A scorecard released today by Appalachian Voices reveals that rural electric cooperatives in the Southeast need critical reform to ensure they are operating according to good governance standards and providing clean energy programs to their members. The new scorecards build on a previous project, and find that while Virginia’s electric co-ops have made some reforms and are leading the region, there is still room for improvement.
Today, advocacy organizations across seven southeastern states released scorecards that examine the policies and programs of the region’s rural electric cooperatives across a number of areas, including governance, transparency, energy efficiency, member access to renewable energy and other factors. Though no co-op across seven states scored more than 65 out of 100 total points, co-ops in Tennessee achieved an average score of 28 points.
Today, Appalachian Voices released scorecards examining how electric cooperatives in North Carolina measured up across a number of areas, including governance, transparency, energy efficiency, member access to clean energy and other factors. The results showed that the majority of the 26 co-ops in North Carolina impose significant barriers for customer-members to participate in the democratic governance of their co-ops, while only a few offer services or supportive policies to help members lower their electric bills.
On Nov. 16, organizations from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia will release scorecards examining how electric cooperatives in their states measured up across a number of areas.
Voting an exercise in community. It’s an exercise in finding ways in each of our own lives that build a more equitable and resilient community that works for all of us.
The North Carolina People’s Energy Plan seeks a cleaner, more affordable, more just energy system for the state.
The community of Boone, North Carolina, celebrated a small victory when the local utility, New River Light and Power, announced in March it would rescind its proposed annual $99 fee for solar customers!
Duke Energy’s approach to the carbon reduction plan is long on fossil fuels and short on concern for public input and affordability.
TVA, the nation’s largest public utility, used the opportunity of a global pandemic to cancel public listening sessions entirely and to withhold written public input from the media and public. The utility explained the move by claiming that it lacked the technological capabilities to host a virtual public input meeting.
Richmond, Va. — A coalition representing member-owners of Virginia’s rural electric cooperative (RECs) is rallying in support of Del. Wendy Gooditis’ legislation that seeks to establish protections and safeguards for customers (member-owners) of the thirteen rural electric cooperatives in the state. These reforms would include allowing member-owners to observe board meetings, voter integrity measures for cooperative board elections, and transparency in cooperative political lobbying.
