Cooperatives Seek Congressional Action on Coal Ash
Posted on Jun 22, 2015 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Cooperatives Seek Congressional Action on Coal Ash
Electric cooperatives are asking Congress to legislate on the issue of coal ash. The call for Congressional action comes in light of an EPA rule, taking effect October 14, which coops believe will lead to duplicative and conflicting oversight at the federal and state levels. Coops say they would rather Congress simply set minimum requirements and then allow the states to administer...
FEMA Grant Will Help Vermont Coop Clean Up
Posted on Jun 9, 2015 in Legislative & Politics, Reliability | Comments Off on FEMA Grant Will Help Vermont Coop Clean Up
Vermont legislators announced last Friday that the Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) will receive a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The $2.1 million grant will cover cleanup and repair costs related to severe weather that occurred last December and caused 45,000 outages in VEC’s service territory. Click here for more.
Electric Cooperatives Support Federal Right-of-Way Changes
Posted on May 27, 2015 in Legislative & Politics, Reliability | Comments Off on Electric Cooperatives Support Federal Right-of-Way Changes
The chief executive officers of Central Electric Cooperative and Missoula Electric Cooperative spoke before Congress to voice their support for right-of-way management of federal lands. The issue has become increasingly important to electric cooperatives as dry conditions have increased the chances that fallen trees can spark wildfires capable of causing significant damage to poles...
Indiana Levels the Playing Field for Electric Utilities
Posted on May 7, 2015 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Indiana Levels the Playing Field for Electric Utilities
Indiana Governor Mike Pence recently signed Indiana’s electric service territory legislation. The legislation, which goes into effect later this month, will stop municipal electric utilities from seizing territory from both electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities. Before now, municipal electric utilities had the power to expand by seizing territory from other utilities,...
NERC Study Finds EPA’s Clean Power Plan Unworkable
Posted on Apr 30, 2015 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on NERC Study Finds EPA’s Clean Power Plan Unworkable
A recent North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) study finds that the Clean Power Plan of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would require that electric cooperatives shut down approximately 21 percent of their coal generation by 2025. The study also found that the generation and transmission projects necessary to fill the void left by coal generation would not be...
Congressional Legislation Preserves Large Water Heater Use
Posted on Apr 22, 2015 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Congressional Legislation Preserves Large Water Heater Use
As we have previously noted, the Department of Energy implemented regulations on April 16 to ban the manufacture of large water heaters that can be controlled by smart meter technology. To prevent adverse effects of these regulations on electric cooperatives, Congress passed legislation on April 21 enabling cooperatives to continue to use large capacity grid-enabled water heaters for...
USDA Extends Another $31 Million in Federal Loans and Grants to Electric Cooperatives
Posted on Apr 17, 2015 in Financing, Legislative & Politics, Project Development | Comments Off on USDA Extends Another $31 Million in Federal Loans and Grants to Electric Cooperatives
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the extension of $31 million more in loans and grants to electric cooperatives in 12 states under the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) Program. The USDA’s REDLG program extends zero-interest loans and grants to utilities, which then lend the funds to local businesses for job-creating projects in rural areas....
Ban on Large Capacity Grid-Enabled Water Heaters Takes Effect April 16 Unless Congress Acts
Posted on Apr 14, 2015 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on Ban on Large Capacity Grid-Enabled Water Heaters Takes Effect April 16 Unless Congress Acts
A federal ban on large capacity, grid-enabled water heaters will take effect April 16 unless the U.S. House pushes forward with legislation that would allow for continued manufacture of water heaters above 75 gallons. The bill was approved in the Senate on March 27. For more information, please click here.
Appalachian Regional Commission Awards $500,000 Grant to Rural Electric Cooperative for Solar Project
Posted on Apr 9, 2015 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Appalachian Regional Commission Awards $500,000 Grant to Rural Electric Cooperative for Solar Project
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe recently announced the grant of $500,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission ARC) to the BARC Electric Cooperative (BARCEC). The grant will help fund a new solar facility and learning center in rural Appalachia. The facility will produce between 250 and 350 kilowatts of electricity—enough to provide power to approximately 60 residential...
South Dakota Legislature Overrides Governor Veto Regarding Coop Taxes
Posted on Apr 1, 2015 in Legislative & Politics, Tax | Comments Off on South Dakota Legislature Overrides Governor Veto Regarding Coop Taxes
South Dakota state lawmakers voted to override Governor Dennis Daugaard’s decision to veto a measure that will slightly reduce taxes for electric cooperatives. The tax plan in question will roll back a recent administrative decision on how state tax for electric cooperatives is determined. The bill will exclude municipal taxes from the calculation of state tax liability. To read...
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