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News
1/23/2009
One Million and Growing
Just before the New Year, electric cooperatives achieved an unprecedented milestone: the number of postcards, letters, and e-mails sent from co-op consumers to elected officials in Congress as part of the Our Energy, Our Future™ grassroots awareness campaign exceeded the 1.5 million mark.
“This total represents a momentous achievement,” says Glenn English, CEO of the Arlington, Va.-based National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “Never in the history of electric co-ops have we attempted a grassroots effort on such a scale. I can guarantee you, folks on Capitol Hill are getting the message. Lawmakers now have additional proof that cooperatives genuinely speak for their consumers, which reinforces our credibility and reframes the national energy debate.”
Through the Our Energy, Our Future campaign, co-op consumers pressed their congressional representatives on three critical questions regarding capacity, technology, and affordability, jump-starting discussion on the complexities associated with providing safe, reliable, and affordable power in an environmentally responsible fashion over coming decades. Now with a new president and a new Congress taking office, the need to get the solution right in a smart, affordable way must be stressed all the more. Electric cooperatives will need to continue the conversation.
We must invest in renewable energy, clean coal technology, nuclear power, an updated transmission grid, and improvements in energy efficiency across the board, and our policymakers must spearhead this monumental effort. It is vital that any path taken keeps electric bills affordable.
“Partnership with government is key to keeping the lights on and electric bills low,” stresses English. “Our Energy, Our Future: A Dialogue With America lays the foundation for this partnership. In 2009, we plan to continue the drumbeat for responsible energy policy that meets the needs of consumers.”
Please join the conversation or continue making your voice heard by visiting www.ourenergy.coop.
