Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. Headquarters Office PO Box 539 • 1002 E. Main Stigler, OK 74462 800-328-2368 Branch Office PO Box 587 • 1800 KOA/Power Drive Sallisaw, OK 74955 918-775-2211 Pay-by-Phone: 1-888-678-1937 www.cooksonhills.com
Taking care of our co-op and community during COVID-19 By Dan Riedinger
Alternate Emergency Only: 918-552-0016
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Joe Ogle, President Rocky Woods, Sr., Vice President Ronnie Pevehouse, Sec/Treasurer Dan Callahan, Trustee John Dillard, Trustee Dart Drummonds, Trustee Vacant
District 6 District 1 District 7 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5
STAFF Juli Orme, General Manager Chris Morris, Chief Financial Officer Jason Fontaine, Director of Engineering Mark Blaylock, Director of Operations — Stigler Marty Huff, Director of Operations — Sallisaw Ellen Mattison, Manager of Accounting Services Kristie Cash, Manager of Office Services
Russell V. Barber, General Counsel Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. welcomes members to submit photos, and articles which will be subject to editing. Cookson Hills reserves the right to publish or modify any article. Companies and individuals featured in the Hot Watts newsletter do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or view of Cookson Hills.
bit.ly/CHEConFB (case-sensitive)
Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer. If you find your account number hidden in this issue of the Hot Watts, you’ll receive a $25 credit on your electric bill.
2 | September 2020
In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, it was clear that the pandemic would change our perception of normal. As concepts such as “social distancing” first circulated among health officials, electric cooperatives looked ahead to identify and confront the possible impacts of COVID-19. As co-ops responded to local concerns and circumstances, we worked to present a unified front to our political leaders in Washington and urged them to address the specific needs of our community and their cooperative. Working alongside the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), electric co-ops’ national trade association, we informed policymakers about the challenges being faced on the ground in Oklahoma. One of the first things we looked at was the projected economic impact of COVID-19 on co-ops and their consumer-members. NRECA projected that lost electricity load and unpaid bills would total a staggering $10 billion through 2022. [1784703] In response, electric cooperatives have worked to help their local communities by working with co-op members on extended payment plans. But the federal government has a role to play, as well. continued on page 4
