Electric cooperative leaders share the need for education
More than 1,200 electric cooperative leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., April 21-24 to represent their fellow members and push for policies that ensure reliable and affordable electricity for rural America. Missouri’s delegation of co-op directors, CEOs and leaders of their statewide associations attended this annual legislative conference organized by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
While visiting with Congressional key staff and policy leaders, the Missouri co-op leaders advocated for common- sense solutions to keep rural America’s lights on.
Those key issues include:
- Support of continued Rural Utilities Service’s funding, broadband expansion into rural Missouri and opposition of any policies that would force electric cooperatives to shut down our baseload plants.
- Opposition of pole attachment rules that put electric systems at risk.
- Opposition of EPA’s power plant greenhouse gas rule that jeopardizes co-ops’ ability to keep the lights on. It mandates unproven technologies and unachievable emissions limits on an unworkable timeframe in violation of the law and Supreme Court decisions.
- Continued support of legislation that alleviates supply chain challenges for electric utility suppliers, specifically electric transformers.
- Support of creating a revolving fund for the Southwestern Power Administration.
“These are the issues that will have the greatest impact on the success of electric cooperatives in Missouri,” says Caleb Jones, CEO of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. “For more than 80 years our electric cooperatives have been focused on their members and delivering reliable and affordable electricity. Carrying that message to Washington shows Congress that Missouri co-ops are dedicated to working for our members back home.”