Minnesota’s electric cooperatives—working with NRECA’s Voices for Cooperative Power—won a key victory as state lawmakers voted to fund a $500,000 study that could be the first step in lifting a 32-year ban on new nuclear power plants.

Electric co-ops are pushing to end the moratorium as demand for electricity grows and co-ops face a state mandate of 100% carbon-free power by 2040.

“Keeping the lights on is not optional,” said Darrick Moe, president and CEO of the Minnesota Rural Electric Association. “Minnesota needs firm, reliable power that is available around the clock, and nuclear energy delivers exactly that.

“This study gives policymakers the information they need to understand how nuclear energy, a proven and carbon-free resource, can strengthen Minnesota’s grid for the long term.”

VCP—NRECA’s grassroots network of more than 1.4 million co-op consumer-members, employees and allies—played a crucial role in mobilizing public support for the study, said Ryan Johnson, a communications specialist at the statewide association.

The VCP advocacy campaign began in February with social media ads focused on informing Minnesotans about the issue. By the end of the month, the grassroots network began sending hundreds of letters to state lawmakers.

In less than a week and a half, nearly 2,000 letters had been sent, with messages arriving as co-op leaders held their annual Co-op Day at the statehouse to lobby lawmakers. A total of 3,141 messages were ultimately sent, with all 201 legislators receiving them in both rural and urban districts, Johnson said.

State lawmakers voted to approve the study on the final day of their legislative session on May 17. The nonprofit Great Plains Institute will conduct the study, which must be completed by Jan. 30, 2027.

“It’s the most significant progress toward lifting the moratorium since it was passed in 1994,” Johnson said.

“VCP was really important for getting that grassroots element. Lawmakers want to know: Do my constituents actually care? And, with VCP, we were able to show that they do.”

Kelly Cushman, NRECA’s vice president of political programs, said “VCP was proud to partner with the Minnesota Rural Electric Association to amplify co-op voices on this critical issue.”

“The response from grassroots advocates was extraordinary,” Cushman said, “and it made a real impact—demonstrating to lawmakers that Minnesotans care deeply about reliable and affordable energy.”

The statewide association plans to continue to work with VCP to keep grassroots advocates updated on what’s happening with the study, Johnson says.

The collaboration was so successful, he said, that MREA has decided to stop using a company that provided similar services as VCP but at a cost of thousands of dollars. VCP works with NRECA members for free.

“We want to use VCP to tell people that we did make progress and urge them to keep engaged,” Johnson said. “We want them to stay prepared for the next legislative session when the study comes out.”

The study will look into the costs and financial risks of building plants, the federal regulations that govern them, the job opportunities they could bring, and the environmental impacts, including radioactive waste. It will also examine the latest technology, such as small modular reactors currently under development in the U.S.

After the study is released, “Minnesota will need to take the next step and remove the barriers that prevent new nuclear development,” Moe said. “We look forward to continuing that conversation.”

Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.

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Arkansas lawmakers have created the state’s first-ever electric cooperative caucus to educate legislators on emerging technologies, rising energy demand and the critical need for reliable, affordable power. 

The Arkansas Rural Electric Cooperative Caucus was formed by members of the Senate and House of Representatives in April, with about half of the state’s 135 total lawmakers joining so far, said state Sen. Matt McKee, co-chairman of the new caucus. Nearly all members of the Arkansas legislature have electric co-ops in their districts. 

The caucus plans to meet on a regular basis to hear from energy experts and tour power plants and other facilities. McKee said the caucus will hold a one-day “electric university” event in August to educate members about how the electrical grid works.  

“I think we take the electrical system for granted because it has worked really well in general,” McKee said. 

“When we flip the light switch, the lights come on. But now, with utility rates and data centers on the front pages of newspapers, I feel we need to be better informed, especially if we’re going to be making decisions that affect ratepayers.” 

At least one other state is doing something similar. Kentucky Electric Cooperatives helped create a co-op caucus in their state in 2024 and host events for their lawmakers. 

McKee and state Rep. Jack Ladyman, a mechanical engineer, decided to form and co-chair their state’s caucus together after talking with leaders of the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.  

“Arkansas is a very rural, very agriculture-heavy state,” said Ladyman. “Anything that we can do to help rural electric co-ops is going to help the state as a whole.” 

Buddy Hasten, president and CEO of Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. and Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc., said co-ops are looking forward to working with the caucus. 

“The caucus members will gain fact-based information about the energy industry, which involves many complicated components,” Hasten said. 

He was invited to speak at the caucus’s first meeting at the state capitol, where he gave an overview of data centers’ energy demands and discussed the development of natural gas generation in Arkansas. 

“I think the utility issue is probably the most complicated issue that we deal with as legislators,” McKee said. “It’s going to be an ongoing conversation.” 

Electricity in Arkansas is 20% cheaper than the national average due to the state’s diverse fuel mix and regulations designed to keep costs down, McKee and Ladyman said. 

“We want to maintain low utility costs to make sure our constituents have a good quality of life,” Ladyman said. “That’s our primary purpose.” 

The chairmen believe that lawmakers who are well-informed about electricity will ultimately write better legislation. 

“My goal is affordable, reliable power for Arkansans,” McKee said. “The electric co-ops have done a really good job with that and I applaud them. I think we have to be really vigilant moving forward about how we build new plants to generate more electricity.” 

Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.

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WASHINGTON—More than 1,500 electric cooperative leaders gathered at NRECA’s Legislative Conference this week to meet with lawmakers and agency officials and push for policies that will keep the lights on for 42 million Americans.

NRECA CEO Jim Matheson told co-op leaders Monday that they are viewed as truthtellers by policymakers, giving them a unique advantage as they advocate for top co-op priorities. The key, he said, is that co-ops deliver a consistent message about the need for reliable, affordable power, no matter which political party is in control of Congress or the White House.

“Policymakers know we’re not of Washington,” Matheson said. “We’re laser-focused on doing the right thing for the communities we serve. That’s a powerful differentiator.”

This year’s conference focused on four issues: streamlining the federal permitting process, mitigating the risk of wildfires, expediting disaster relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and increasing funding for the Rural Utilities Service Electric Loan Program.

Co-ops can have a huge impact on policymakers by telling real-life stories about how these issues affect their consumer-members and by promoting commonsense solutions to broken federal policies, NRECA leaders said.

“Make no mistake, lawmakers want to hear from you,” Louis Finkel, NRECA’s senior vice president of Government Relations, told co-op leaders. “Your voice is powerful.”

Natural Resources chairman: ‘We desperately need permitting reform’

House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said the time is right for reforming the cumbersome federal permitting process that delays electric co-ops’ efforts to improve their systems and meet rising demand for power.

“We need to make it so you can grow and provide more energy,” he said.

Westerman helped lead the House to passage of two significant, NRECA-backed permitting reform bills late last year.

The SPEED Act would streamline the requirements imposed by the National Environmental Policy Act on co-ops applying for permits to build new generation, transmission and distribution capacity, strengthen existing systems or perform crucial maintenance work.  

The PERMIT Act would improve permitting under the Clean Water Act by cutting red tape and providing greater regulatory certainty for co-ops that obtain permits. 

Westerman, who worked as an engineer and forester before going into politics, was also a lead sponsor of the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act. The NRECA-backed bill—which the House passed last year—would expedite federal approvals to allow co-ops to harden their grids against wildfires and remove the hazardous vegetation that fuels blazes. 

He urged co-op leaders to press the Senate to pass the bills.

“If we’re going to step up to meet the growing demand for energy, we desperately need permitting reform,” Westerman said. “The timing is right. What we don’t want to do is miss this opportunity.”

CEQ chairman cites permitting progress, underscores need for lasting reform

While Congress works to pass permitting reform, the Trump administration is doing what it can to streamline the process, said Katherine Scarlett, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

She said her job is to coordinate federal agencies to make sure they are all on the same page and aren’t forcing electric co-ops and other businesses to jump through more hoops than necessary to get permits.

The environmental reviews required to build a transmission line are moving much faster now, Scarlett said.

“We’ve stripped it down to what the statute requires,” she said. “We want to allow for the most expeditious route possible.”

Still, she said, lasting reform will only come if Congress passes it into law.

“On the Hill, they are right in the heat of permitting changes, so keep advocating,” she said. “Right now, I’m more optimistic about a permitting deal than I ever have been.”

Colorado congressman: Give lawmakers a reality check

Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., said the best way for co-ops to persuade lawmakers to support their priorities is to focus on the realities of how federal policies are affecting them.

“Tell them: ‘Here’s my project. Here’s the delay. Here’s what it’s costing us. Here’s what would fix it,’” said Hurd, who was an attorney representing several electric co-ops in rural Colorado before being elected to Congress in 2024.

“The most effective advocacy I have seen is grounded in reality. It’s better than any single statistic. It helps me convince my colleagues to support the bills you need to help you do your job.”

In addition to supporting permitting reform and wildfire mitigation bills, Hurd is co-sponsoring the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act. The legislation, passed by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last fall, would streamline FEMA and dramatically speed up delivery of crucial disaster relief funds to co-ops devastated by wildfires, hurricanes, ice storms and other natural disasters. 

“You are all responsible for something most of us take for granted: reliability,” Hurd said. “When people flip a switch, they expect the lights to come on. Our job in Congress is to make sure the process works.”

North Dakota congresswoman: Data centers should pay their way

Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., said she is especially sensitive to keeping consumers’ electricity rates down as a former member of the North Dakota Public Utilities Commission.

Despite rising demand from data centers that serve artificial intelligence, Fedorchak believes that electric co-ops and other utilities can keep rates down for existing customers by holding big tech companies responsible for paying for the extra power and infrastructure they need.

“We can generate enough power to meet their demand and keep rates down,” she told Matheson as they discussed the issue on stage. “Whoever needs [the energy] needs to pay for it.”

Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.

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NRECA is moving into 2026 with a list of legislative and regulatory priorities aimed at making it easier for electric cooperatives throughout the nation to provide reliable, affordable power to their consumer-members.

“We are listening and hearing from our members about what is most important to them and where policy changes can improve the business environment for co-ops and improve the lives of the people in the communities they serve,” said Louis Finkel, NRECA’s senior vice president of Government Relations.

Here’s what Finkel had to say about NRECA’s federal priorities for 2026.

What are NRECA’s top legislative priorities for this year and why?

Finkel: There are several places where Congress can make changes that would be incredibly impactful. We are focused on giving co-ops the tools they need to keep the lights on at a cost their members can afford, and there are three areas that I think about a lot.

First, we need more generation, not less, and we need to improve our resiliency. And to do that, we need to make the investments necessary to keep the lights on at a cost our members can afford, which means we need to be able to build more. And to do that, you need to expedite the permitting process.

We’re dealing with a federal permitting process that was developed more than 40 years ago. It has only been updated marginally over the course of the last 40 to 50 years. And we live at a very different time.

And to add more generation, you need more transmission. We also need the ability to improve our distribution and transmission systems.

We have aging infrastructure that needs to be replaced, and we need to add increased resiliency. And, so, we need to first and foremost reform our permitting process.

Secondly, for the last several years, we’ve talked about the need to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency and ensure that cooperatives can receive the support they need from the federal government on their worst days. The FEMA process is cumbersome, it’s difficult, it’s inconsistent. We need a FEMA that works for our cooperatives and the communities they serve.

We need predictability and we need to know that when a disaster strikes—whether that is an ice storm or a hurricane or a wildfire or a flood—that we have a strong federal partner in FEMA that will be there to support our cooperatives and their communities.

The other thing we need to do, and this kind of fits into the issue of permitting reform, is improve our co-ops’ ability to mitigate against the threats of wildfires. We need quality vegetation management. The Fix Our Forests Act has been something we’ve been pushing for several years, and we need the ability to finally see that through.

And, lastly, our co-ops need the tools and partnerships to support both their system improvements and their routine maintenance. The Rural Utilities Service is an incredibly important partner for us.

And as supply chain costs rise, inflationary pressures rise, and the needs for more generation, more transmission and distribution continue to grow, we need to be able to borrow from RUS. That means supporting both continued appropriations from Congress and thinking about RUS growing the portfolio of loans that they can make on an annual basis.

We’ve seen improvements there. But each year for the last several years, RUS has hit their loan cap. They have the ability to increase it, but we need to make sure cooperatives demonstrate how they are effectively using the loans provided by RUS to support these annual increases.

You mentioned FEMA reform as a top priority. As you know, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the bipartisan Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act last year. What’s the next step on that?

Finkel: Our objective is to make sure that the FEMA bill hits the House floor as soon as possible and that we continue to build the momentum and support for it. Every time there’s a storm and the FEMA process doesn’t work, it’s a reminder that there’s a need to reform it. We’ll continue to carry that message over and over again.

There was some good news for NRECA on permitting reform late last year when the House passed the SPEED Act and the PERMIT Act to streamline the process. Do you think the Senate will act on those bills?

Finkel: I think there’s broad recognition that the process needs to be reformed. There is still a question of what exactly does that look like and what shape does it take and how long does it take to get done. The House has completed their work and there continue to be discussions in the Senate. We will continue to push for progress in those discussions.

Congress increased the RUS Electric Loan Program from $6.5 billion to $7 billion for this fiscal year. Do you think they’ll boost it again for 2027?

Finkel: We think there’s a continued opportunity to have conversations with policymakers about the value that the RUS Electric Loan Program brings to the communities we serve.

And as electric demand grows and as system maintenance and improvement continues to be important for resiliency, we believe that there’s a need to continue to have that conversation about growing the RUS lending authority. The fact is that the federal government makes $500 million a year in interest that co-ops pay on those loans, so there is a direct benefit to the government. Not to mention the co-op communities that benefit from the investments being made.

Shifting gears beyond Congress, what are NRECA’s top regulatory priorities at agencies for 2026?

Finkel: For several years, we have advocated for repealing unlawful, unrealistic and unreasonable regulations finalized by the Biden administration.

We continue to be optimistic that the Environmental Protection Agency will continue to walk back the power plant rule and the series of other regulations promulgated by the Biden administration that hamper always-available power. We need more generation, not less. And forcing the premature retirement of existing generation and making it impossible, if not cost-prohibitive, to build new generation should not be our energy policy.

We continue to work with the Department of Energy on implementation of really important infrastructure investments that make our systems more resilient to disaster, that improve the reliability of the electric grid and enhance cybersecurity.

So, we will continue to work constructively with DOE to maximize the opportunities, to maximize the programs that the Department of Energy manages on infrastructure, and we’ll do the same for the Department of Agriculture.

What’s the status of EPA’s regulatory rollbacks for the power sector?

Finkel: They’re all at different stages. EPA has begun the process of walking back all those regulations, notably the power plant rule. They’ve announced that they’re going to repeal many of these regulations finalized by the Biden administration, whether it is for greenhouse gases … or wastewater for power plants, coal residuals and a series of other air regulations that would make it cost-prohibitive to continue to run coal plants and make it really difficult to build new gas plants.

The EPA is working through their process to not only repeal them but make those repeals durable, which I think is really important.

Giving a greater degree of certainty to our asset owners is important as they continue to make decisions on generation investments and what their generation mix should look like.

Electric co-ops have sought to tap federal infrastructure funding through the New ERA program and some of the bipartisan infrastructure law initiatives. What’s the status of that funding?

Finkel: We continue to engage constructively with federal agencies about infrastructure investment programs and the value that they bring to the rural communities served by our members. Those investments have outsized impact on economic growth and stability, but also on the reliability and affordability of the power delivered in those communities.

As long as we continue to tell our story, it enables us to have a constructive conversation with administration officials.

Data centers and other large loads are a huge source of demand growth for the power sector, including electric co-ops. What’s happening on the policy front there?

Finkel: These are new, really large loads that are coming onto the system, and they’re important. They’re an important part of our day-to-day lives, in our electronic commerce, in our data-driven economy.

In order to meet this growing demand, you need a permitting process that moves quicker and faster. Today, it’s much faster to build a data center than it is to build a power plant.

If the load is moving faster than the generation, you obviously are going to be a little bit out of sync. Having federal policies that make it easier to build more generation faster, I think is really important.

What’s the regulatory outlook for broadband?

Finkel: There has been a fair amount of work by the Federal Communications Commission to reduce the regulatory burden on broadband providers, especially on small providers. And we greatly appreciate those steps that they’ve taken.

At the same time, the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program is the largest single investment in unserved broadband deployment in our nation’s history.

The challenge has been that the rules have continually changed. It makes it really difficult to make decisions on whether or not you want to participate when the rules are always changing. That’s really not the best model.

We’re hopeful that things can stabilize and these programs can execute with a clear set of rules and metrics where the bar doesn’t keep rising and the rules keep changing. We need to make sure this program works for co-ops and doesn’t favor other providers.

Erin Kelly and Molly Christian are staff writers for NRECA.

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Tens of thousands of electric cooperative members and other grassroots advocates have sent letters urging House members to pass a bipartisan bill that would dramatically speed up delivery of crucial disaster relief funds to co-ops. 

As of Oct. 20, about 40,000 co-op members and like-minded voters had contacted their lawmakers through Voices for Cooperative Power and asked them to approve the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act of 2025, said Kelly Cushman, vice president of political programs at NRECA. 

In addition to grassroots advocates, about 1,500 electric cooperative CEOs and directors representing more than half of the nation’s 900-plus electric co-ops have sent letters to their House members in support of the bill, said Gabe Snow, director of alliances and partnerships at NRECA. 

“I think this may be the broadest appeal for action that we’ve ever had,” Snow said. “We’re tapping into all available resources.” 

Cushman said that “reforming FEMA is a top priority for NRECA because every electric co-op in America faces the real and growing threat of natural disasters, from hurricanes and wildfires to floods and ice storms.” 

“These events are national challenges,” she said. 

Under the FEMA reform bill, co-ops would no longer have to wait years to receive reimbursements from the agency for the emergency work they do in the wake of devastating disasters. Co-ops also would be eligible to be reimbursed for the interest they must pay on loans to perform emergency work and rebuild their systems while they wait to receive disaster funds from FEMA.  

“This bill would provide faster disaster relief for co-op communities—because when every minute counts, faster aid means stronger recovery,” Cushman said. 

Cushman and Snow are urging more co-op CEOs, directors, members and supporters to take action to help persuade Congress to pass the bill as soon as possible after the government shutdown ends.  

Congressional offices are continuing to receive and read the electronic letters even during the shutdown, and co-op voices can make a real difference, they said. 

“Lawmakers pay attention when their constituents speak up,” Cushman said. “The more voices they hear saying the same thing, the harder it is to ignore. There is strength in numbers.” 

Members of Congress also respect co-op CEOs and directors as leaders in their local communities, Snow said. 

“Our co-op leaders are some of the best messengers we have,” he said. “If you’re a CEO or a representative on the co-op board, that means something when you weigh in on an issue. Lawmakers want to hear from you.” 

Cushman and Snow work closely with NRECA lobbyists, who can use VCP data to highlight how many letters a specific congressional office has received. 

“It can encourage lawmakers to sign on to co-sponsor the bill,” Snow said. 

A total of 418 House members in the 48 states where electric co-ops are located have so far received an average of 95 letters since the advocacy campaign began in September, Cushman said. 

The FEMA Act of 2025 was introduced in July by House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., and the committee’s senior Democrat, Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington. It had 29 co-sponsors in the House—11 Democrats and 16 Republicans—as of Oct. 20. 

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the bill 57-3 on Sept. 3 and sent it on to the full House for a vote. If the House approves it, it still must be passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump. 

Click here if you would like to send a letter to your member of Congress in support of the FEMA Act. 

Listen to a recent NRECA podcast episode on co-ops’ efforts to improve FEMA:

Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.

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While most of the attention in Washington is focused on President-elect Donald Trump and the new Congress taking power in January, the current Congress still has time to act on crucial legislation affecting electric cooperatives in its final “lame duck” session from now until Christmas.

“There’s still a lot on the table before the new administration and new Congress take office—including the Farm Bill, disaster relief and funding the government at the very least,” said Hill Thomas, NRECA’s vice president of legislative affairs.

“It’s still to be determined what exactly the appetite will be for taking action. A lot will be dictated by what the president-elect wants and what happens in the congressional leadership elections—both for caucus leaders and committee chairmen.”

As dozens of newly elected lawmakers begin arriving in town this week, NRECA’s team of lobbyists will start holding Co-op 101 sessions to educate them about not-for-profit electric co-ops and the needs of the rural communities they serve, Thomas said.

“In many cases, our statewide managers and grassroots members already have relationships with these new members,” he said. “We’ll be focusing on how we can become part of those relationships.”

Among the key co-op issues that the 118^th Congress could take up in its final weeks:

Farm Bill: This five-year bill—set to expire at the end of this year—is full of programs that are essential to co-ops, including funding for broadband, electric infrastructure and rural economic development. The House and Senate have struggled to reach consensus on a bill, but it’s still possible for something to happen in the final weeks of Congress, even if it’s just extending current funding levels for another year.

Disaster relief: After the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton throughout the Southeast, an emergency relief bill is expected to be lawmakers’ top priority. Congress is looking at the possibility of providing billions more in aid to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which reimburses electric co-ops for the cost of rebuilding their systems, and the Small Business Administration, which provides disaster loans.

Funding the federal government: With government funding set to expire Dec. 21, lawmakers have several options: pass individual appropriations bills, agree on one big spending bill, or extend current funding levels into next year and let the new Congress deal with the budget. At stake are dozens of important co-op priorities, including funding for the Rural Utilities Service Electric Program to modernize infrastructure and the ReConnect program to bring high-speed internet service to rural communities.

National Defense Authorization Act: This sweeping defense bill could help the more than 125 electric co-ops that serve military bases and installations by making them eligible for the first time to receive funding from the Defense Department’s Defense Critical Infrastructure Program, which would help co-ops make their systems more resilient. The bill, which is viewed by both Democrats and Republicans as must-pass legislation, could also serve as an important legislative vehicle to add on other co-op priorities, Thomas said.

Permitting reform. NRECA and its members have been urging Congress to pass a permitting reform bill that would make it faster and cheaper for co-ops to get federal approval to modernize their systems or simply manage vegetation around power lines. It also could limit legal challenges that further delay the permitting process. Thomas said NRECA will be watching closely to ensure that any permitting reform bill eases bureaucratic burdens on co-ops without imposing new government mandates on them. He said NRECA would oppose any proposals to give government agencies—such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission—more authority over co-ops.

Looking ahead to the new Congress, Thomas said that NRECA is well-positioned because the association has long maintained good relationships with lawmakers of both parties.

“Any new Congress and new administration create new opportunities and new challenges,” he said. “Some doors close and some doors open. We need to be well-placed to walk through the open doors and barge through the closed ones if we need to.”

Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.

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Bobby Allen’s family has trusted Randolph Electric Membership Corp. to dependably power their North Carolina dairy farm for three generations. 

On rare occasions when the electricity goes out, the farm uses diesel-powered generators until the co-op can turn the lights back on. 

“In those times, you really learn to appreciate the affordability and reliability of the local electric co-op,” Allen wrote in June about Asheboro-based Randolph Electric. 

The dairy farmer was one of more than 400 electric co-op consumer-members who took time this summer to write about what their co-op means to them as part of the “Share Your Story” campaign by NRECA’s grassroots network, Voices for Cooperative Power. And stories are continuing to come in. 

“We had no idea what kind of response we’d get, but it’s really snowballed,” said Patrick Ahearn, NRECA’s senior manager of grassroots campaigns. “People feel more comfortable participating when they see other people talking about their co-ops. It’s become a community.” 

Co-op members who already belong to the VCP network are invited to share their stories. Others respond after seeing social media posts from their local co-ops. They are all directed to a Share Your Story form they can fill out on VCP’s website. 

Although new VCP members have always been invited to write about their co-ops, the grassroots network stepped up its focus on the campaign this summer, sparking a flood of responses from June to mid-August. VCP plans to continue the campaign beyond summer, Ahearn said. 

Many members wrote about how co-ops have improved their lives. 

“I live in rural Tennessee,” wrote John Martin. “My co-op enables me to enjoy internet, electric heating and cooling, and all the other amenities that people in the big cities enjoy. Even if a storm knocks out my power, the co-op gets it back on in a very short time.” 

One woman even credited her Oregon co-op with being her “connection to civilization.” 

“Their poles and infrastructure not only carry electrical lines but also broadband internet,” wrote Nancy Hildebrandt in July. “Beyond that, being a member of an electric co-op is an integral part of my rural community. The co-op is small and responsive and reliable. We have annual meetings, and we know that their management decisions are made in our best interest.” 

Quite a few members expressed strong affection for their local co-ops, praising their responsiveness and community service. 

“There are none to compare with MidSouth Electric,” wrote Sherry Lane about the Navasota, Texas-based co-op.  “When lights go out in stormy weather, service is back up almost immediately and, if not, they are on point as to WHEN…Midsouth is part of our family.” 

The stories underscore the unique connection that members feel to their co-ops, said Kelly Cushman, NRECA’s vice president of political programs. 

“VCP advocates are passionate about their families, businesses and community and their ties to their co-op are strong,” Cushman said. “They are eager to share their co-op experiences, especially when their story helps reinforce the importance of policies that help keep the lights on. And policymakers in Washington, D.C., want to hear these stories.” 

Ultimately, VCP would like to work with these local co-op advocates to boost their engagement even more, said Ivy Prater-Seifert, NRECA’s senior manager of grassroots advocacy. 

“Our goal is not only to get more stories but to develop and work with these advocates to become champions for their co-ops,” she said. “We want to get them politically engaged and encourage them to be leaders in their communities.” 

Co-op members who want to share their stories can do so on the VCP website. 

Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.

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As electric cooperative leaders headed to Capitol Hill as part of NRECA’s annual Legislative Conference, they were equipped with key information about the four most pressing federal policy issues for co-ops: the EPA’s power plant rule, the Energy Department’s distribution transformer rule, USDA’s New ERA funding and utility pole attachments.

In a briefing for attendees, NRECA experts outlined the following messages:

A victory on distribution transformers

NRECA successfully convinced the Department of Energy to dramatically scale back a proposed rule that would have made it difficult for co-ops to get the distribution transformers that are essential for them to modernize their systems and help communities recover from disasters.

NRECA Legislative Affairs Director Will Mitchell said a key to this successful effort was co-op leaders lobbying their senators and House members on the issue. That led lawmakers from both parties to press the DOE to back off of its original proposal, which would have aggravated supply chain delays by forcing manufacturers to use hard-to-find amorphous steel for transformer cores. The final rule maintains the use of grain-oriented electrical steel and gives manufacturers more time to meet new efficiency standards.

“It doesn’t always take a bill becoming law to achieve victory on Capitol Hill,” Mitchell said as he urged co-op leaders to thank the lawmakers who helped them. “The application of pressure through congressional oversight of a federal agency can be an extremely effective advocacy tool.”

Opposing the EPA’s power plant rule

Holding a shovel, Bobby Hamill, NRECA’s senior director of environmental policy, said the Environmental Protection Agency “keeps digging us deeper and deeper into a reliability hole.” The final power plant rule, released on Thursday, violates EPA’s statutory authority under the Clean Air Act as authorized by Congress, NRECA leaders said. “We believe it’s unlawful, unreasonable and unachievable,” said CEO Jim Matheson.

Stacey Dahl, vice president of external affairs at Minnkota Power Cooperative in North Dakota, said “coal remains the heart and the backbone of our system.” The EPA rule could cause blackouts during the region’s frigid winters, she warned. “It will devastate reliability.”

Supporting USDA’s New ERA funding

Electric co-ops won a big victory in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act when Congress created a $9.7 billion voluntary grant and loan program designed specifically for them to purchase or build new clean energy systems. The Empowering Rural America program—known as New ERA—has proven popular with co-ops, which have submitted letters of interest seeking a total of about $46 billion—five times the funding available.

But the program has been targeted by lawmakers attempting to take back some of that money and use it for other things. “It’s up to us to defend the New ERA program,” said NRECA Legislative Affairs Director Jason Cooke. “Members of Congress need to hear from us that the program is worthwhile and should not be touched.”

Fighting unfair pole attachment changes

NRECA is battling legislative and regulatory efforts by telecommunications companies to give them access to co-ops’ electric poles to string fiber for broadband. These proposals can jeopardize public safety and the reliability of the co-op’s pole distribution network, said Katie Culleton, NRECA’s legislative director for broadband. It also is seen as an attempt to force not-for-profit co-ops to subsidize the broadband deployment efforts of for-profit internet providers.

“They have a lot of resources, and they try to label us as the bad guy,” said Hunter Robinson, CEO of Central Rural Electric Cooperative in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He said the co-op has discovered telecom companies attaching fiber lines to Central Rural’s poles without even telling the co-op. “Often, they’re just moving through our area, not really serving rural communities. Our members should not have to subsidize this.”

Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.

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WASHINGTON—More than 1,200 electric cooperative leaders gathered in the nation’s capital this week to meet with members of Congress and Biden administration officials and push for policies that ensure reliable, affordable electricity for rural America.

“Your voices matter,” NRECA CEO Jim Matheson told co-op leaders Monday at the association’s 2024 Legislative Conference on Capitol Hill. He cited a list of recent policy victories that include unprecedented funding opportunities for co-ops to invest in innovative energy technologies.

Co-ops bring a unique message to Congress and federal agencies because they are not-for-profit and are owned by the consumer-members they serve, said Louis Finkel, NRECA’s senior vice president of Government Affairs.

“We’re about people, not profits,” he said.

That message was reinforced by Deputy Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Torres Small as she addressed the conference. She said the USDA listens to co-ops because they are so connected to their communities.

“You are deeply respected—not only in rural development, but across USDA,” she said.

As co-ops tap into an unparalleled amount of new federal infrastructure funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act, “we are sharing an historic moment with you,” Torres Small said.

“This is the single largest infrastructure investment since the Rural Electrification Act in 1936,” she said. “That’s why it’s so important we’re partnering today.”

As part of advocacy efforts by NRECA and its members, Congress included a provision in the IRA that created the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program, which provides $9.7 billion in grants and loans to co-ops for new and innovative clean energy systems. Co-ops have embraced the opportunity, submitting applications for more than $46 billion in projects.

The legislation also included direct-pay tax credits to help deploy new energy technologies, including carbon capture, nuclear, energy storage, renewables and more.

“Electric cooperatives have been remarkably successful in this challenging political environment,” Matheson said.

NRECA recently helped convince the Department of Energy to dramatically scale back a proposed rule that would have made it difficult for co-ops to get the distribution transformers that are essential for them to modernize their systems and help communities recover from disasters.

But, as the demand for electricity grows, challenges to reliability “are being exacerbated by bad public policy,” Matheson said.

The top priority for co-op leaders this week was to voice strong opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency’s power plant proposal, which threatens reliability by setting unrealistic deadlines and relying on technology that is not yet ready for wide-scale use, Matheson said. The EPA is expected to issue its final rule soon.

“We believe it’s unlawful, unreasonable and unachievable,” he said.

Co-op directors, CEOs and leaders of their statewide associations took that message to Congress as they met with lawmakers and their staffs.

Carolyn Turner, executive director of the Nevada Rural Electric Association, said it’s important for co-op leaders to meet regularly with their senators and House members, both in Washington and their home states, to ensure that the co-op message is heard.

“You’ve really got to make that personal connection,” she said, speaking as part of a panel at the conference’s Women in Power luncheon Monday. “It can make the difference in having that win at the end of the day.”

Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.

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Nearly 20,000 electric cooperative consumer-members and employees have signed a petition urging the Biden administration to abandon any plans to breach the four Lower Snake River dams that provide carbon-free hydropower to more than 50 Northwest co-ops.

“We strongly oppose any efforts that would breach the Lower Snake River Dams and risk the reliability of our electricity,” states the petition, which was delivered to the White House on Dec. 14 on behalf of Voices for Cooperative Power, NRECA’s grassroots network. The 19,503 signatures were collected in eight Northwest states in about a week.

NRECA activated the VCP network in the states where co-ops receive hydropower marketed by the Bonneville Power Administration from 31 dams in the Federal Columbia River Power System, including the four Snake River dams. Those states are Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada.

“It’s important for consumer-members to speak out on policy decisions that affect whether they can keep their lights on,” said Kelly Cushman, NRECA’s vice president of political programs. “VCP gives them the platform they need to make their voices heard.”

NRECA and its Northwest members became alarmed in late November when lawmakers leaked a draft legal settlement by the Biden administration, environmental groups, and tribal and state governments over the federal government’s operation of the lower Snake River dams.

In a lawsuit filed in 2021, plaintiffs charged that the dams are threatening the survival of endangered salmon. The draft settlement supports breaching the dams and replacing them with other types of renewable energy.

The VCP petition urges President Joe Biden to “abandon the Draft Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative Agreement as it will have grave consequences and jeopardize reliable, affordable electricity for millions of Americans across eight states.”

NRECA CEO Jim Matheson said the petition “is a powerful display of support and speaks directly to the importance of ensuring continued access to affordable, reliable electricity.”

“The Biden administration must change course before it’s too late,” he said.

The proposed agreement acknowledges that the administration does not have the power by itself to remove the dams. Congress would have to approve any plan to breach them.

“However, if this draft agreement is signed, I think that’s a step toward the possibility that the dams could be breached,” Cushman said.

BPA’s website says “the lower Snake River dams are part of a Northwest energy solution with the capability to generate over 3,000 megawatts of carbon-free power.”

Montana’s co-ops alone say they receive nearly 330 MW of electricity from the Columbia River Basin—enough power to serve more than 100,000 homes.

BPA also says that it has fish-passage systems that ensure that more than 90% of the salmon that migrate through the dams survive.

Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.

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