Eversheds Sutherland Coop Law Blog
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Five Coops to Receive USDA Renewable Investment

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would invest $464 million across 48 states and Puerto Rico in building or improving renewable energy structure. Five electric cooperatives are among the recipients.
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Tracking the Electric Coop Response to Hurricane Ida

A massive mutual aid effort involving utility crews from more than 30 states is underway after Hurricane Ida made landfall west of New Orleans as a powerful Category 4 storm. Crews from electric coops in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas are headed to Louisiana to assist with power restoration.
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Dairyland Power Cooperative Seeks to Acquire RockGen Energy Center

Dairyland Power Cooperative announced that it has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire the RockGen Energy Center, a 503 megawatt natural gas power plant located in Cambridge, Wisconsin, from Starwood Energy Group Global, LLC.
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Intermountain Rural Electric Association Rebranding to CORE Electric Cooperative

Intermountain Rural Electric Association announced that it is rebranding to CORE Electric Cooperative, a name and identity that reflects its mission of providing essential electric service to thriving communities and its role at the center of the lives of a modern and diverse membership. The company will remain structured as a non-profit, member-owned electric cooperative utility serving Colorado. “We’re just a different company today than where we were originally,” said Tim White, Chairman of the Board. “We are CORE to – at the heart of – the lives of our members....
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Minnesota Coops Emerge as Leaders in Clean Energy Innovation

Great River Energy and Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative are among several Minnesota electric cooperatives that have recently launched pilot programs in smart meter installations, time-based pricing pilots and experimental storage solutions.
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South Carolina’s Central Electric Signs New Solar Deals

South Carolina’s electric cooperatives, including Central Electric Power Cooperative, are adding more than 300 megawatts of utility-scale solar to their portfolios through several power purchase agreements to help meet the electricity needs of their members and satisfy their demands for renewable energy.
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Minnesota Court Affirms Natural Gas Power Plant

The Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s 2019 approval of the Nemadji Trail Energy Center, a project developed by Dairyland Power Cooperative and Minnesota Power.
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Electric Cooperative CEO Appointed to Texas Broadband Council

Texas Governor Greg Abbot appointed Bill Hetherington, CEO of the Bandera Electric Cooperative, to the Governor’s Broadband Development Council. The council studies and identifies ways to provide internet access to underserved areas in Texas.
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KIUC Recognized as Electric Cooperative of the Year

Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) was one of eight electric utilities recognized as “Power Players of the Year” by the Smart Electric Power Alliance. KIUC earned its award in the category of Electric Cooperative of the Year for demonstrating industry leadership through unique innovation in an effort to significantly accelerate the transformation to a clean and modern energy system.
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Florida Coops Awarded Air Force Base Contracts

Two electric cooperatives have been award contracts for services at US Air Force bases in Florida. Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative was awarded a $11.3 modification to a 50-year contract for the electric and water utility systems at Tyndall Air Force Base, and Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative was awarded a $25,095,024 modification to a 50-year contract with Elgin Air Force Base.
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USDA Invests in Broadband Expansion

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $167 million across 12 states to launch broadband infrastructure in underserved rural areas. The investment is expected to provide 100,000 people with high-speed internet access.
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NRECA Suggests FEMA Improvements

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) responded to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) request for information related to natural disaster recovery with comments focused on fixing policies and regulations that create financial hardships for electric cooperatives and the communities they serve. Slow disbursement of emergency funds and the inability to provide nonprofits with direct access to certain disaster funds were amongst the NRECA’s concerns.
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Lake Region Electric Cooperative’s Gas Business Keeps It Local With Homegrown Rate Commission

Small businesses served by Lake Region Electric Cooperative’s natural gas subsidiary got a nice surprise on their July bill: a 50% drop in their monthly utility fee. The reduction in the facilities charge from $20 to $10 a month came after the coop’s innovative gas rate commission examined the subsidiary’s fee structure in response to a rate change request from small businesses.
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Iowa, North Dakota Utilities Seek $77 Million for Power Provided During Polar Vortex

Basin Electric and North Iowa Municipal Electric Cooperative Association filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission seeking payment of $77 million from Southwest Power Pool for agreeing to provide energy during February 2021’s polar vortex. At issue is whether the utilities should be paid, even though some operations were temporarily offline during the storm.
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