This past April, Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative (CCEC) joined over 2,000 co-op leaders from across the nation in Washington, DC to engage our representatives in discussions on smart energy policy.
Directors Amy Lock, Doug Fulcher, Jim Schmitt, and CCEC CEO Jake Joplin met with elected officials on Capitol Hill to advocate for policies that support safe, reliable, and affordable power, thereby enhancing the quality of life in eastern North Carolina.
“Despite sometimes feeling like a small fish in a big pond, it is critical that we persist in telling our story and promoting our members’ best interests, conveying the impact of energy policies on our members' lives. Currently, we face a challenging situation where the demand for power is rapidly increasing while the amount of always-available power sources is not keeping pace,” said Joplin.
During their meetings with legislators, co-op leaders discussed the following priorities:
Electric Reliability is Crucial: We must not consider planned blackouts, such as those experienced in NC during Winter Storm Elliot two and a half years ago, as the norm. The necessity for consistent and reliable power to meet the increasing demand for electricity has never been more critical. The current federal permitting process causes significant delays and increases costs for co-ops. We urgently request permitting reform to help construct the electric infrastructure needed to support our future.
Fund Federal Programs that Make Sense:
We urge lawmakers to fully fund the Rural Utility Service Electric Loan program which finances construction of electric infrastructure in rural communities. CCEC has been a borrower of RUS for over 80 years and the program actually makes money for the federal government because co-ops pay their obligations on time and with interest.
FEMA is Essential to Rural Communities:
Living in eastern NC, we know the importance of federal assistance during times of emergencies. While the FEMA program needs some fixes, it is not fully broken and provides the essential public assistance necessary for communities and electric co-ops to bounce back from catastrophes.
Defending Against Wildfires:
We urge legislators to pass the Fix Our Forest Act, which would help co-ops to remove hazardous trees from federal land that could fall onto electric lines and spark fires. This is a straightforward measure to help reduce the occurrence of wildfires.
Protect Hydropower:
Our sister co-ops in the western United States depend on hydropower for always available power just like we depend on nuclear and natural gas here in the South. In fact, Keith Brooks, general manager of Douglas Electric Co-op, said it’s how they kept up with the substation demand for electricity during “snowmageddon” in January 2024. We urge the administration not to breach the four Lower Snake River dams that provide clean, dependable power to more than 50 co-ops in the west.
Please consider joining us in playing an important role in advocating for these commonsense solutions to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable power by joining Voices for Cooperative Power. More than 1.3 million co-op members across the United States have already joined this movement. To learn more, visit VoicesForCooperativePower.com.
