WASHINGTON—More than 2,000 electric cooperative leaders gathered this week at NRECA’s Legislative Conference to engage key congressional leaders and advocate for smart energy policies on Capitol Hill.
Six members of Congress from both political parties addressed the conference Monday, emphasizing the need for bipartisan energy solutions and pledging to work with co-ops to ensure that local consumer-members keep getting reliable, affordable power.
“Electric co-ops understand what we need to do to meet growing electricity demand and keep the lights on at a price our members can afford,” NRECA CEO Jim Matheson told conference attendees Monday. “And from permitting reform to unwinding bad EPA regulations, protecting hydropower to defending against wildfires, there are a number of smart energy policies that are needed across the board.”
“There are no better advocates for these policies than the co-op leaders in Washington today. They know the challenges. They know the stakes.”
While the political winds shift in Washington, D.C., NRECA’s message hasn’t changed, Matheson said.
“Our message and our priority is always about what’s best for that member at the end of the line.”
Sen. Capito: Real Chance for Permitting Reform
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said she believes “there’s a bipartisan fix coming” on environmental permitting reform in this session of Congress.
She said permitting reform, which NRECA and its members have been urging lawmakers to pass, would provide shorter timelines for federal approvals of electric infrastructure projects, more predictability and judicial reform so that someone “cannot sue and sue and sue” to delay construction.
“We can achieve this with a legislative product that benefits projects of all types and provides clarity without weakening environmental and public health protections.”
Rep. Craig: Bipartisan Farm Bill Needed
Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, said she is pushing for a bipartisan five-year Farm Bill but believes it’s going to be an uphill battle.
The Farm Bill authorizes crucial funding for electric co-ops through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service, which provides grants and loans to modernize rural electric systems and bring broadband service to rural communities.
“America needs a bipartisan Farm Bill,” she said.
Unfortunately, Craig said, “you don’t hear a lot about an effort to craft bipartisan legislation. You hear a lot about pulling the Farm Bill apart [into separate sections.]”
The congresswoman, who represents corn and soybean farmers in Minnesota, urged co-ops to press their House members and senators to pass the crucial bill.
“What we need from all of you is to make sure we don’t give up.”
Energy and Commerce Members: Bipartisanship Isn’t Dead
Despite deep political divisions in Congress, most lawmakers actually want to work together to find solutions, said a Republican and a Democrat who serve together on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
“I came here to Washington, D.C., to solve problems, not to be a showboat,” said Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa.
Similarly, Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., said “the vast majority of us came here to help our communities, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat.”
New members of Congress should start getting to know their colleagues from the opposite party at freshman orientation and keep those connections going, Miller-Meeks said. Some of the lawmakers everyone sees being bombastic on TV turn out to be “just as nice as can be” when you meet them in the elevator, she said.
Peters said members of Congress should also be willing “to talk back to your own people” and “take a little grumbling” from colleagues in your political party when you think they need to compromise on an issue.
“You came here for a reason,” Peters said. “People want you to be solving problems.”
The congressman worked with Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, to pass the Fix Our Forests Act in the House this January. The bill would make it easier for co-ops to remove hazard trees that fall from federal land onto electric lines and spark wildfires.
Rep. Guthrie: More Energy Needed for AI
Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said America must meet the growing demand for electricity to power artificial intelligence or risk losing “the battle with China over who controls AI.”
“This is a colossal battle that the American people cannot afford to lose,” he said.
“Now, you’re on the front lines. And we can’t do it without you.”
The congressman said he is going to do everything he can to build a bipartisan coalition for energy “to make sure we win.”
Rep. Emmer: Americans Need Stability
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said Americans don’t mind if the political party in the White House shifts back and forth but “what the American public is sick of is the rules changing every four years.”
“It’s time to bring some stability,” he said.
While President Donald Trump has issued more than 120 executive orders covering a wide variety of topics, “I think Congress should actually be taking action,” Emmer said.
He said congressional leaders plan to tackle permitting reform, EPA regulations and “everything else that’s important to you.”
“I’m so pleased that the rural electric folks are in Washington to make your voices heard.”
Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.
More News From Legislative Conference:
Co-ops Get Policy, Funding Insights From Federal Agencies
Matheson Details Electric Co-ops’ Top Legislative Goals