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Flathead Electric Cooperative Concerned Over Removal of Dams

Officials from Flathead Electric Cooperative, the second largest electricity provider in Montana, warn of an energy crisis if the Biden administration proceeds with plans to remove four dams on the lower Snake River. The co-op contends that this could increase electricity rates, as the dams contribute around 1,004 megawatts each year to the region. The proposal to remove the dams is...

Electric Service Providers at Odds over Rightful Provider for Residential Neighborhood in Wisconsin

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin is reviewing a complaint filed by Xcel Energy earlier this year over the rightful provider for the Deer Hills residential development in Roberts, Wisconsin. Xcel Energy claims that St. Croix Electric Cooperative providing service to Deer Hills is a violation of the 500-foot rule that seeks to avoid duplication of electric facilities. This...

NRECA Opposes EPA Power Plant Emissions Proposal

NRECA submitted written comments to EPA on August 8, opposing the agency’s rules regulating plant emissions. CEO Jim Matheson articulated that organization believes the rules are “unrealistic, unachievable, and will reduce key generating resources just as Americans are increasing their reliance on electricity.”

Virginia Electric Cooperatives Seek to Make Solar Programs Permanent

Three electric cooperatives in eastern Virginia have requested that the State Corporation Commission make the pilot community solar programs which began three years ago permanent.  Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Northern Neck Electric Cooperative, and A&N Electric Cooperative urged the move as a way of offering options to climate conscious member-consumers.

Cooperatives Argue Interim National Environmental Policy Act Greenhouse Gas Guidance Oversteps

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the American Public Power Association filed formal comments arguing that the interim guidance on greenhouse gas emissions is overbroad, fails to provide sufficient regulatory guidance, and because of the role compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act plays in the approval of financing, will delay electric...

Electric Cooperatives Discuss Top Policy Priorities for 2023

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association held a recent Question and Answer session to outline its 2023 policy goals aimed at helping pass legislation benefiting cooperatives and ensuring the new laws are implemented as intended.

Louisiana Regulator Approves Cooperative Power Deals

A Louisiana regulator approved two power procurement deals sought by Dixie Electric Membership Cooperative and Jefferson Davis Electric Cooperative to acquire power from NextEra. The move came despite objections by Louisiana’s electric monopolies. According to Public Service Commissioner Craig Greene, the deals could save cooperatives $160 million over the next decade.

New Climate Law a Game Changer for Electric Cooperatives

The Inflation Reduction Act will unlock billions of dollars’ worth of clean energy tax credits previously inaccessible to community-owned electrical cooperatives, as well as $9.7 billion in grants and loans for such cooperatives to purchase or build new clean energy systems.

FERC Deadlock Leads to Approval of Southeastern Regional Energy Market Platform

The Southeast Energy Exchange Market (SEEM) received clearance from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for their proposed trading platform after a tie vote to approve it. SEEM is a wholesale power market that will facilitate bilateral energy trading at much faster rates than previously available, enabling almost 20 entities across 11 states to deliver an estimated $40 to...

NRECA Expresses Concerns Regarding Expected Timing for Notices of Defaults in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) made a request on April 1 to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging the FCC to publicly announce defaults by winning bidders in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction (RDOF), so that unserved rural communities can pursue other public broadband resources. Without timely public notices of such defaults, rural...

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