Iowa Companies Sue City Over Franchise Fees
Posted on Feb 4, 2014
Eighteen companies in Dubuque, Iowa, have filed suit against the city over its refusal to reimburse franchise fees. The plaintiffs claim that they have paid franchise fees on gas and electric utility bills imposed by utilities, including Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative. The utilities say the fees are a result of the city’s 3 percent franchise fee on each utility company’s gross revenue. Click here for more (subscription required).
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Minnesota Coop Members Allowed to Pre-Purchase Energy
Posted on Feb 4, 2014
Lake Region Electric Cooperative, based in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, is investing in a community solar initiative through a program that gives its members the chance to buy part of the solar output from the HQ Prairie solar project built at the coop’s headquarters. Participation in the program was offered to members on a voluntary, market-based basis, which the coop hopes will keep the financial benefit within the community. Read more here.
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Coops Intervene in State’s Challenge of FERC Incentives
Posted on Feb 3, 2014
On January 24, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, against a challenge by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC), upheld incentives granted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for certain transmission projects undertaken by Virginia Electric and Power Company. Two generation and transmission cooperatives, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative and North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, intervened in the case on behalf of the NCUC, which argued that FERC had abused its discretion under the Federal Power Act in granting the incentives. Click...
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Colorado Legislature Rejects Delay of Coop Renewables Mandate
Posted on Feb 3, 2014
The Colorado legislature passed a bill in 2013 mandating that, by 2020, twenty percent of power generated by rural electric cooperatives come from renewable sources. Representative Kathleen Conti proposed a subsequent bill that would delay the mandate’s implementation until 2025, but Colorado’s House Transportation and Energy Committee voted 8-5 against Conti’s bill in January. Those in favor of the delay argue that it imposes an unfair burden on rural Colorado by raising electricity prices, while others argue that the mandate has benefits that state residents should want to see realized...
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Sioux City Looks to Settle Excessive Fee Claims
Posted on Feb 3, 2014
Residents in multiple Iowa cities have filed lawsuits claiming that franchise fees added to customers’ utility bills by those cities were excessive and amounted to an illegal tax. Despite the Iowa legislature’s subsequent passing of a law legalizing franchise taxes of up to 5 percent, many cities will be forced to settle the claims. Customers of Woodbury County Rural Electric Cooperative are among the affected residents. Click here for more.
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Michigan Coop Considers Geographic Representation on its Board
Posted on Jan 31, 2014
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 coop’s members. The Petoskey News-Review has the full story.
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Senate Passes Cooperative and Small Employer Charity Pension Flexibility Act
Posted on Jan 31, 2014
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 story.
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Latest Round of USDA Loans Announced
Posted on Jan 30, 2014
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.
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South Carolina Solar Farm Powering Coops
Posted on Jan 30, 2014
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.
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Dairyland to Buy Solar Power from Coop Joint Venture
Posted on Jan 27, 2014
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 sources, to further diversify its resource portfolio. The joint venture selling the power, Minnesota-Three, LLC, obtained a guaranteed loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America...
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Coops Face Increased Costs with Stricter Haze Regulation
Posted on Jan 27, 2014
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 the EPA decision. The cost of meeting the new EPA restrictions is estimated to be $750 million for one Basin Electric-operated plant alone. Click here for more.
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Vermont Coop Spends More than $7 Million on Damage from Ice Storm
Posted on Jan 24, 2014
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.
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Tri-State Works to Fund and Promote Carbon X Prize
Posted on Jan 24, 2014
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 efficacy of carbon capture and sequestration technologies. The Tri-State Carbon X Prize is still in the planning and fund-raising stages. ABC News has the full story.
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USDA Announces Additional Rural Business and Economic Development Funding
Posted on Jan 24, 2014
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.
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