Press Release

The sun was shining brightly as more than 200 rural electric cooperative (REC) employees and directors, representing 38 co-ops, traveled to the Iowa State Capitol on March 14 to advocate on behalf of their member-owners during their annual REC Day on the Hill event. With the proposed Energy Omnibus Bill working its way through the House, co-ops met with legislators to discuss regulatory parity and clarity in addition to maintaining fair and affordable rates. Iowa’s electric co-ops support efficiency programs that are cost-effective. The co-ops also strongly support a utility’s ability to recover fixed costs associated with providing safe, reliable service, ensuring that all co-op members pay equitably to use and maintain the electric grid.

With the theme of “Building Legacy through Leadership,” the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC) celebrated its milestone 75th anniversary with more than 600 attendees at its annual meeting in West Des Moines on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Board directors and senior staff from dozens of Iowa’s not-for-profit rural electric cooperatives attended the one-and-a-half day meeting, where they had an opportunity to hear from Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who was introduced by EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford on Friday morning. Pruitt sat with IAEC Executive Vice President Chuck Soderberg on stage for 45 minutes, answering questions about how the EPA is providing flexibility and certainty to power suppliers through a common-sense regulatory framework under the Trump Administration. 

In the electric industry, Mother Nature’s worst brings out our best, and the same can be said in Hurricane Irma’s wake. Earlier this morning, 46 linemen and 26 vehicles from fifteen of Iowa’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives headed out to Okefenoke Rural Electric Membership Corporation in southeast Georgia to help restore extensive power outages caused by Hurricane Irma. As of Monday morning, Okefenoke REMC reported that 95% of its electric system was offline. The Iowa linemen will provide needed manpower and assistance to make repairs and restore electricity as safely and as quickly as possible along the Florida-Georgia line. Based on initial damage reports, the Iowa linemen could be in Georgia for two weeks or longer if needed.

Franklin Rural Electric Cooperative and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) today announced that Britta Becker has won the 2017 Glenn English Scholarship. This is one of five scholarships given to college students by the Glenn English National Cooperative Leadership Fund. Scholarship winners have all shown a commitment to the Seven Cooperative Principles.

Iowa drivers are quick to move over for flashing red and blue lights on vehicles such as police cars, firetrucks or ambulances. Now they also need to be on the lookout for flashing amber lights on garbage, tow, and bucket trucks, and all other utility vehicles.

Effective July 1, Iowa law requires motorists to change lanes or slow down when approaching stationary utility and maintenance vehicles with flashing lights activated. Across the country, all states have “move over” laws, but only 12 states specifically protect utility service vehicles.

This expanded law is designed to protect motorists and Iowa’s utility workers who are at high risk while performing their duties on Iowa’s roadways. Motorists can face penalties for violating the law, such as receiving traffic tickets or having their driver’s license revoked.

More than 35 representatives from dozens of Iowa’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives recently returned from a successful trip to the nation’s capital. While in Washington, D.C., the advocates attended high-level briefings on key issues impacting the electric industry and met with Iowa’s Congressional Delegation to discuss priorities. While many issues were discussed, Iowa’s electric co-ops focused on the President’s budget proposal, the Farm Bill reauthorization, and geothermal tax credits. The purpose of the trip, an annual gathering of electric cooperatives from across the country, is to ensure that elected officials are fully aware of the thoughts and concerns of their constituents who are served by rural electric cooperatives.
 

Reducing filing paperwork and protecting the safety of line workers were two major electric cooperative priorities that were accomplished in the Iowa General Assembly this year. Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC) Board Chairman Steve Seidl praised Iowa legislators for their efforts to enact bipartisan, common-sense regulatory relief in SF 331 which eliminated costly and duplicative energy efficiency reporting requirements. “Streamlining the regulation and reporting system is a great way to let our cooperative employees spend more time delivering energy efficiency solutions to members and less time filling out paperwork,” explained Seidl. “This is the type of work that constituents don’t hear much about, but it makes a positive difference in our ability to deliver affordable and reliable power.”

As the winter energy assistance disconnection moratorium ends on April 1, electric cooperative member-owners who are behind on their utility payments are urged to contact their local co-op as soon as possible to work out payment options to avoid disconnection. Iowa’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives are willing to work with member-owners who have fallen behind on payments to find an agreeable solution; disconnection of service is always a last resort.

The Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC) and Mark Landa have won the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) President’s Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding one-time or continuing leadership contributions to rural electrification, the nation, their states or communities on the occasion of a special celebration, action or event.

IAEC and Landa are being recognized for their tireless work to convince the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to award $23 million in disaster funding for electric co-ops in Iowa in the wake of a devastating ice storm in 2013.

Kevin Condon joined the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC) earlier this week as the association’s new director of government relations. IAEC’s government relations department is responsible for managing legislative representation at the state and national levels, while also organizing grassroots efforts through Iowa Rural Power (www.iowruralpower.org) which advocates for safe, reliable, affordable power that is environmentally responsible.