editorial Electric Cooperatives Storm Capitol Hill Marshal Albright, President/CEO
The conference featured speakers from the Department of Energy (DOE), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and Congressional leaders from across the country. Assistant Energy Secretary, Bruce Walker touted the importance of federal dams (Garrison Dam in N.D., etc.) and transmission lines to electric cooperative leaders despite the Trump administration’s budget proposal to sell off those assets. “People who put budgets together don’t always understand the components of what they’re putting the budget together for,” Walker said in America’s electric cooperatives response to a question about the assembled in Washington D.C. Administration’s budget plan. to share our views, ideas, and From a power supply perspective, concerns with Federal agencies “I think there’s a recognition and lawmakers. Over 50 representatives from North Dakota, that fuel security, fuel diversity is important when you’re talking including Director Seymour about the ubiquitous type of and I, joined more than 2000 service we’re looking to provide electric cooperative directors and managers from across the country with a high level of reliability and resilience,” Walker said. to attend the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s In his speech, FERC Chairman, Neil Legislative Conference. Chatterjee warns co-op leaders NRECA urged co-op leaders about threats to the electric grid. meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week to discuss our Neil Chatterjee said “there is no more important work” for FERC priorities: than improving the security and • Include the development resilience of the electric grid. of rural communities in any Chatterjee also said it is “an infrastructure package exciting time” for the electric • Reject the administration’s power industry as renewables, proposal to sell the Power storage, and distributed energy Marketing Administrations resources contribute to a (hydropower dams) dramatically changing energy • Protect electric co-ops’ not-forlandscape. profit, tax-exempt status 2 Highline Notes June 2019
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House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md said he supports NRECA’s push for an infrastructure bill to go beyond roads and bridges to include expanded broadband service in rural areas and improvements in the electric grid to make it more reliable and resilient. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., spoke to co-op leaders about the need to train more energy workers to meet future demand. “Start building that workforce of the future that you’re going to need,” he said. Manchin also told co-ops to get ready to serve an increasing number of consumer-members with electric vehicles. Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, talked to co-op leaders about the implementation of the Farm Bill. Among the many provisions in the five-year bill is one that authorizes $350 million a year in loans and grants to finance rural broadband projects in underserved communities. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., tells coop leaders that the climate change agenda should not increase energy costs for impoverished rural residents. “Let’s make sure we don’t explode the cost of energy,” he said. For those that believe climate change is a problem, “we think poverty is more harmful to our citizens,” he said. Electric Cooperative leaders from North Dakota visited with our
