Month: March 2018

22Mar

Electric Cooperatives Applaud Rural Broadband Funding In Omnibus Spending Bill

Arlington, VA – Electric cooperatives today applauded congressional action to allocate $600 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for rural broadband grants and loans. The measure is part of the omnibus spending bill unveiled by Congressional leaders last night.

Electric co-ops have encouraged Congress to set aside funding for accelerating rural broadband deployment.

“This is a positive step towards connecting the rural economy and closing the digital divide,” said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson. “Expanded broadband access is equally important to the people who live in rural America and operations of the electric co-ops that serve them.

“High costs and low population density remain the biggest obstacles to expanding rural broadband access. In order to close the digital divide for the 23 million rural Americans who lack broadband internet access, an expanded combination of federal grant and loan funding through USDA is essential. We look forward to working with Congress and the Trump administration as they consider the omnibus and other legislation to help deploy rural broadband and modernize rural America.”

Nearly 100 electric co-ops are investing in rural America by bringing high-speed internet access to homes, business and schools and many more are exploring broadband projects. These newly connected co-op communities are creating new jobs, attracting new employers, and directly jump starting local economies.

In addition to the omnibus spending bill, electric co-ops are encouraging Congress to continue pursuing other legislative vehicles to secure additional rural broadband funding. Other vehicles include the FY2019 spending bills, any potential infrastructure legislation, and the 2018 Farm Bill.

The Bipartisan Budget Agreement enacted by Congress on February 9 contained a $20 billion “infrastructure initiative” for FY18 and 19. Electric cooperatives called on Congress to dedicate funding each year for rural broadband deployment through USDA’s Rural Utilities Service.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million people in 47 states.

20Mar

KAEC Supports YFA Member Of The Year

On Saturday, March 17, The Young Farmer’s Association held its annual banquet at Lake Barkley State Resort Park. The main highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 2018 Member of the Year award.

This year’s finalist were: Curtis Weatherford, a Gibson Electric member, Mark Thomas, a member of Nolin RECC, A.J Johnson and Grant Hildabrand, both members of Pennyrile Electric..

Weatherford He is a farmer in Clinton, Ky. He has 3700 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, and canola and some chicken barns. Besides his farming responsibilities, he also involved in Kentucky YFA. He has held the position of state vice-president and served on the state planning committee for the 2014 National Institute. He also serves at his local level. He is also the assistant fire chief for both the Hickman County Fire and Rescue and the Clinton City Fire.

He is married to Samantha and has two small children, Emmett (4) and Blakely (7 months).

The Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives was a presenting sponsor of the event.

19Mar

Tips For How To Safely Clean Up After A Storm

When a storm has passed, learn the safety precautions to take once it’s gone.

After a storm, many think the danger left with the high winds, heavy rain and lightning strikes; but sometimes danger can come during the storm recovery period. Keeping your distance from downed power lines, and follow these safety tips for cleaning up after a storm:

Wear proper safety material: As you are cleaning up, make sure you are wearing proper protection to prevent injury. Work gloves, safety glasses, heavy-duty work shirt with long sleeves, work pants and steel-toe work boots are a good idea if you are working on clearing large amounts of broken, splintered or sharp debris.

Stay away from power lines: Always assume a downed power line is live. Downed power lines pose a particularly dangerous threat in areas where there are lots of people trying to clear fallen trees and branches from roads and lawns. Let the professionals handle this job. It’s not worth the risk. If you see a downed power line that is sparking or on fire, call your local power company immediately.

Use flashlights, not candles: When checking for damage to a home, never use matches, candles, lighters or kerosene lanterns as a light source. Igniting a flame while near damaged gas lines can cause an explosion.

Stay away from damaged buildings or structures: If a building has been subjected to rushing flood waters or has been submerged under water, it may not be structurally safe. It’s best to stay away from these types of structures until professionals can assess the extent of the damage.

Never operate gasoline-powered equipment indoors: Gas engines emit carbon monoxide—an odorless, colorless, and poisonous gas you should never breathe.

16Mar

Kentucky’s Electric Cooperatives Open New Headquarters

To better and efficiently serve its 26 member electric cooperatives across the commonwealth, the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives (KAEC) has relocated to new headquarters in the Hurstbourne Green Office Park in east Louisville.

The offices at 1630 Lyndon Farm Ct. are the statewide association’s fifth home in its 75-year history, all in Louisville.

KAEC provides services for the 24 local, consumer-owned electric distribution utilities in the state, as well as the two generation and transmission cooperatives that produce power for those distribution co-ops. Those services include representation before the General Assembly, Congress, and regulatory bodies; safety training; coordination of management training; and public relations support including publication of Kentucky Living magazine.

“This move reflects the mission of the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives” said KAEC President and CEO Chris Perry, “to support our member co-ops as efficiently and effectively as possible so that they in turn can provide safe, reliable and affordable electricity to co-op members. Our goal is to improve the quality of life in Kentucky.”

The relocation from the Bishop Lane facility — which served as KAEC’s home for nearly 60 years — represents a “right-sizing” of the association’s footprint. In 2015, KAEC’s electrical supply business transitioned to a distribution model with sister co-op United Utility Supply. As a result, the 195,000 square feet facility built to support a manufacturing operation dwarfed the association’s needs.

The KAEC Board authorized the purchase of the 25,000 square feet Lyndon Farm Ct. building. KAEC operations on the second floor of the two-story building include sister co-op, the Rural Cooperative Credit Union, and the editorial offices of KAEC’s flagship publication, Kentucky Living magazine and KentuckyLiving.com.

KAEC is governed by a board consisting of one manager and one director from each of its 26 member systems.

09Mar

Linemen Return Home After Winter Storm Riley Aid

Crews from 13 Kentucky electric cooperatives are returning home from Virginia after an eight-day mission to help restore power after Winter Storm Riley.

A total of 81 Kentucky linemen deployed to four electric cooperatives in Virginia, joining hundreds of crews from six other states. A relentless 36-hour windstorm swept through northern Virginia last week with damaging winds, heavy, wet snow, and destructive coastal flooding, knocking out power to 400,000 people statewide.

“We appreciate the mutual aid we’ve received from our sister co-ops in Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia,” stated Casey Hollins, a spokesperson for Rappahannock EC, “The damage throughout our service territory was extensive. Without the assistance we have received our restoration efforts would have extended far beyond what they are. We know there will come a day when another co-op will need our help, and we will be ready to answer the call.”

Through careful coordination with co-op officials in the region, including the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives, the linemen from Kentucky’s electric cooperatives were assigned to individual Virginia co-ops who requested their assistance.

“The damage and conditions were similar to what Kentucky experienced with Hurricane Ike in 2008,” said Clarence Greene, KAEC Safety and Loss Prevention Director. Greene said the Kentucky linemen faced high winds and cold weather in Virginia, coupled with unfamiliarity with the service territory.

Because the national network of transmission and distribution infrastructure owned by electric cooperatives has been built to federal standards, line crews from any co-op in America can arrive on the scene ready to provide emergency support, secure in their knowledge of the system’s engineering.

“These linemen left their homes and families to help fellow co-ops in their time of need,” said KAEC President and CEO Chris Perry. “We welcome them home with pride and appreciation for their sacrifice and commitment to the cooperative spirit.”

Each Kentucky co-op ensures it has crews available for all local needs before committing resources to mutual aid requests.

The Kentucky Co-ops that responded to Winter Storm Riley are below.

• Warren RECC
• InterCounty Energy
• Nolin RECC
• Salt River Electric
• South Kentucky RECC
• Jackson Energy
• Blue Grass Energy
• Owen Electric
• Licking Valley RECC
• Clark Energy
• Fleming Mason Energy
• Big Sandy RECC
• Shelby Energy

05Mar

Linemen In Third Day Of Virginia Restoration

Linemen from Kentucky’s electric cooperatives have played a crucial role in the power restoration efforts in Virginia after a powerful nor’easter last week.

As of Monday morning, more than 50 Kentucky linemen were still on the job, down from more than 70 linemen from 13 Kentucky cooperatives who responded to the mutual aid call on Friday. Several crews are heading home after helping restore power to Northern Neck EC and Shenandoah Valley EC.

Most of the Kentucky line workers continue to assist Rappahannock Electric Cooperative. As of Monday morning, fewer than 8,000 REC members remained without power, down from nearly 50,000 members who had lost service at the peak of the relentless wind storm.

“We appreciate the mutual aid we’ve received from our sister co-ops in Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia,” said Casey Hollins, Rappahannock EC Director of Communications and Public Relations. “The damage throughout our service territory was extensive. Without the assistance we have received our restoration efforts would have extended far beyond what they are. We know there will come a day when another co-op will need our help, and we will be ready to answer the call.”

In addition, one Kentucky-based crew has been deployed to Northern VA EC (NOVEC) and began work there Monday morning.

More than 800 separate outage events remain, each representing an outage affecting anywhere from 1 to 200 members.

Our crews have to travel to these unique locations and assess the damage, then move forward to restore the members’ power,” said Ron Harris, vice president of engineering and operations for REC. “We will be working around the clock with the REC employees, as well as our mutual aid employees, until all Rappahannock members have their power restored.

Owen Electric (Ky) linemen work to restore power to Rappahoncock Electric Co-op.

Nearly 175 poles have been or will be replaced as a result of the storm. The most severe damage occurred along and east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where winds were the strongest.

“The damage and conditions are similar to what Kentucky experienced with Ike,” said Clarence Greene, Safety and Loss Prevention Director for the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives.
In September, 2008, the remnants of Hurricane Ike triggered a windstorm that knocked out power to about 600,000 Kentuckians.
Greene said Kentucky linemen are dealing with high winds and cold weather in Virginia, coupled with unfamiliarity with the service territory. “People with power out are grateful and patient getting power restored,” he said
Because the national network of transmission and distribution infrastructure owned by electric cooperatives has been built to federal standards, line crews from any co-op in America can arrive on the scene ready to provide emergency support, secure in their knowledge of the system’s engineering.
“We have always felt that what defines a co-op is reliability and family. In every corner of Kentucky we serve, we know our members and take care of them like family, and that expands to national electric cooperatives in times of need,” KAEC President Chris Perry said. “We are eager to help our co-op families in any way we can.

The top priority of each local Kentucky co-op is service to its own member-owners. Before committing resources to mutual aid requests, each co-op ensures it has ample crews available for all local needs, including routine maintenance and emergencies.

02Mar

Kentucky Co-Op Linemen Aid Virginia Storm Relief

Crews from 13 Kentucky electric cooperatives are headed to Virginia on Friday to help with power restoration after storms swept through the area. A total of 78 crews have been deployed to aide Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Shenandoah Valley EC and Northern Neck EC with relief efforts.

Winter Storm Riley swept through northern Virginia with damaging winds, heavy, wet snow, and destructive coastal flooding leaving more than 39,000 Rappahannock EC members without power. High winds continue, bringing down large trees resulting in power outages.

“As families struggle without power, we’re glad to be able to be on the ground assisting in any way we can,” said Clarence Greene, Safety and Loss Prevention Director for the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives. “Our focus is to assist with power restoration with safety as our top priority.”

Friday’s deployment comes five months after the largest out-of-state mutual aid deployment in Kentucky electric cooperative history, in response to Tropical Storm Irma. KAEC coordinated the deployment of 150 linemen from 19 Kentucky co-ops to assist in Georgia and Florida.

01Mar

March 2018 Legislative Update

The Government Affairs team of the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives continues to work around the clock toward passage of HB 227, the bill that would reform Kentucky net metering policy to fairly compensate residential solar users for excess energy they generate.

KAEC’s team is working with all House members, especially members of the House Natural Resources and Energy committee to explain how under the current policy, net metering utility customers do not pay their fair share for maintaining the electric grid. We have spent a great deal of our time correcting inaccurate arguments being made by HB 227 opponents. The opposition is well organized and passionate, which makes your phone calls and emails to legislators all that much more important.

Supporters are hopeful to have the bill reheard in committee next week with a full House vote to follow. If you have not done so already, please contact your legislator and encourage them to support the bill.

FRANKFORT, Ky, January 31 – KAECCommunity and Government Affairs Director Chase Crigler, Big Rivers Electric Legislative and Governmental Relations Director SharlaAustin and NRECAPolicy and Political Action Manager Jennifer Jura, at the Kentucky Capitol after a House committee heard testimony on House Bill 227. KAECPhoto

Though HB 227 has garnered the most attention, your lobbying team has also been addressing several other pieces of legislation to make sure Kentucky’s electric cooperatives are protected.

SB 9, the TVA in-lieu-of-tax bill is moving forward. This would be a big win for our TVA Cooperatives.

Through negotiations with members, KAEC, along with Kentucky’s investor-owned utilities were able to stop Municipal Joint Action legislation from becoming a bill this year.

The KAECteam also had a hand in stopping SB 125, a bill which would have changed easements for electric cooperatives to instill rural broadband.