Cooperative leaders advocate for reliable, affordable energy 

 Each year, leaders from electric cooperatives around the country travel to Washington, D.C., to bring a unified message to Congress: Affordable, reliable energy is critical, and their constituents are counting on them to enact legislation that will keep it available for years to come and to oppose measures that threaten it. 

This year, about 50 leaders from Ohio’s electric cooperatives and our statewide organization joined some 1,500 colleagues from around the country for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Legislative Conference on April 27 and 28. Board Trustee Ed Crawford and I were there to proudly represent Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative. 

Making our communities’ voices heard in Washington is vital. Federal regulations affect generation and transmission cooperatives’ ability to produce and transport the electricity needed to power the homes and businesses of members of distribution co-ops like Hancock-Wood. Federal policy also directly influences how efficiently and cost-effectively co-ops like ours can make system improvements to provide the reliable, affordable energy our members need and expect. 

During the legislative conference, we met with senators and representatives who serve our members and discussed a number of key topics, including: 

Streamlining federal permitting processes: Long federal environmental reviews and litigation delay projects, raise costs, and increase risk for electric transmission and generation projects, grid maintenance and reliability work, and wildfire mitigation and vegetation management. We asked our elected officials to support bills to expedite federal permitting processes and to oppose efforts that would add bureaucratic red tape. 

Modernizing FEMA disaster programs: Without timely assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, rural consumers can face higher electric rates because co-ops rely on FEMA’s Public Assistance Program for recovery funding after disasters. 

Increasing RUS loan funding: The need for Rural Utilities Service loans is at a record high as electrification of the economy, growth of data centers, and supply chain tightening drive growing demand for electric infrastructure financing. 

Updating land-management and permitting rules: Electric co-ops operate tens of thousands of miles of lines across federally managed lands, often in wildfire-prone areas and managing vegetation near these rights-of-way is essential to maintaining reliable electric service. 

Ohio’s cooperatives provide consistent feedback to our elected officials, helping to keep them informed and engaged about matters important to co-ops, our members, and Ohio’s rural communities. 

Our annual legislative conference is a strong grassroots effort that reminds Congressional representatives of the important role electric cooperatives play. While each individual co-op might not be a loud voice in Washington, when we join together, we amplify our message for the benefit of our co-ops and our members.