We Are America’s Electric Cooperatives
From booming suburbs to rural farming communities, America’s electric cooperatives are energy providers and engines of economic growth
for 42 million Americans.
Champions of Reliability
American families and businesses expect the lights to stay on at a cost they can afford. But nine states saw rolling blackouts last December as the demand for electricity exceeded available supply. Co-ops are working toward meaningful solutions to the reliability challenges spreading across the nation. Policymakers should recognize that the reliability of the electric grid is impacted by:
- The electrification of the economy
- Disorderly retirement and insufficient replacement of existing generation
- Permitting challenges
- Supply chain shortages
- The availability of natural gas
• Kentucky G&T CEO Calls for Reliability Assessment of EPA Power Plant Rule
• Co-op CEO: ‘Jobs and Industry Will Flee’ if Reliability Issues Aren’t Fixed
• Podcast: EPA’s Proposed Power Plant Rule Threatens Reliability
• Thousands of Co-op Members Voice Opposition to EPA’s Power Plant Rule
• EPA Power Plant Rule to Curb CO2 Risks Blackouts, Higher Costs
• 9 Regulations Threatening Reliability
• Podcast: Raising the Alarm on Grid Reliability
• Ohio Co-op Leader to Congress: Proposed EPA Rule Threatens Reliable Power
• Co-op Leader to Congress: ‘Rolling Blackouts Cannot Become New Normal’
• FERC Commissioners Warn of Threats to Reliable Electricity
Spotlight Feature: Prioritizing Reliability
Hear NRECA CEO Jim Matheson’s remarks on grid reliablility at an October 2023 POLITICO event.
Leaders
in Rural Broadband
Millions of rural American families and businesses are stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide. And where no one else will provide the service, electric co-ops have found a way. Motivated by people, not profits, and the needs of their communities, electric co-ops are making rural broadband a reality.
• Podcast: Middle-Mile Muddle
• Co-ops Band Together to Build Statewide and Regional Middle Mile Networks
• Leapfrogging the Competition: Mississippi Co-0p Delivers XGS-PON Broadband
• Virginia Co-op Makes 20K Broadband Connections in 52 Months
• Co-op Lands $47 Million From Missouri ARPA Funds for Broadband
• Tennessee Co-ops Win $198 Million in Broadband Grants
• Alabama Electric Co-ops Win $82.4 Million for Broadband
• Report: Co-ops Finding Success in Rural Broadband
• Podcast: What It Takes for Electric Co-ops to Enter the Broadband Space
• Members Trust Co-ops to Deliver Quality Broadband, Survey Says
Co-op Facts: Bridging the Digital Divide
More than 200 co-ops in 39 states are developing or planning to deploy broadband service to their members, giving them access to telehealth services, online learning, remote work and new possibilities for local businesses.
Powering Stronger Communities
Electric co-ops are built by, and belong to, the communities they serve. As we innovate to meet tomorrow’s energy needs, that focus on people instead of profits will lead to stronger rural communities.
• New Report: Electric Co-ops Are ‘Powerful Engines of Economic Development’
• ‘A Vital Community Project’: Co-op Plants Trees to Aid Wildfire Recovery
• Co-op Partners With Communities on Revitalization Planning
• Co-op ‘Horsepower’ Is Helping Close Rural Housing Gaps
• Pennsylvania Co-op’s Initiative Helps Revitalize Its Communities
• N.C. Co-op Helps Rural Hospital Buy 3D Breast Cancer Screening Equipment
• S.C. Co-op Opens Channels to Its Growing Hispanic Community
• Georgia Co-op Employee Creates ‘$1 Thursdays’ to Help Neighbors in Need
• ‘Awesome Day’: Minnesota Co-op Hosts Young Cancer Survivor
• Undoing Injustice: North Carolina Co-op Works to Empower Black Landowners
Spotlight Feature: 'With Us Every Step of the Way'
Sioux Valley Energy’s Revive 2030 program partners with local communities in South Dakota and Minnesota to help with economic development and growth.
Driving New Possibilities
America’s electric cooperatives are innovating to meet tomorrow’s energy needs. From advancing the world’s largest carbon capture project to bundling solar energy and battery storage, co-ops are transforming the electric sector. As we work to meet tomorrow’s energy needs, smart investment in the future of their communities is key.
• Co-ops Overwhelm USDA With Project Proposals for $9.7B New ERA Program
• G&Ts Collaborate on First Recommissioned Nuclear Plant in U.S. History
• Electric Co-ops Help Shape EV Planning Tools to Prepare for Grid Impacts
• Project Tundra: Minnkota Moves Forward on Carbon Capture and Storage
• Hydrogen Power: Co-ops Are Helping a New Fuel Industry Grow
• Wyoming ITC Lands Corporate Tenants for Carbon Capture Projects
• Podcast: Powering Electric School Buses in Rural America
• Podcast: How Direct-Pay Incentives Will Change the Game for Co-ops
• Some Co-ops Are Making Early Moves on Small Nuclear Reactors
Co-op Facts: Rise in Renewables
Over the past decade, co-ops more than doubled their renewable capacity from 5.7 gigawatts to nearly 14 gigawatts.