FERC Affirms Exclusive Jurisdiction over Tri-State Generation and Transmission Rates and Exit Charges
Posted on Sep 9, 2020
Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) affirmed its exclusive jurisdiction over Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association’s rates and member exit charges, and further reaffirmed that Tri-State’s addition of new members was lawful under the Federal Power Act. The decision preempts Colorado Public Utilities Commission jurisdiction on these matters.
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Roanoke Electric Program Fights Systemic Discrimination Against African American Landowners
Posted on Sep 7, 2020
Roanoke Electric Cooperative’s Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project provides education and access to technical assistance as well as capital and estate planning services to African American landowners in order to transform unprofitable family farms and forests into economic assets and keep valuable land within families. The program was created to combat discriminatory practices and decades of decline in African American farm ownership.
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House Bill Would Give Coops Tax Credits to Help Pay Retirement Costs
Posted on Sep 1, 2020
NRECA is supporting a bipartisan House bill that would give electric cooperatives a temporary tax credit to help keep their retirement plans funded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Preserving Employee Retirement Savings Act would provide a two-year tax credit for up to 20% of the retirement costs paid by coops and other small businesses experiencing hardships because of the pandemic. The credit would be refundable, so even a tax-exempt coop that pays no federal taxes would be eligible to receive as much as $100,000 in 2020 and 2021.
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NRECA Supports Bipartisan Legislation Giving Electric Cooperatives Tax Credit for Retirement Funds
Posted on Aug 28, 2020
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) supports The Preserving Employee Retirement Savings Act, introduced by Reps. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., and Mike Kelly, R-Pa., which would grant electric cooperatives a two-year tax credit for up to 20% of their retirement fund costs. The tax credit could generate as much as $100,000 in 2020 and 2021 for each eligible electric cooperative.
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Grundy Electric Cooperative and Missouri Department of Conservation Partner for Wildlife Projects
Posted on Aug 26, 2020
Grundy Electric Cooperative is partnering with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) on a project to benefit wildlife habitat and reduce power line right-of-way maintenance costs. Missouri’s rural electric cooperatives must keep trees out of distribution lines that carry electricity from substations to homes and businesses. Under the voluntary Wires Over Wildlife program, landowners with distribution lines crossing or bordering their property will be able to request that right-of-way vegetation be converted to wildlife-friendly habitat. Native wildflowers and grasses add beauty, and...
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Basin Electric’s Carbon Storage Study Moves on to Geophysical Survey
Posted on Aug 26, 2020
Work toward a commercial-scale geological carbon dioxide storage complex near Gillette, Wyoming moved to the next stage today with a geophysical survey covering about 9 square miles of rural land around Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s (Basin) Dry Fork Station power plant. Basin and other partners are working to develop a site near Dry Fork Station and the Wyoming Integrated Test Center to store over 50 million metric tons of CO2 underground. The three-year, $19.1 million project is the third phase under the Department of Energy’s Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise initiative,...
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Coops Help Install a Microgrid for an Egg Farm
Posted on Aug 24, 2020
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, North Carolina EMC and Tideland EMC have worked in partnership to facilitate installation of a system comprised of a 2 MW solar array, a 2.5 MW battery, backup diesel generation and a controller that will serve the Rose Acre Farms egg farm in Hyde County, NC.
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US Department of Commerce Invests $4 Million in Workforce Training Center
Posted on Aug 24, 2020
US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross recently announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $4 million grant to the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives to construct a new lineworker training facility in Mandan, ND. The EDA grant will be matched with more than $1 million in local investment.
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SMECO Approved to Offer 100% Green Option for Default Service
Posted on Aug 21, 2020
The Maryland Public Service Commission, in a 4-1 decision, approved the application of Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SMECO) to implement a proposed option for SMECO members who take Standard Offer Service the choice to have SMECO make the power supply for their load one hundred percent “green.”
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Virginia Coop to Build an Energy Storage Project by 2021
Posted on Aug 21, 2020
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative has partnered with Energy Point Energy, a Charlottesville-based battery storage development firm, to construct a 2 MW energy storage facility in Spotsylvania County, VA, which is expected to be in operation by early 2021.
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North Carolina’s Coops Set a Goal of Zero-Net Carbon by 2050
Posted on Aug 21, 2020
North Carolina’s 26 electric coops have announced a goal to cut their carbon dioxide emissions in half by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. In order to meet this goal, the electric coops plan to utilize advanced technologies that make the electric grid more flexible, efficient and resilient, as well as continuing their use of carbon-free nuclear energy. This effort is part of a larger initiative called “Brighter Future” to improve the quality of life for local communities.
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NRECA, DOE Launch Rural Battery Storage Research Projects
Posted on Aug 18, 2020
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) this week launched four rural battery storage projects in partnership with five electric cooperatives and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity. Projects are being funded in part by DOE and will examine how energy storage systems can improve the resilience of critical infrastructure in rural areas.
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Trump Administration Invests $371 Million to Improve Rural Electric Infrastructure in 11 States
Posted on Aug 17, 2020
The Trump Administration recently announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $371 million to build and improve critical electric infrastructure that will benefit more than 222,000 rural residents and commercial customers in 11 states. Specifically, this funding will help build and improve 3,741 miles of line to improve electric reliability and resilience in rural areas in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
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Missouri Earmarks $3 Million for Broadband
Posted on Aug 14, 2020
Missouri’s Emergency Broadband Investment Program will receive more than $3 million to fund sixteen broadband projects from eight providers. The investment is expected to connect almost 2,000 Missouri households to the internet.
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