Author Archives: JBacon

Posted on April 29, 2013 by JBacon

2013 Legislative Conference

Representatives from Indiana’s electric cooperatives are in Washington, D.C. this week for the NRECA’s Annual Legislative Conference. This afternoon, the attendees, roughly 1,500 from across the country, heard comments from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Senator Roy Blount (R-MO). Both men have been strong advocates of electric cooperatives, spoke pointedly and highly about the continued importance of rural America and rural electric cooperatives. In addition, Jo Ann Emerson, the new NRECA CEO, also spoke about the need for engagement with our elected officials, the role and influence of congressional staff, and the importance of sharing the cooperative message. Tomorrow, Indiana’s cooperative representatives will converge on the Hill to discuss issues of direct importance with several members of Indiana’s congressional delegation.

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Indiana’s Congressional Delegation Cooperative Visits

With Election Day just over a week away, elected officials have been meeting with constituents and discussing the pressing issues facing our state and country.  Over the last few weeks, several members of Indiana’s congressional delegation have taken the time to stop by co-ops in their districts to hear first-hand about the issues facing our industry. On October 16th, Congressman Todd Young (R-09) visited with co-op directors and staff at Johnson County REMC.  After his prepared remarks and a question and answer period, Congressman Young took a tour of the Franklin office to learn more about the daily operations of the REMC.  The week prior to his visit to Johnson County REMC, Congressman Young also visited with the Hoosier Energy board of directors during their October board meeting. Hendricks Power Cooperative hosted Congressman Todd Rokita (R-04) over lunch on October 25th for a discussion about the national debt and the … Continue reading →

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Posted on October 9, 2012 by JBacon

Co-op Reps Meet with Congressman Todd Young

On Monday, Hoosier Energy hosted Congressman Todd Young (R-09) at their October board of directors meeting.  After spending time meeting the members of the Hoosier Energy board, Congressman Young then shared his thoughts on a wide array of subjects.  During his remarks, the congressman specifically discussed the need to simplify the tax code, address the long-term viability of Medicare and Medicaid, and get Social Security back into balance. Congressman Young also spoke in detail about the REINS Act, which has passed by the U.S. House, and the need to bring systemic improvement to the federal government’s regulatory process and the importance of addressing the $1.75 trillion spent by U.S. businesses on regulatory compliance each year.  If re-elected, Congressman Young said he would be championing the REINS Act legislation in 2013.  He concluded his remarks by discussing the expectations for legislative action on The Farm Bill and the “Fiscal Cliff” during … Continue reading →

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Hoosiers Power the World – Homeward Bound

Finished cleaning the shop and getting ready for the trip back home. For lunch we met with all the locals in a community area to celebrate the village electrification. We were very surprised by the formal celebration. It seemed like there was more than one hundred people that attended from the village plus us and some people from a cooperative. The ceremony was a very big event with several people that spoke. Each of the honored guests and locals were formally recognized with introductions and certificates. The real surprise was when we each were introduced. It was like the introduction of a wedding party. But with an arch made of sugar cane, tropical plants and corn stalk. Lots of hand shakes, hugs an live music. After the formal activities there was a fabulous meal served, steak, macaroni salad and baked potato. Soon after lunch we played soccer against the locals. What a great … Continue reading →

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Hoosiers Power the World – From Guatemala

Day 10 Today we split up to trouble shoot problem areas and to do some smaller projects that will help the local lineman. Part of us was given the privilege to help a family in a very sad circumstance. The community has a family that the mother is blind and the father has serious health issues with seizures. They also need to care for their parents and for that reason neither are able to work to provide for their two children. So frequently the children we guess are 8 and 6 are unable to go to school because they have no one to take them. The community decided to give the family electricity at no cost to them. So we have volunteered to install the lines to the home and wire. The shelter that they live in is in a very rough location. Their home is nothing close to the … Continue reading →

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Posted on August 31, 2012 by JBacon

Co-op Reps Meet with Congressional Candiate

On Wednesday, 6th district congressional candidate Luke Messer and State Senator Bev Gard visited NineStar Connects campus in Maxwell.  Messer and Gard received a tour of the facility, talked with NineStar Connect employees, and discussed several REMC and telecommunications issues impacting NineStar and their member consumers. Opportunities for local coops to host our elected officials at the state and federal levels of government provides direct insight into Indiana’s Electric Cooperatives while enhancing their understanding he how the decisions they make in Washington or Indianapolis impacts affordability, reliability and safety of electricity to our industry.

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Posted on July 23, 2012 by JBacon

Farm Bill and DOE water heater efficiency standard dominate Capitol Hill visits Last week, representatives of Indiana Statewide were on Capitol Hill meeting with members of Indiana’s congressional delegation about federal issues of importance to Indiana’s Electric Cooperatives.  Several issues discussed were the Farm Bill and the water heater efficiency standards as proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).  The  Farm Bill includes critical advancements to programs vital to rural America and electric cooperatives, including allowing RUS to make loans for baseload generation, allowing electric cooperatives to provide low-interest loans through RUS to their consumer-owners for energy efficiency improvements (RESPA), and adding transparency to the RUS broadband loan program. It also includes language to update a study of rail transportation in rural America and to reduce the regulatory burden on electric cooperative’s use of pesticides. 

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Posted on July 9, 2012 by JBacon

RELITE – Retreat #2 Picking Up the Pace

RELITE – Retreat #2 Picking Up the Pace – Hoosier Energy Training Center – June 28th, 2012 This retreat we discussed damaging conflict and how to turn it into Healthy Conflict.  We broke the ice with a game . We gathered outside in a circle and said our names aloud. Once we all said our name, we then had to alphabetize ourselves by our first name without speaking or using hand gestures. This created quite a problem, but we did it, with only a couple of us out of order. First of all, we learned the definition of conflict. Why conflict occurs, such as different points of view, lack of clear goals, lack of respect, poor communication.  Also discussed outcomes of healthy conflict such as relieves stress and anxiety, creates authentic communication, and builds cooperation.  Through this knowledge, we hope to take it back to our cooperatives and apply it to our … Continue reading →

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Posted on June 29, 2012 by JBacon

Indiana’s Electric Cooperatives Take Action

Indiana’s Electric Cooperatives Take Action On Thursday, May 31, Indiana Statewide Government Relations staff, working closely with NRECA, our National Association, initiated a grassroots alert by requesting all Indiana Electric Cooperative CEOs mobilize their employees, boards and member-consumers to contact the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to express opposition to their proposed greenhouse gas (ghg) standard, a regulation that eliminates coal, America’s most abundant domestic fuel, as a fuel source for power plants.

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