NRECA Urges Congress to Give Coops Direct-Pay Incentives for Clean Energy
Posted on May 24, 2021
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is urging congressional leaders to provide electric cooperatives with direct payments to develop clean energy projects, which would give coops incentives comparable to the tax breaks granted to investor-owned utilities. For-profit utilities have long received federal tax breaks for providing power from solar, wind and other renewable energy sources, but not-for-profit coops and public power utilities have not been able to tap into those programs because they are exempt from federal income taxes.
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Cooperative Turns on Battery Storage Facility
Posted on May 18, 2021
The first large standalone battery storage facility in New Hampshire has been turned on by the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative alongside its solar farm. The 2.45-megawatt battery project, the largest in New Hampshire, was developed in partnership with Engie, the North American arm of a French energy firm.
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SMECO Begins Extensive Electric Vehicle Charging Network
Posted on May 10, 2021
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) is creating an electric vehicle charging network that will grow to 60 stations over the next four years as the coop works to help Maryland achieve its ambitious goal of having 300,000 electric vehicles (EVs) on the road by 2025. The coop’s stations are at public locations that include regional parks, senior centers and libraries.
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Blue Ridge Electric Erects Structures to Enhance Dove Fields
Posted on May 3, 2021
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative recently donated equipment, staff and poles to put up two segments of non-active power lines at Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area dove fields in Greenville County, South Carolina. The lines give doves additional habitat and a place to roost where they can rest and keep their eyes on birds of prey. The lines also give wildlife biologists an easy way to keep track of how many doves are using the fields.
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Harris Praises Electric Cooperative’s Rural Broadband Leadership
Posted on Apr 30, 2021
Vice President Harris recently praised the work of electric cooperatives in delivering affordable broadband internet access to rural areas, comparing it to the electrification efforts in the 1930s. The Biden administration has proposed a $100 billion investment in rural broadband.
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NRECA Reacts to Biden’s Commitment to Rural Communities
Posted on Apr 30, 2021
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) announced it was encouraged to hear President Biden prioritize the needs of rural America in his address to Congress. Specifically appreciated was his emphasis on the need to modernize rural infrastructure and expand rural broadband access.
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Senators Introduce Bill to Protect Electric Grid
Posted on Apr 30, 2021
Senators Murkowski, Manchin, Risch, King and Rosen have introduced the Protecting Resources on the Electric Grid with Cybersecurity Technology (PROTECT) Act. The Act seeks to enhance electric grid security by incentivizing cybersecurity investment.
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Iowa Cooperative Announces Plans for Solar Farm
Posted on Apr 27, 2021
Central Iowa Power Cooperative has announced plans for a huge solar farm in eastern Iowa. The project will deliver 100 megawatts of power starting in 2022.
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NRECA Reacts to Biden Infrastructure Plan
Posted on Apr 23, 2021
As the Treasury Department writes rules to govern the funds to be dispersed to state and local governments under the American Rescue Plan, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is resisting efforts by some large telecommunications companies to place restrictions that it argues would harm regions without adequate broadband access. The Plan includes $219 billion for states and $130 billion for local governments that can be used for broadband, and another $10 billion for new capital projects.
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Georgia EMC Partners to Expand Broadband
Posted on Apr 20, 2021
Washington EMC, a Georgia electric cooperative, will form a new partnership with Conexon Connect to provide high-speed fiber internet to more than 12,000 homes and businesses in 10 middle Georgia counties. Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp was on site in Washington County, Georgia to make the announcement.
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Electric Coop Leaders Convene Virtual Fly-ins
Posted on Apr 19, 2021
More than 1,500 electric cooperative CEOs and other coop representatives will take coop priorities to Capitol Hill April 19-23 for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Legislative Conference and congressional visits. The conference and meetings with lawmakers will be conducted virtually. Coop leaders will highlight three priorities during the congressional visits: (1) refinancing Rural Utilities Service loans, (2) rural broadband, and (3) comparable tax credits for energy innovation.
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Vermont Electric Cooperative Pledges To Be Carbon-free by 2023
Posted on Apr 12, 2021
Vermont Electric Cooperative, Vermont’s largest member-owned electric utility, has pledged to move to a 100% carbon-free power supply by 2023. The electric cooperative said the carbon-free decision was made by the board of directors to reflect customer demand for clean energy and to meet state goals to fight climate change. The coop serves about 32,000 members in 75 communities in northern Vermont.
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NRECA Expresses Concerns Regarding Expected Timing for Notices of Defaults in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction
Posted on Apr 8, 2021
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) made a request on April 1 to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging the FCC to publicly announce defaults by winning bidders in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction (RDOF), so that unserved rural communities can pursue other public broadband resources. Without timely public notices of such defaults, rural areas no longer covered by the RDOF may be ineligible for other existing and forthcoming federal, state and local rural broadband programs.
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Colorado Coop’s Empower Program Helps Make Energy Efficiency Affordable
Posted on Apr 5, 2021
An electric cooperative in Colorado is bundling its energy-efficiency programs and many of its consumer services under a single brand and making them available to those working or living near its service territory. Specifically, San Isabel Electric Association’s Empower Program aims to identify qualified contractors and suppliers of proven products and helps find ways to finance improvements and upgrades for its members and others who live and work in southern Colorado.
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