NRECA Suggests FEMA Improvements
Posted on Aug 6, 2021
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) responded to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) request for information related to natural disaster recovery with comments focused on fixing policies and regulations that create financial hardships for electric cooperatives and the communities they serve. Slow disbursement of emergency funds and the inability to provide nonprofits with direct access to certain disaster funds were amongst the NRECA’s concerns.
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Lake Region Electric Cooperative’s Gas Business Keeps It Local With Homegrown Rate Commission
Posted on Aug 3, 2021
Small businesses served by Lake Region Electric Cooperative’s natural gas subsidiary got a nice surprise on their July bill: a 50% drop in their monthly utility fee. The reduction in the facilities charge from $20 to $10 a month came after the coop’s innovative gas rate commission examined the subsidiary’s fee structure in response to a rate change request from small businesses.
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Iowa, North Dakota Utilities Seek $77 Million for Power Provided During Polar Vortex
Posted on Jul 30, 2021
Basin Electric and North Iowa Municipal Electric Cooperative Association filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission seeking payment of $77 million from Southwest Power Pool for agreeing to provide energy during February 2021’s polar vortex. At issue is whether the utilities should be paid, even though some operations were temporarily offline during the storm.
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Cooperatives Adopt NRECA Cybersecurity Technology
Posted on Jul 30, 2021
Fifty-two additional electric cooperatives have committed to use the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Essence technology to share cybersecurity and threat data with government partners. The increase comes as the Biden administration’s 100-day electric sector cybersecurity initiative concludes.
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Ten States to Receive $14 Million from USDA
Posted on Jul 30, 2021
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would invest $14 million in rural economic development in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina and Tennessee through the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program, which provides zero-interest loans and grants to utilities. In Missouri, White River Valley Electric Cooperative will use $1 million to construct a storm shelter and renovate school district facilities.
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Missouri Cooperatives and Farmers Lobby Lawmakers to Increase Broadband Funding
Posted on Jul 23, 2021
Missouri coops and farmers testified before the House Interim Committee on Broadband Development to increase funding for broadband development. Missouri ranks 32nd in the nation in broadband access.
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Three Coastal Georgia Counties to Launch Broadband
Posted on Jul 23, 2021
Coastal Electric Cooperative is planning to invest $40 million with a new broadband provider to serve 16,000 homes and businesses in Georgia’s Liberty County, Bryan County and Long County. The project is expected to be completed in four years.
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Kansas Cooperative to Build Two Solar Farms
Posted on Jul 23, 2021
Ninnescah Rural Electric Cooperative recently announced plans to build two 1 MW solar farms as a part of a larger cooperation between 12 rural electric cooperatives and Arkansas company Today’s Power, Inc. The projects are expected to help reduce the cost of electricity for members.
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Vermont Governor Appoints Chair to Broadband Board
Posted on Jul 23, 2021
Vermont Governor Phil Scott appointed Patty Richards, the general manager of Washington Electric Cooperative, to the state’s newly established Vermont Community Broadband Board. The Board is responsible for awarding grants and assisting with the planning, development and implementation of broadband projects.
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NRECA, Coops Apply for Federal Electric Vehicle Grants
Posted on Jul 20, 2021
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has joined with 17 of its member electric cooperatives to apply for $8 million in federal grants to bring electric vehicles to low-income rural communities.
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CFC’s Trend Analysis Demonstrate Cooperatives’ Financial Strength
Posted on Jul 20, 2021
The National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) has analyzed preliminary data for its 2020 Key Ratio Trend Analysis report, an annual assessment of financial trends among electric distribution cooperatives nationwide. The results show the majority of electric cooperatives have maintained strong financial metrics and have successfully managed through last year’s economic downturn.
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PrecisionHawk Collaborates with NRECA to Train UAV Pilots Conducting Electric Grid Inspections
Posted on Jul 19, 2021
PrecisionHawk, Inc., a leading provider of actionable intelligence for enterprises’ physical assets, today announced it is collaborating with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) to bring a new wave of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) instruction to electric coops across the United States. The course and skills assessment are designed to increase unmanned aircraft systems pilots’ ability to inspect electricity transmission and distribution assets more safely and efficiently.
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Northern Neck Broadband Project to Deliver Universal Internet Access
Posted on Jul 12, 2021
Northern Neck Electric Cooperative, Dominion Energy Virginia and All Points Broadband recently celebrated groundbreaking on the first phase of a project that will deliver fiber-optic broadband access to approximately 7,200 currently unserved households and businesses in Virginia’s Northern Neck region. This phase of the project will use a $10 million grant from the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative, along with federal and local funding and private investment. Dominion Energy is installing over 200 miles of fiber from Fredericksburg to Kilmarnock, which will serve as the backbone for the...
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Louisiana Electric Cooperative to Offer Broadband Services
Posted on Jul 6, 2021
A rural Louisiana electric coop has decided to go into the broadband internet business. The board of directors of Northeast Louisiana Electric Power Cooperative voted Tuesday to borrow $54 million to set up the infrastructure for broadband access in its coverage area.
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