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NRECA Urges Expansion of Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association urged congress to increase minimum requirements for uplink standards to empower electric cooperatives to compete with larger ISPs for BEAD grants. At least 200 of the 900 electric cooperatives are providing some form of broadband service to members, and cooperatives are among the fastest growing set of broadband providers.

NRECA Backs the Distribution Transformer Efficiency and Supply Chain Reliability Act of 2024

NRECA is supporting the Distribution Transformer Efficiency and Supply Chain Reliability Act of 2024, a bipartisan Senate bill that would require all distribution transformer cores to be made with amorphous steel by as early as 2027, increasing efficiencies and reducing wait times for electric cooperatives to receive the transformers. The current average wait time for a distribution...

NRECA Part of Coalition Encouraging Congress to Provide Electrical Grid Funding

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is part of a coalition of energy, manufacturing, and homebuilding groups encouraging the Senate to include $1.2 billion in funding for distribution transformers and other electric grid components in its energy and water spending bill.

NRECA Critical of U.S. Government Plan to Remove Washington State Hydropower Plants

NRECA CEO Jim Matheson expressed alarm and outrage at a proposed deal before Congress, leaked to the public on November 29th, to breach the Lower Snake River Dams in Washington. Matheson stated the proposed deal would threaten electric reliability for millions of Americans in the Pacific Northwest.

NRECA Implores Lawmakers to focus on Grid Reliability following NERC Winter Reliability Assessment

Bolstering NRECA’s repeated warnings over the past several years, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) 2023-24 Winter Reliability Assessment revealed looming grid reliability challenges coupled with continued soaring electricity demand. NRECA believes recent policy proposals, such as EPA’s recent power plant proposal, do not adequately focus on electric...

Department of Energy awards $100 million to NRECA, Coops for Wildfire Mitigation Infrastructure

Through its Grid Resilience Innovation Partnership Program, the Department of Energy has awarded nearly $100 million in federal infrastructure funding to NRCEA and 39 coops from across the country to harden systems against wildfires and enhance grid reliability.

NRECA’S WORK WITH COBB EMC EARNS GLOBAL AWARD

NRECA, Cobb EMC and three national laboratories have won global recognition for their work on microgrid control modeling software that can boost grid reliability by using distributed assets to mitigate power outages.

South Carolina Cooperative: Reliability Remains Key Concern

Echoing NRECA’s message on the five biggest challenges threatening grid reliability, Bob Paulling, CEO of Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative, testified before the House Representatives on the urgent need to increase grid reliability throughout the nation. Amongst other measures, Paulling recommended streamlining permitting processes that unnecessarily delay new developments.

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.”

National Environmental Policy Act to Streamline Permitting and Environmental Review

Congress recently passed reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act as part of the bipartisan agreement to raise the country’s debt limit. The law, which NRCEA supported, is expected to expedite the permitting process for electric cooperatives, requiring environmental impact statements to be done with two years and less intensive environmental assessments to be completed within...

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