Colorado Co-ops Represent in D.C.

At this week’s NRECA legislative conference in Washington, D.C., representatives of Colorado’s distribution co-ops and Tri-State G&T met with our Congressional delegation to discuss matters of importance to our program. As the legislative session in Colorado was winding down under the Golden Dome in Denver, approximately 85 Colorado co-op directors and managers shifted their attention to the work being done by our national senators and representatives.

The Colorado co-op delegation joined some 2500 co-op folks from around the U.S. to make Congress aware that the policies adopted in Washington impact our ability to provide affordable and reliable power to our member-owners. The co-ops spoke with one voice to remind our representatives that the many regulatory initiatives currently underway, from greenhouse gas and endangered species regulations to FEMA and energy efficiency policies, may result in higher electricity costs.

We were pleased this year that we had a chance to speak with the members rather than staff. While we appreciate the opportunity to meet with staffers, our message is clearer when it is delivered directly.  Both our Senators and our House members gave us ample opportunity to talk about co-op and energy policy issues, and we appreciate the opportunity to bend their ears. Just like the members of CREA, our congressional delegation is diverse and it was interesting to listen to their various perspectives on issues ranging from climate change to foreign policy. Hopefully our show of strength will help us stay relevant as Congress moves ahead with policies that impact co-ops in the months ahead.

The legislative conference is an important annual event on the co-op calendar, and Colorado co-ops once again demonstrated our commitment to being a force in the political arena.