Press Release

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. 

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Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) launches Iowa’s largest utility based solar project on six sites across the service delivery territory. In late 2015, CIPCO initiated an RFP for the development of utility-scale solar facilities to be located at several member cooperative sites in Iowa. The multi-site solar installation is the first phase in CIPCO’s long-term plan to incorporate solar as an additional emissions-free resource within its generation assets. This initial phase will provide up to 5.5MWs AC of electricity for members served by CIPCO. 

After two rounds of appeals to the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), three Iowa not-for-profit electric cooperatives and one Iowa municipal electric utility will finally receive needed funding to pay for millions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure damage caused by an April 2013 ice storm. The damage was so extensive that a Presidential Disaster Declaration was issued on May 6, 2013. Lyon Rural Electric Cooperative, Osceola Electric Cooperative, and Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative all sustained broken utility poles and damaged conductor, causing damage in excess of $19 million.

“We’re thankful to Governor Branstad and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for submitting the second appeal to FEMA. We also thank our Iowa congressional delegation for their continued support on this issue. This funding is greatly needed to the three electric co-ops that were affected and now they can continue providing reliable and affordable power to their member-owners,” remarked Chuck Soderberg, executive vice president of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives.

 

More than 200 rural electric cooperative (REC) employees and directors, representing more than 25 Iowa co-ops, traveled to the Iowa State Capitol on Wednesday to advocate for important issues during their annual “REC Day on the Hill” event. The co-op representatives were briefed on state and federal legislative issues before meeting with their local elected officials during a dessert social on the first floor rotunda of the Capitol. “This annual visit to the Iowa Capitol is an excellent opportunity to personally visit with our elected officials and provide them with a co-op perspective on issues that are important to our business,” says Steve Seidl, board president of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives.