Energy Policies Update Given,
Directors Elected at Annual Meeting
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213; Pager: 1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
West Jefferson, North Carolina (June 14, 2008) – In addition to updates on the state of the cooperative and emerging national energy policy, four directors were elected today to the board of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation during the cooperative’s Annual Membership Meeting held at Ashe County High School.
Re-elected to serve three-year terms on the board representing the membership were: Martha McKnight of Alleghany District; David Boone of Ashe District; David Eggers of Caldwell District; and Clayton Cooke of Watauga District.
During the business session, President Kenneth Greene welcomed the crowd of approximately 1,000 members. Joy Coffey, secretary-treasurer, reported that the cooperative is in sound financial condition and remains one of the strongest cooperatives in the nation.
Among the updates, Greene told the audience that electric service reliability is one of the best in the nation, due in large part to right-of-way maintenance efforts, fast response of linemen trained to restore power quickly and safely, and other technologies implemented by the cooperative. Due to the positive fiscal health of the cooperative, many members, he said, received their largest capital credits check ever this year after the Board retired $2 million in capital credits this spring. Capital credits checks and information was delivered for the first time through the mailing of the cooperative’s annual meeting invitation in order to better inform members of this important cooperative benefit.
In his address to the audience, Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson spoke extensively on emerging national energy policy being considered by Congress. He also recognized the North Carolina General Assembly for the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS) passed into law. “The law is a meaningful way to address North Carolina’s growing power needs and positively impact the environment over time. Blue Ridge Electric is now developing comprehensive plans to achieve the goal to have 10 percent of our energy needs met through renewable energy resources or energy efficiency measures by 2018.”
“We also have a huge opportunity to meet part of the goal through energy efficiency,” Johnson said. “But we need your help. Energy efficiency and conservation will be a far easier and cheaper way to help achieve the mandate. For example, we estimate that there are 2.8 million incandescent light bulbs in our service area. Replacing those with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) is a simple, cost effective way to save energy and save money and work towards the REPS goals,” Johnson said.
Johnson strongly encouraged members to keep engaged on legislation currently occurring on the federal level. “If you watched the news this past week, you saw that the U.S. Senate was considering climate change legislation. This particular piece of legislation could have raised electric rates as much as 40 percent. It did not pass, but we expect the issue will came back up after the November election,” he informed members.
Johnson said political leaders must provide wise, informed leadership and vision for a national energy policy. “It’s very important for everyone to work together to improve the environment for our kids and grandchildren. But we must also be wise in how we achieve improvements. If our political leaders aren’t careful—if they do too much, too soon—it will cause great economic hardship for consumers,” he explained “Not only from higher electric bills but also from the potential loss of jobs to other countries if our energy costs become too high.”
Johnson further explained that 52 percent of the electricity we enjoy today is generated from coal and therefore we need to closely watch legislation that would put a tax on coal. Johnson also noted mandates should be considered based on available technology. One of the greatest opportunities is through a technology not available today but now under development: the ability to clean coal and store it safely. Government funding to mature these types of technologies would help in the quest for a cleaner environment while not overburdening consumers with additional taxes.
Johnson said elected officials must also be aware of the growing need for base load power generation plants, which are needed across the country as our nation’s electric infrastructure ages and consumer growth occurs. In North Carolina alone, the population is projected to grow from eight to 12 percent in coming years. Power plant funding will need to be addressed and factored in to an overall plan if electricity is to remain reliable and affordable to all consumers.
“The balance of economic opportunity and the protection of our environment deserve our utmost attention and efforts,” Johnson said. “Our message to elected officials should be clear: we don’t need more taxes, we need a clear vision and wise leadership for the direction our national energy policy needs to take.”
Johnson told members that America’s electric cooperatives have developed an avenue called Our Energy, Our Future for helping consumers stay informed and our collective voices be heard on Capital Hill. In addition to updates being provided through the member newsletter and through news releases and on the web site, Johnson said members can be informed through the national web site www.ourenergy.coop. Members can also sign up through a link on the cooperative’s web site—or fill out a card in their registration packets (also available in the June issue of Carolina Country magazine or through their local district office)—allowing the cooperative to send e-mails on their behalf to Congress. The e-mails would encourage elected officials to be mindful of consumer costs when crafting national energy policy and to balance electricity needs with environmental goals. “the national energy policy will affect us all, and we must start the dialogue with our elected officials,” Johnson said. “Let’s not ever forget that our voice is a very powerful voice. Sign up today to start the dialogue.”
To learn more about the Our Energy, Our Future effort to keep consumers informed and involved in emerging national energy policy, visit either www.BlueRidgeEMC.com or www.ourenergy.coop. You can also find Blue Ridge Electric’s annual report online at www.BlueRidgeEMC.com.
Back to Top
