1999. He earned both
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Electric Power Engineering
from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

"Although I am retiring, I plan to continue volunteering my time and
energy to support the many organizations who work tirelessly to improve
the quality of life in the Hudson Valley," Meyer said.

Lant said he has every confidence that Laurito will also provide
excellent leadership as Central Hudson continues its more than
century-long commitment to providing residents and businesses of the
Hudson Valley with reliable, cost-effective and innovative energy
products and services.

"Jim has established a reputation as a proven senior executive who has
been a leader and architect of motivated, cohesive teams that quickly
assess problems, address and manage change, cut costs and increase
profitability," Lant said. "We welcome his expertise and high-energy
approach to executive oversight, and I am certain that our customers,
employees and investors will benefit from his strong leadership and
innovative thinking," Lant said.

Between 2003 and 2009, Laurito served as the President of both New York
State Electric and Gas Corporation (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and
Electric Corporation (RG&E), as well as President and Chief Executive
Officer of RGS Energy Group, Inc., all subsidiaries of Iberdrola/Energy
East Corporation. NYSEG and RG&E distribute electricity and natural gas
to more than 1.8 million customers, serving about 50 percent of the
population of upstate New York; Laurito was responsible for executive
oversight of $3.5 billion in annual revenue and 4,300 employees.

"I am very excited to be joining the dynamic CH Energy Group team, and I
look forward to making a meaningful contribution to furthering the great
tradition of operational excellence and shareholder-value creation,"
said Laurito.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from West
Virginia University in 1978, and completed an executive program in
Finance and Manufacturing Management at Columbia University in 1996.

"Central Hudson's future success is clear due to the strong foundation
that Carl has helped to mold and to Jim's promise as a visionary leader.
I congratulate and offer very best wishes to both of them," said Lant.

About CH Energy Group

CH Energy Group, Inc. is a family of companies seizing new
opportunities in the energy marketplace through two primary
subsidiaries: Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation is a regulated
transmission and distribution utility serving approximately 300,000
electric and about 74,000 natural gas customers in eight counties of New
York State's Mid-Hudson River Valley, and delivering natural gas and
electricity in a 2,600-square-mile service territory that extends north
from the suburbs of metropolitan New York City to the Capital District
at Albany. Central Hudson Enterprises Corporation, a
non-regulated subsidiary, is the umbrella for a family of energy-related
companies and investments focused primarily on fuel distribution and
renewable energy. Griffith Energy Service's fuel distribution
business supplies energy products and services to approximately 111,000
customers in 10 states, stretching from Rhode Island to the Washington,
D.C. area. CHEC also has interests in a Lexington, Neb., ethanol
plant and several renewable energy projects in the Northeast.

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SOURCE: CH Energy Group, Inc.

CH Energy Group, Inc. 
Denise D. VanBuren, 845-471-8323

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