Capitol Connections: A seat at the table

Electric cooperative members put their names behind one message: The decisions shaping our energy future should work for those at end of the line.

A $25 contribution will not decide an election.

But the person behind it might.

To a candidate, a small contribution represents something larger than its dollar value. Someone cared enough about an issue to participate.

Multiply that person by thousands and the message becomes harder to overlook.

That is the idea behind America’s Electric Cooperatives Political Action Committee (PAC), the federal PAC of the nation’s electric cooperatives. It is supported by more than 35,000 individuals, with an average contribution of $65.

Its strength comes from something cooperatives have relied on for generations: people acting together.

For electric cooperative members, that raises a fair question.

“Why should I be one of them?”

The answer can be found in the electric bill on the kitchen counter. It is in the line rebuilt after a tornado. It is in whether a cooperative can afford to build the infrastructure needed for a growing community. It is in the regulations that affect how electricity is generated and delivered.

And increasingly, it is in the enormous amount of new electricity America will need.

Electricity demand is growing as data centers, manufacturing and other large loads connect to the grid. At the same time, electric cooperatives are navigating questions involving reliability, permitting, wildfire mitigation, disaster assistance and the cost of building the infrastructure needed to serve communities.

That is where advocacy comes in.

Isn’t my cooperative already advocating for me?

Yes.

Cooperative leaders regularly meet with lawmakers and regulators to explain how proposed policies could affect the people they serve.

A PAC does something different.

Federal law limits how political campaigns can be supported and PAC contributions do not come from a member’s electric bill. Contributions to America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC are voluntary and used for political purposes. Members may decline to participate without penalty.

America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC has been around since 1966, celebrating 60 years of action this year. Every donation represents hundreds of individual decisions to participate.

Red, blue and cooperative

America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC is built around cooperative issues rather than allegiance to one political party.

Control of Congress and the White House changes. The need to provide reliable, affordable electricity does not.

The PAC supports federal candidates who understand electric cooperative priorities and the communities cooperatives serve.

That approach reflects the nature of the cooperative business model itself. Power lines do not stop at the property of a Republican or Democrat. When a storm takes down a line, crews restore power without asking how anyone voted.

Why now?

Because the future is arriving quickly.

America is asking more from its aging electric grid.

Communities want economic development. Cooperatives need generation and transmission infrastructure capable of meeting new demand without shifting unreasonable costs to existing members.

At the same time, Congress continues to debate permitting, disaster assistance, energy policy and regulations that can affect how cooperatives operate.

The people elected today will make decisions about many of those questions.

For rural Oklahoma, there is another challenge. Plenty of lawmakers across the country represent districts without an electric cooperative service territory. They may never have received a bill from a member-owned utility or watched cooperative crews rebuild rural lines after an ice storm. They may come from places where the electric system, economy and regulatory environment look very different from ours.

What works in California or New York may not work in Oklahoma.

A contribution is not required to be a cooperative member. It does not buy better service or change how quickly a crew responds when the lights go out.

It does add a name to the people willing to stand behind the cooperative voice.

If Oklahoma’s cooperative members do not bring their perspective to the conversation, others will still make the decisions.

That is the risk of sitting out.

As longtime Oklahoma congressman Frank Lucas has said, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the table.”

There will always be someone at the table when decisions about America’s energy future are made. The question is whether the co-op members at the end of the line have a seat there, too.

* Contributions to the NRECA America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. Contributions to America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC are voluntary and will be used for political purposes. You have the right to refuse to contribute without reprisal. Federal law prohibits contributions from foreign nationals who lack permanent resident status. Any contribution guidelines presented are merely suggestions. You are free to contribute more or less than the suggested amounts, or not at all. NRECA will not favor or disadvantage anyone by reason of the amount contributed or a decision not to contribute. For more information on the PAC, please contact your local cooperative or NRECA PAC team at 703-907-5799 or at pacteam@nreca.coop.