Eversheds Sutherland Coop Law Blog
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Roanoke Electric Cooperative Announces Rebrand to Roanoke Cooperative

Roanoke Cooperative’s rebrand demonstrates the expanded services that it now offers to its members, including high-speed internet access and fiber connectivity.
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SEMO Electric Cooperative Granted over $16 Million to Improve Internet Access in Rural Missouri

The Missouri Department of Economic Development announced a grant of over $16 million to SEMO Electric Cooperative as part of its Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program.  The grant will help to bring fiber internet service to parts of Stoddard and Butler counties in rural southeast Missouri.
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Oregon Electric Cooperative Receives Funding for Wildfire Protection

The Douglas Electric Cooperative has been awarded over $9,000,000 in funding to help strengthen its fuel treatments, increase forest health, and minimize the risk of wildfires.
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National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Research Arm Applies for Funding to Assist Small Electric Cooperatives in Smart Grid Efforts

NRECA Research, the research arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, has applied for funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan to assist a consortium of small electric cooperatives in smart grid deployment.
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Senate Appropriations Committee Announces Aid for South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association

Senator John Kennedy announced nearly $85 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster aid grants for Louisianians on Tuesday.  Over $77.5 of that funding will go to the South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association for system-wide repairs related to Hurricane Ida.
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Partnership Between Sol Systems and Google to Invest in Renewable Energy Through Cooperatives

Sol Systems and Google are teaming up to support the development of new solar energy projects by providing capital to enable 225 MWDC of new solar projects and 17 megawatts of battery storage. Three electric cooperatives, Roanoke Electric Cooperative, Santee Electric Cooperative and Aiken Electric Cooperative are all beneficiaries of this funding.
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White House Outlines Support at National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Conference

President Biden spoke on Wednesday at the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association conference in Nashville. The president announced that the Department of Agriculture will begin accepting applications for funding provided for in the Inflation Reduction Act which earmarked $9.7 billion for cooperatives.
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CoBank Announces $250,000 Contribution to NRECA International

For the 12th consecutive year, CoBank has contributed in support of NRECA International’s rural electrification projects in order to help provide access to safe, reliable and affordable electricity.
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Cullman Electric Cooperative to Receive Grant to Fund Fiber Internet

Cullman Electric Cooperative will receive a $4,579,716.92 grant to assist in bringing Sprout Fiber Internet to more than 1,300 households, 33 businesses and 23 anchor institutions.
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First Utility-Scale Agrivoltaic Project to Allow Cattle Grazing Approved in Grant County, Oregon

The Grant County Planning Commission recently approved a dual-use solar project that will allow large-scale solar energy production and cattle ranching on the same land for the first time anywhere in the United States.  The Bear Valley Solar Pasture is expected to generate 1.5 megawatts of electricity when completed in fall 2024, and Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative is finalizing an interconnection agreement to buy the power for the grid.
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Congress Receives Widespread Call to Pass Electric Permitting Reform

Electric cooperatives across the nation are urging Congress to pass the BUILDER Act, which would streamline the permitting process for electric system modernization by limiting the amount of time for environmental review, encouraging greater cooperative participation, and creating deadlines for post-permitting lawsuits. The cooperatives contend that the current process under the National Environmental Policy Act is delaying progress and raising costs, ultimately threatening grid reliability.
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NRECA International Helps Bangladesh Modernize a Utility

NRECA International completed at the end of 2022 a 20-month long $2 million efficiency improvement with Bangladeshi utility, the Northern Electric Supply Corp. in Rajshahi. The effort was funded by the Asian Development Bank and will reduce outages for the 1.7 million consumers served by Northern Electric.
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Moon Lake Donates Transformers to Navajo Utility

Moon Lake Electric Association sent 20 10-kilovolt single phase transformers to the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority Montezuma Creek sub-office. The transformers will help power the Light Up Navajo initiative which aims to bring power to the 14,000 people in the Navajo nation.
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USDA to Award $2.7 Billion to Improve Rural Electric Infrastructure

The USDA recently announced $2.7 billion in loans to help rural cooperatives and utilities expand and modernize their electric infrastructure and increase grid security.
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