One electric cooperative doesn’t have much influence on federal policy. But hundreds of cooperatives, working together, provide a strong voice that can encourage legislators to consider the concerns and needs of co-ops and their members.

Such strength in unity is what brings leaders from co-ops around the country to Washington, D.C., each April for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Legislative Conference. This year, about 70 leaders from Ohio cooperatives and our statewide association joined nearly 2,000 colleagues from other states for the two-day conference. NWEC was represented by Ryan Wehri, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

The stakes are high. Federal regulations affect generation and transmission cooperatives’ ability to produce and transport the electricity needed to power the homes and businesses of members of distribution co-ops like NWEC. Federal policy also directly influences how efficiently and cost-effectively co-ops like ours can make system improvements that help us provide the reliable, affordable energy our members need and expect.

During the legislative conference, we met with senators and representatives from Ohio and discussed a number of key topics, including:

• Environmental Protection Agency regulations: The previous administration ushered in a suite of EPA rules that were harmful to power generation, imposing significant new costs and threatening the reliability of electricity for cooperatives.
   
• Permitting reform: The federal government has enacted many regulations that make it difficult to obtain permits for new infrastructure to increase and improve electrical generation, transmission, and distribution. As the demand for power increases, we need to be able to act more quickly in permitting and siting projects that will ensure there’s enough energy being produced and getting where it needs to be to meet our members’ needs.
   
• The Rural Utilities Service loan program: Since their advent in the 1930s, electric co-ops have been able to use federal loans to build and improve infrastructure to ensure rural areas have access to adequate electricity. We’re asking legislators to support continued funding for RUS loans, which are an important part of how coops finance key projects. Cooperatives borrow through these loans then repay them with interest, so it’s a win-win for the co-ops and the treasury.

Generally, we get a good reception from Ohio’s elected officials when we talk to them. We’re familiar faces, we come back every year, and our legislators like to hear what’s on the mind of electric co-ops.

This annual conference is a great grassroots show of force that reminds legislators of the importance of electric co-ops and constituents in rural areas. Cooperatives aren’t necessarily the biggest voice in Washington, but when we come together, we amplify our voices for the benefit of our co-ops and our members.