Last week, more than 1,500 leaders of US energy co-ops met with lawmakers and agency officials in Washington at the National Rural Electric Co-operative Association (NRECA)’s legislative conference.
There, they pressed for reforms they say are needed to deliver “reliable, affordable power” to rural Americans.
The agenda focused on four key issues: federal permitting delays, wildfire risk mitigation, disaster relief bottlenecks at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and funding for the Rural Utilities Service Electric Loan Program.
Sector leaders also made the case for the co-op model, arguing that member-owned structures strengthen public trust, and urging authorities to back them through legislation. In turn, agency officials and politicians outlined potential reforms aimed at speeding up projects and unlocking investment in the sector.
Speaking about the federal permitting process, House Natural Resources chair Bruce Westerman warned that current legislation hinders the ability of energy co-ops to meet an increasing demand for power. Towards the end of last year, Westerman helped lead the House of Representatives in passing two relevant reform bills: the Speed Act, which would streamline permit requirements for co-ops looking to expand or strengthen their generation, transmission and distribution capacity; and the Permit Act, which aims to cut red tape for co-ops applying for permits under the Clean Water Act – a move which has proven unpopular with environmentalists.
Alongside regulatory reform, federal agencies outlined efforts to accelerate energy supply and bring new capacity online. Officials from the Department of Energy, USDA and Army Corps of Engineers highlighted funding programmes and policy changes which aim to achieve this, while acknowledging frustrations over slow funding processes and permitting timelines.
Related: US electric co-ops call for action on grid reliability
James Young, chief of staff at the DOE’s Office of Electricity, said: “At the end of the day, we need to bring these megawatts onto the grid to meet this demand,” noting the growing needs from data centres, electrification and manufacturing. He cited programmes such as the DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (Grip) initiative, as well as the $1.9bn SPARK transmission upgrade scheme as ways to help co-ops modernise energy infrastructure and increase grid capacity.
Speakers at the conference also highlighted the role of energy co-ops in rural states, underscoring the role co-ops can play in meeting rising energy demand and the need to expand infrastructure and build new generation capacity in the years to come.
In his speech, RUS administrator Karl Elmshaeuser said: “Rural for me is not a place, it’s the people. People that are resourceful and resilient and reliant on one another. And for me, that’s kind of the definition of a co-op. You’re working together, regardless of cost, regardless of size. When a group of people work together for a common cause and a common good, you can accomplish amazing things.”
