American families and businesses expect the lights to stay on at a cost they can afford. Our nation’s energy policies must meet this fundamental expectation. Keeping the lights on is not a partisan issue. As the demand for electricity grows and available supply declines, we must have a serious policy conversation in this country about where we’re going and what it will take to realistically get there.Ìý
With reliability as our main focus, nearly 50 co-op leaders from ²»Á¼ÈËÑо¿Ëù’s electric cooperatives attended NRECA’s 2024 Legislative Conference, meeting with staff of 12 ²»Á¼ÈËÑо¿Ëù Representatives and Senators Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance, advocating on issues of importance to our industry.Ìý
²»Á¼ÈËÑо¿Ëù’s leaders urged the ²»Á¼ÈËÑо¿Ëù Congressional Delegation to oppose the U.S. EPA’s unworkable power plant rule and support the Department of Energy’s revised transformer efficiency rule that will help alleviate supply chain challenges, among other issues.Ìý
Alleviate Transformer Supply Chain Challenges
As demand for electricity increases, co-ops continue to face challenges in procuring grid components in a timely way at a reasonable price. The Department of Energy’s originally proposed transformer efficiency rule would have exacerbated these existing challenges and driven up cost – for minimal efficiency gain. Instead, because of co-op advocacy and Congressional pressure, DOE’s final rule is much improved over its initial proposal.