Aging Coop Workforce a Concern for Industry
Posted on Mar 17, 2014 in Corporate Governance | Comments Off on Aging Coop Workforce a Concern for Industry
The current and projected status of the coop workforce was a hot topic at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association annual meeting earlier this month. The average age of coop employees is 48, and there is a growing need to engage younger adults and youth to ensure the longevity of the coop workforce for decades to come. Read more here.
NRECA Responds to WSJ Article on Grid Security
Posted on Mar 17, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on NRECA Responds to WSJ Article on Grid Security
Jo Ann Emerson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), issued remarks on the electric coop industry’s efforts to protect the nation’s critical transmission system after a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article released sensitive information on the subject. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently ordered the North American Electric Reliability...
‘Social Cost of Carbon’ Raises NRECA Concerns
Posted on Mar 11, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on ‘Social Cost of Carbon’ Raises NRECA Concerns
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) recently reported to the Obama administration about the potential costs of federal regulations based partly on the social cost of carbon. Speaking out strongly against this idea, the NRECA pointed out that “the federal government would best serve the energy-consuming public by excluding an arbitrary ‘social cost of carbon,’...
DOE and NRECA Name 2013 Wind Coops of the Year
Posted on Mar 9, 2014 in Renewable Energy | Comments Off on DOE and NRECA Name 2013 Wind Coops of the Year
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) named Old Dominion Electric Cooperative and the Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative as the 2013 Wind Cooperatives of the Year. For more information on the significant contributions these coops made to the wind energy industry, see the DOE’s press release.
NRECA Comments on OSHA Rule Regarding Silica Exposure
Posted on Feb 25, 2014 in Environmental, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on NRECA Comments on OSHA Rule Regarding Silica Exposure
In response to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) draft rule regarding crystalline silica, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) argued in its comments that an exemption for cooperatives is appropriate, given that distribution cooperative employees primarily encounter trace amounts of silica when digging and moving earth. For generation...
Coops Urge EPA to Expand Uses of Coal Ash Considered Safe
Posted on Feb 25, 2014 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Coops Urge EPA to Expand Uses of Coal Ash Considered Safe
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already recognized the benefits of certain uses of coal ash, and electric coops are now asking the EPA to conclude that it is safe for other uses. John Novak, Executive Director for Environmental Issues for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, has stated that the EPA “can do more to promote other beneficial uses of...
Arizona Coop Forgoes 100% Equity Financing, Becomes CFC Borrower
Posted on Feb 11, 2014 in Financing, Patronage Capital | Comments Off on Arizona Coop Forgoes 100% Equity Financing, Becomes CFC Borrower
Duncan Valley Electric Cooperative (DVEC), based in Duncan, Arizona, recently borrowed from the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) to prepay future National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Retirement Security Plan contributions. The move makes DVEC a 100% CFC borrower and marks a departure from its existing financing strategy. DVEC, which last...
NRECA: NIST Cyber Security Framework Should Consider Needs of Coops
Posted on Dec 26, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on NRECA: NIST Cyber Security Framework Should Consider Needs of Coops
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is urging the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to keep in mind the varying organizations and structures of companies operating in the energy sector when developing its Cyber Security Framework (Framework), a project undertaken in response to a February 2013 executive order issued by President Obama. The...
Vermont Coop to Build 5-MW Solar Project
Posted on Nov 12, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Rates, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Vermont Coop to Build 5-MW Solar Project
The Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) is hoping to build the state’s largest utility-owned solar power project as part of a broader effort to help reduce the state’s dependence on fossil fuels. VEC is working with 14 other coops across the country on the 5-MW project in a first-of-its-kind initiative to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of electricity by the end of...
Coops Urge EPA to Slow Down Carbon Rule for Existing Plants
Posted on Oct 29, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Coops Urge EPA to Slow Down Carbon Rule for Existing Plants
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) first “listening session” for its pending Clean Air Act emissions standards had a strong showing from coops. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, along with individual coops from three states, proposed a fair solution that recognizes the billions of dollars already invested by coops to clean up existing plants and allows...
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