Co-ops Take Key Priorities to Washington
More than 1,500 electric cooperative leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., April 26–28 to represent their fellow members and advocate for policies that ensure reliable, affordable electricity for rural America. Missouri’s delegation of 60 co-op directors, CEOs and statewide association leaders attended the annual legislative conference organized by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
The group advocated for common-sense solutions to keep rural America’s lights on. Those key issues include:
Affordable financing for power systems — Increase funding for federal loan programs that help electric cooperatives build and maintain power lines as costs rise and infrastructure ages.
Reliable, low-cost hydropower — Support changes that make it easier to fund and manage federal hydropower, helping keep electricity rates stable.
Fair broadband rules — Ensure electric cooperatives aren’t subject to new regulations that could raise costs or slow efforts to expand high-speed internet in rural areas.
Faster disaster recovery — Improve federal emergency programs so communities can restore power and rebuild infrastructure more quickly after storms and natural disasters.
“Every conversation we have in Washington comes back to one thing — keeping the lights on for the families and businesses we serve,” said Caleb Jones, CEO of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
Missouri directors show their support for Hubert Humphrey’s bid for president during his visit to the NRECA Region 8-10 meeting. This would have been 1968.
Co-op Time Capsule
“Electric cooperatives were born in politics, and they will die in politics without eternal vigilance.” That belief shaped Missouri’s co-ops from the very beginning — and still does today.
In 1951, state lawmakers considered a bill that would have made it illegal for homeowners to do even basic electrical work without a permit and fee. For rural families, it was an overreach that could have slowed progress and increased costs. Stopping proposals like this became just as important as building power lines.
Rural Missourians didn’t have deep pockets, but they had something just as powerful: a strong grassroots voice. That influence showed up early. In 1938, when the Missouri Highway Department imposed costly requirements on co-ops building lines along roadways — and even billed one for moved poles — co-op leaders pushed back, showing up in force to demand change.
By 1950, co-ops were influential enough to host a U.S. Senate forum. Incumbent Forrest Donnell faced tough questions about his opposition to federal power funding, while challenger Thomas Hennings openly backed rural electrification. With co-op support, Hennings won.
That grassroots spirit is best captured by P.G. Wingo, a co-op director who mortgaged his home to travel to Washington, D.C., and secure funding for his area’s first power line — a reminder of what determination can accomplish.
The Trip That Transforms
Missouri’s electric cooperatives are preparing to send the next group of student leaders on the Missouri Youth Tour, a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C. This June, 110 delegates from across the state will arrive in Columbia as strangers and return as friends after a life-changing experience. They will visit monuments and make meaningful connections. Since 1964, more than 4,500 Missouri students have taken part in Youth Tour, building leadership skills and lifelong friendships along the way. Follow along on their travels on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/MissouriYouthTourCYCLE
Investing in People, Prioritizing Safety
In April, electric cooperative employees gathered in St. Louis for the annual Safety Leadership Summit organized by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The group heard keynotes focused on building culture and trust within a team, along with breakout sessions on safety, technology and leadership.
Missouri’s electric cooperative family was well represented at the summit. Caleb Jones, CEO of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, led a conversation with Mizzou Football Coach Eli Drinkwitz following Eli’s keynote on culture. Missouri Electric Cooperative’s Johnie Hendrix and Southwest Electric Cooperative’s James Ashworth and Josh Wolfe led a discussion on lessons learned from conducting crew observation to mitigate risk in the field. Missouri Electric Cooperative’s Dan Ulhorn spoke about how valuing your employees’ well-being can transform safety culture. KAMO Power’s Bryan Stockwell, Jason Wood, Dustin Downs, Derek Eason, Kade Fast and Riley Starlin also spoke in breakouts.
Training for When Lives Are On the Line
Grounded in the fifth cooperative principle — Education, Training and Information — Howard Electric Cooperative recently hosted a full-scale emergency simulation designed to prepare crews for one of the most dangerous scenarios for lineworkers.
During the March 12 training in Fayette, a lineman climbed a utility pole and performed a rescue of a training dummy, which represented a co-worker who had become injured and unresponsive. From there, the exercise unfolded in real time. Local emergency responders were called in to assess and “revive” the injured lineman, practicing coordination and communication under pressure. The scenario ended with a rescue helicopter landing and transporting the “patient,” completing the full chain of emergency response.
Around 120 participants, including team members from more than 15 Missouri electric cooperatives and multiple local agencies, took part in the exercise. Each step reinforced how critical timing, teamwork and training are when lives are on the line.
While everyone hopes a situation like this never happens, the reality is that preparation saves lives. By investing in hands-on, collaborative training, Missouri’s electric cooperatives ensure that if the worst does occur, everyone knows exactly what to do — and how to do it safely.
In Focus
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of America’s Mother Road, University of Missouri instructor Susan Nordberg used the April issue of Rural Missouri and its feature article in her class with visiting scholars from Mongolia, South Korea and China. The class is a part of the Global Leadership Program of the University of Missouri’s Asian Affairs Center. Everyone sure got their “kicks” reading, in English, about Route 66. Photo: Thomas Nordberg