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Our special interest?
The quality of your electric service
I hope your candidates won last month, but if not, take heart. No matter who (or which party) is in power, Mississippi’s electric power associations will make sure they understand your needs as a member of an electric cooperative.
“Special-interest group” is a buzz phrase tossed around during political campaigns, and usually it carries a negative connotation. Yet, virtually every voter is a member of one type of special-interest group or another. No matter who you are, government affects every aspect of your life.
Students, employers, employees, the self-employed, consumers, retirees and seniors—all are examples of broad special-interest groups composed of like-minded individuals who share similar goals and challenges in their pursuits. And each needs to be aware of federal and state legislation affecting his or her livelihood and quality of life.
One of the goals of your electric power association is to serve as a legislative watchdog for the interests of its members. Mississippi’s 26 electric power associations are a powerful, unified voice in the state legislature for the benefit of hundreds of thousands of electricity ratepayers in the state.
On the national level, we are part of a force of more than 900 electric cooperatives serving 39 million members in 47 states.
This cooperative force is fully engaged in the political process, starting at the grassroots level. As a result, state and federal lawmakers know who we are and whom we represent.
We work hard to make sure they understand our ultimate goal: affordable, reliable electric service to our members, many of whom live in isolated rural areas that, until their electric cooperative was formed, could not get electricity at any price.
Our job is to deliver that electric service and to protect it from legislation that could affect its reliability, safety or cost. To that end, we closely monitor pending legislation and make every effort to educate lawmakers of its potential impact on our members.
Sometimes, a piece of legislation can have unintended consequences—impacting our cost of maintaining power lines or hampering our efforts to quickly restore power in major emergencies, for example. When that happens, we point it out to legislators before it comes to a vote.
Electric power associations try to help Mississippi’s elected officials make informed decisions and keep our members’ best interests in mind. We’ve worked hard to earn their trust since 1934, when the first electric power association was formed in Mississippi.
Next time you hear a candidate criticized for his or her support from “special-interest groups,” remember that you are part of one of the most powerful special-interest groups in America: members of consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric power associations.l
PAST
EDITORIALS
- July
2003
- PSC responds to consumer complaints
-
August 2003
-
Get to know your electric co-op
- September
2003 - Blackout spurs look
at power grid
- October
2003 - Co-ops unite for
emergency response
- November
2003 - Express yourself:
Vote Nov. 4
- December
2003
- Co-ops'
value to community? Priceless
- January
2004 - Our
legislative efforts protect consumers
- February
2004
- Electric co-op vital signs are strong
-
March
2004 - Dependable service results from diligence
- April
2004 -
Leaders inspire youth at co-op workshop
- May
2004
- Control power costs through wise
use
- June
2004 - Utility poles are not for
posting
- July 2004 - What do 4th of July and co-ops have in common?
- August 2004 - Work zone speeders face stiffer penalties
- September 2004 - Co-op linemen help Florida storm victims
- October 2004 - Co-ops clean up after Hurricane Ivan
- November 2004 - War veterans deserve our gratitude
- December 2004 - Santa, I have some special requests
- January 2005 - Resolve to be a more informed citizen
- February 2005 - Weather winter power outages safely
- March 2005 - High power bill? This may be why
- April 2005 - Workshop prepares young leaders
- May 2005 - Electric cooperatives committed to promoting electrical safety
- June 2005 - Preparation key to outage recovery when disaster strikes
- July 2005 - 4-H museum to honor heritage, showcase development programs
- August 2005 - Youth Tour theme reflects co-op tradition of local commitment
- September 2005 - Your voice has been heard!
- October 2005 - Co-ops join forces to restore power to rural Mississippi
- November 2005 - How the cooperative difference affects your cost of electricity
- December 2005 - Donors fuel emergency relief for Mississippi hurricane victims
- January 2006 - Reflections on ending a 37-year career serving electric co-ops
- February 2006 - Building on the tradition of service to electric co-ops
- March 2006 - Energy conservation is back in style
- April 2006 - Youth Leadership program provides opportunities for youth
- May 2006 - No relief in sight for energy prices;
it’s up to us to reduce energy use
- June 2006 - State’s electric co-op leaders
lobby Congress on your behalf
- July 2006 - Linemen uphold standard of service—despite the heat
- August 2006 - Meter tampering: Electricity at too high a price
- September 2006 - Katrina tested our emergency response,
but cooperation got the job done
- October 2006 - Not-for-profit electric cooperatives deeply rooted in rural Mississippi
- November 2006 - Your electric co-op works hard to bring more jobs to Mississippi
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