RUS Electric Loan Program at Risk?
Posted on May 14, 2014 in Environmental, Financing, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on RUS Electric Loan Program at Risk?
Electric coops that borrow from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) could face unprecedented new requirements if a proposed federal rule is approved. The rule, proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Agency, would reclassify many common activities associated with RUS loans in a way that triggers federally required environmental reviews, in addition to the...
Coop Leaders Join President Obama for Solar Event
Posted on May 12, 2014 in Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Coop Leaders Join President Obama for Solar Event
Bob Marshall, general manager of Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative (Plumas-Sierra), and David Gottula, general manager of Okanogan County Electric Cooperative (Okanogan), joined President Obama at a May 9 event in Mountain View, California, at which the president highlighted electric cooperatives’ efforts to develop solar projects. Plumas-Sierra has plans for a community and...
Kansas Regulators’ Amendments to Permit May Clear Way for Coop’s Coal Project
Posted on May 12, 2014 in Environmental, Litigation, Permitting, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Kansas Regulators’ Amendments to Permit May Clear Way for Coop’s Coal Project
After the Kansas Supreme Court overturned a permit granted to Sunflower Electric Power Corporation in 2010 to build a coal-fired power plant in the southwestern part of the state, state regulators are proposing an amendment to the permit that would require the new plant to meet the more rigorous standards laid out by the supreme court. The project is again meeting resistance from...
Colorado Law Would Make Metal Theft from Coops a Felony
Posted on May 9, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Colorado Law Would Make Metal Theft from Coops a Felony
A bill that would make theft of commodity metals, such as copper and aluminum, from electric cooperatives and other utilities a felony awaits the signature of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. Commodity metal theft is punishable by up to eight years in prison under the bill. Click here for more.
New Mexico City Plans to Acquire Coop
Posted on May 9, 2014 in Legislative & Politics, Mergers/Acquisitions, Rates | Comments Off on New Mexico City Plans to Acquire Coop
The City of Socorro, New Mexico, has plans to acquire Socorro Electric Cooperative (SEC), said the city’s mayor, Ravi Bhasker. Recently energy costs have been significantly higher in Socorro than in other New Mexico cities. Click here for more.
Oregon Coop Faces Maintenance Permitting Delays
Posted on May 9, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Permitting | Comments Off on Oregon Coop Faces Maintenance Permitting Delays
Under federal law, Redmond, Oregon-based Central Electric Cooperative (CEC) must obtain permits to perform maintenance on its transmission lines located on public land. CEC has argued that the permits can make providing safe and reliable electricity more difficult. Click here for more.
TVA Rates for Coops 13 Percent Above Average
Posted on May 9, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Rates | Comments Off on TVA Rates for Coops 13 Percent Above Average
Michael Watson, president of Shelbyville, Tennessee-based Duck River Electric Membership Corporation (DREMC), told the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) that the rates DREMC pays TVA for the power it distributes are 13 percent higher than the average wholesale rate that distribution coops pay. Click here for more.
Alaska Coop Takes Over Territory
Posted on May 9, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Mergers/Acquisitions | Comments Off on Alaska Coop Takes Over Territory
Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) has completed a takeover of a service territory from Bethel Utilities Corporation. The takeover brings the number of AVEC’s customers from around 8,000 to around 10,800. Click here for more.
USDA Announces New Rural Development Funding
Posted on May 9, 2014 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Technology | Comments Off on USDA Announces New Rural Development Funding
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced funding of $540 million in loan guarantees to fund improvements to the rural electric system, including more than $35 million for smart grid projects. Awards for 2014 are contingent upon the recipients satisfying the terms of the applicable loan agreements. To read more about this story, click here.
New CVEC Initiatives Could Reduce Vegetation-Related Outages
Posted on May 6, 2014 in Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on New CVEC Initiatives Could Reduce Vegetation-Related Outages
Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC) has designed two initiatives to reduce costs and increase reliability. One initiative involves a computerized vegetation management system that will communicate to the coop what trees need to be trimmed. CVEC will transfer geographic information from hard copies to a computerized version with GPS capabilities, hopefully making...
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