The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) held their Annual meeting last month in Atlanta, GA. “Tough Choices Call for Strong Voices” was this year’s theme as co-op members from all over the country were in attendance. Items of discussion ranged from electric conservation to current energy regulations in Washington. Perhaps the meeting’s most profound discussion was the economic climate of 2009 and solutions to continue reliable, affordable energy for co-op members. NRECA CEO Glenn English addressed the crowd saying, “As we look at the economic difficulty and the challenges that our members are facing, there is no question that our focus is on that electric bill - trying to minimize any increases...Trying to work with those members to pay those electric bills. That is the focal point of our job.”
Following the discussion was a monologue of President Franklin D. Roosevelt performed by actor Ed Asner. The monologue quoted some of FDR’s famous speeches and reminded attendees that co-ops had to overcome hard times in the past. Specifically, there was a correlation between Americans overcoming The Great Depression and the challenges we face today.
NRECA President Wally Wolski shared his confidence in cooperatives. He felt the best way for co-ops to face the rising challenges was to focus on their members and “make this decade the decade of the consumer.”