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Passage of New Farm Bill to Help Coops

Congress has recently approved the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill), which President Obama is expected to sign into law.  The $956 billion legislation is being hailed by electric cooperatives as a step forward for rural America.  The Farm Bill includes several key beneficial items for rural electric cooperatives, including authorization of $75 million towards the Rural Energy...

Missouri Coop Refinances RUS Debt

Co-Mo Electric Cooperative recently refinanced $38.7 million in debt held by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS).  CoBank and the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Cooperation issued new debt for the refinancing transaction.  The cooperative cited better interest rates and the desire for flexibility outside of government-based borrowing as reasons for the decision to...

Coops Could Be Affected by Shutdown

Coops could feel the pinch of the federal government’s shutdown because agencies responsible for transmission and distribution could close until Congress successfully enacts a stopgap or long-term spending bill.  Generally, only those services deemed “essential” by federal officials will remain open.  One of the services affected will be the Rural Utilities Service, which will not make...

G&Ts Work Together to Negotiate Indentures

A group of 10 regional generation and transmission (G&T) cooperatives recently worked with the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to convert existing mortgages to indentures, facilitating easier access to private financing for the electric coops they serve in Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota.  Through the conversions, which were successful in part due to the...

Alaska Coop Finalizes Financing to Purchase Plant

Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) of Fairbanks, Alaska, has finalized financing from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the Cooperative Finance Bank to purchase the 50-MW Healy Clean Coal Project from the State of Alaska.  The Cooperative Finance Bank will finance the purchase of the plant, which will be renamed “Healy Unit 2,” while the RUS loan will finance new emissions...

USDA Announces Funding for Coop Projects in Seven States

In a news release, the Secretary of Agriculture has announced funding for a variety of projects through the Rural Utilities Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The projects include, among other things, funding for smart grid technology and improvements on Native American lands across seven states: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming.  Read...

Coop Reporting Rules Modified by RUS

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) reportedly plans to remove disincentives to electric coop participation in relending activities that involve rural development loan programs and energy efficiency.  This move is in response to a request by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association that coop participation in certain loan and relending programs not lead to procedures that would...

RUS to Conduct New Report on Transmission Project

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has announced that it will conduct a supplemental environmental impact report for Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s proposed North Dakota transmission line.  This decision came from a need to consider new aspects of the plan.  Read more here.

Coops Challenge Lending for New Renewable Energy Projects

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has voiced opposition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to establish a new Rural Utilities Service (RUS) lending project aimed at renewable energy.  The USDA announced in early June that it would consider implementing the program under the Electric Loan program to fund renewable energy generation, even...

House Subcommittee Rejects Administration’s RUS Limitations

A House subcommittee supports a bill providing $4 billion to the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) loan program but opposes limitations on that amount proposed by the Obama Administration.  The Administration would allocate $3 billion for renewable-energy-related projects and the remaining $1 billion to environmental upgrade projects.  The House subcommittee would provide more flexibility...

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