Cooperatives Attempt to Obtain Hoover Dam Electricity
Posted on Jun 22, 2011 in Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Cooperatives Attempt to Obtain Hoover Dam Electricity
Mohave Electric Cooperative and several other electric cooperatives in Arizona are trying to change a federal law to permit them to obtain Hoover Dam electricity; they have been denied access to Hoover Dam electricity for more than 70 years. The U.S. House of Representatives has refused to amend current legislation to allow the cooperatives request. Tri-state Online has more.
City of Victoria Renews Tax Abatement Program Citing Coop as Example of the Program’s Success
Posted on Jun 20, 2011 in Economic Downturn, Land Use, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on City of Victoria Renews Tax Abatement Program Citing Coop as Example of the Program’s Success
When Victoria first adopted its tax abatement program in 2001, it was one of the reasons that South Texas Electric Cooperative decided to keep its plant in Victoria. Proponents of the tax abatement program point to the coop’s $126-million investment as evidence that offering property tax breaks through the program stimulates the local economy. The Victoria Advocate has the full...
North Dakota Senator Introduces Energy Plan that Contains Incentives for Coops that Use Clean Energy
Posted on Jun 17, 2011 in Energy Savings Programs, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on North Dakota Senator Introduces Energy Plan that Contains Incentives for Coops that Use Clean Energy
Senator Kent Conrad recently introduced the “Fueling U.S. Energy Leadership Act” or FUEL Act as a broad plan to address energy independence and to provide a means to improve the economy. Among other things, the Fuel Act contains incentives for rural electric coops that make use of various clean energy technologies. See Senator Conrad’s press release for more.
Price Gouging Allegations Brought Against Railroads
Posted on Jun 16, 2011 in Legislative & Politics, Litigation, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Price Gouging Allegations Brought Against Railroads
A coal mining company has sued two railroad companies alleging anticompetitive practices that result in unjustifiably high shipping costs for coal. Coops have made similar charges in the past and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association supports proposed legislation that seeks to end the railroads’ safe harbor from traditional court challenges. Read more.
Florida Coop Gives Millions in Student Grants
Posted on Jun 14, 2011 in Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Florida Coop Gives Millions in Student Grants
Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative has given out $5.3 million in scholarship money in the past 15 years. The scholarship program began in 1996, when the Florida legislature overturned a law that required unclaimed capital credits to be forfeited to the state. In 1997, the coop began using its unclaimed capital credits to fund the WREC Educational Foundation, a program that...
New Hampshire Senator Seeks to Use Coop’s Efficiency Model Nationwide
Posted on Jun 13, 2011 in Corporate Governance, Energy Savings Programs, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on New Hampshire Senator Seeks to Use Coop’s Efficiency Model Nationwide
During a recent discussion regarding her new energy efficiency bill, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) highlighted the innovative cost-saving efficiency program used by the New Hampshire Electric Co-Op. Through the coop’s SmartSTART program, customers can pay for their energy efficiency improvements through their utility bills. The coop has found that program participants have cut...
Legislative Reform Introduced to Change Attorney’s Fees Reimbursement Program
Posted on Jun 2, 2011 in Legislative & Politics, Litigation | Comments Off on Legislative Reform Introduced to Change Attorney’s Fees Reimbursement Program
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is among the supporters of a bill recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would reform the process of reimbursing certain attorney’s fees incurred while suing the federal government. The Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) allows such repayment in certain situations when plaintiffs who sue the federal government...
State of Kansas Delays Disaster Relief Payments to Coops
Posted on May 27, 2011 in Financing, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on State of Kansas Delays Disaster Relief Payments to Coops
After lengthy budget negotiations, Kansas legislators returned home without providing funding to pay for work that coops have already completed. The $2.3 million in delayed payments are a part of Kansas’ match of federal disaster relief funding. Without these funds, coops are turning to other sources of financing. The Kansas City Star has the full story.
Arizona Disputes the Role of Trash as a Renewable Energy Source
Posted on May 23, 2011 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Arizona Disputes the Role of Trash as a Renewable Energy Source
Mohave Electric Cooperative recently requested that state utility regulators treat solid waste as a renewable energy source to allow the coop to count a planned waste-to-energy facility as part of the coop’s renewable source portfolio. Environmentalists oppose the proposed renewable treatment for trash in favor of cleaner fuel sources like wind and solar. Arizona is one of several...
Proposed Net Metering Amendment Controversial in Minnesota
Posted on May 9, 2011 in Energy Savings Programs, Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Proposed Net Metering Amendment Controversial in Minnesota
A proposed amendment to Minnesota’s net metering law would allow utilities to pay wholesale, rather than retail, rates to small power generators producing less than 40 kilowatts. Many rural coops argue that the state’s current law forces other customers to subsidize the coops’ small generator customers and with significant rate implications. Opponents to the proposed amendment are...
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