Michigan Coop Considers Geographic Representation on its Board
Posted on Jan 31, 2014 in Corporate Governance | Comments Off on Michigan Coop Considers Geographic Representation on its Board
The board of directors of Great Lakes Energy (Great Lakes) is currently elected on an at-large basis. However, Great Lakes is considering electing board members based on geographic regions. The coop said that the proposed change would provide more localized control of the board and is consistent with how most coops elect their board members. The change requires approval by the...
Senate Passes Cooperative and Small Employer Charity Pension Flexibility Act
Posted on Jan 31, 2014 in Corporate Governance, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Senate Passes Cooperative and Small Employer Charity Pension Flexibility Act
The Cooperative and Small Employer Charity Pension Flexibility Act, which the U.S. Senate passed unanimously, exempts coops from regulation under the Pension Protection Act of 2006. The Act is now headed to the House of Representatives. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and interested coops have supported this legislation. See Electric Co-op Today for the full...
Latest Round of USDA Loans Announced
Posted on Jan 30, 2014 in Financing, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Latest Round of USDA Loans Announced
As part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program, $13.9 million in loans and grants have been approved for electric coops spanning eight states. The funds are intended to stimulate job growth and spark economic development in rural areas. Read more here.
South Carolina Solar Farm Powering Coops
Posted on Jan 30, 2014 in Project Development, Renewable Energy, Tax | Comments Off on South Carolina Solar Farm Powering Coops
The 3-MW Colleton Solar Farm, last reported by the Sutherland Coop Team on December 26, 2013, is powering coops. Central Electric Power Cooperative, in collaboration with Santee Cooper, will purchase the output produced by over 10,000 photovoltaic panels. Click here for more.
Dairyland to Buy Solar Power from Coop Joint Venture
Posted on Jan 27, 2014 in Financing, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Dairyland to Buy Solar Power from Coop Joint Venture
As last reported by the Sutherland Coop Team on January 17, 2014, Dairyland Power Cooperative (Dairyland), based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, has agreed to purchase the output from a 517-kW solar facility owned by a joint venture of three Minnesota distribution cooperatives. The deal will allow Dairyland, which currently provides about 12 percent of its members’ energy using renewable...
Coops Face Increased Costs with Stricter Haze Regulation
Posted on Jan 27, 2014 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Coops Face Increased Costs with Stricter Haze Regulation
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) partially disapproved Wyoming’s plan to address haze pollution in the region, setting stricter limits on certain gases and particulate matter than the state plan had proposed. Participants in the Missouri Basin Power Project, including Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin Electric), are grappling with the prospect of increased costs due to...
Vermont Coop Spends More than $7 Million on Damage from Ice Storm
Posted on Jan 24, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Rates | Comments Off on Vermont Coop Spends More than $7 Million on Damage from Ice Storm
Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) recently spent an unprecedented sum to repair damage caused by recent ice storms. While the cost is significant for a coop of VEC’s size, the coop’s goal is to find efficiencies and other ways to avoid rate increases. Another utility in Vermont recently announced a “storm surcharge” to cover its storm-related costs. Read more here.
Tri-State Works to Fund and Promote Carbon X Prize
Posted on Jan 24, 2014 in Climate Change, Technology | Comments Off on Tri-State Works to Fund and Promote Carbon X Prize
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State) has been working to develop a $10 million X prize for technology that can economically capture carbon from power plants. Similar to the Ansari X Prize which promoted the first manned space flight by the private sector, the Tri-State Carbon X Prize would give private sector teams the opportunity to compete by testing the...
USDA Announces Additional Rural Business and Economic Development Funding
Posted on Jan 24, 2014 in Economic Downturn | Comments Off on USDA Announces Additional Rural Business and Economic Development Funding
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it is providing additional funding to rural communities through its Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program. Funding has been allocated to a number of projects, including projects supported by cooperatives. See the press release for more information.
Mississippi Introduces Bill Requiring Payment of Revenues to Local Municipalities
Posted on Jan 22, 2014 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Mississippi Introduces Bill Requiring Payment of Revenues to Local Municipalities
The Mississippi State Senate has introduced Senate Bill 2567, which would require electric cooperatives to pay a percentage of their gross revenues from sales to industrial customers to the municipality in which the customers are located. To read the text of this bill, click here.
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