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Your voice has been heard!
I often have people tell me, “Government is so big and lawmakers are so busy they don’t have time for me—my voice will never be heard.” I always encourage them to stay informed and patient as it can take time. But if you remain steadfast, you will be heard. My advice has once again proven true.
After more than nine years of deliberations, Congress has passed and the President has signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This was a historic moment in our industry and the beginning of various new regulations that will affect our operating structure.
We were pleased that Congress heard the voices of electric cooperatives and its membership. Electric cooperative leaders from across the nation, including representatives of Mississippi’s electric power associations, worked diligently with congressional leaders throughout the legislative process and fought hard for provisions in this law that will benefit our consumers.
The new Energy Policy Act ensures an affordable and reliable power supply for future generations. It is a broad policy that encourages energy diversity, technology development, energy efficiency and electricity reliability.
Last month, we published an informative article in Today in Mississippi regarding the energy bill and the negative impact it could have on our transmission system. It’s our responsibility to keep our readers informed. Through electric co-ops’ grassroots efforts, lawmakers provided the authority necessary to spur the construction of new transmission facilities. This is desperately needed in our country and will ensure that co-ops will have affordable access to that transmission.
The making of legislation, like the Energy Policy Act, serves to remind each of us of the importance in monitoring legislation and visiting with our lawmakers. It’s our responsibility to keep government leaders informed. We must continue to speak out on behalf of the more than 1.6 million Mississippians who receive their electric service from an electric power association. We must be proud of the cooperative way of doing business and constantly promote its value to others.
Through these efforts, our lawmakers clearly recognized the important differences between consumer-owned electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities. We must applaud them for keeping these differences in mind. They understood that co-ops are a unique form of business and that we are an important part of the fabric that keeps our communities thriving.
Their knowledge of our business can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of the many men and women who serve as directors and managers of Mississippi’s 26 electric power associations.
Throughout the year they explain to policymakers the consumer-focused mission of electric co-ops and how co-ops differ fundamentally from others in the electricity sector. They provide a powerful voice for the more than 690,000 members whom they represent. I’m proud of their efforts and you have every reason to be proud, too.
Your voice has been heard!
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