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Your Voice Is Needed
When it comes to politics, it is easy to take the cynical view that your voice doesn’t matter. But the adage “All politics is local” still rings true today.
Localizing an issue and illustrating to policymakers how their decisions will affect their constituents remains effective. The truth is, they want and need to hear from us.
As a not-for-profit member-owned rural electric cooperative, we are unique and have great stories to tell. Our responsibility is to tell our story and inform policymakers about issues affecting our cooperative and its members.
Rural electric cooperatives fundamentally differ from investor-owned utilities in heavily urban areas. Farmers, ranchers, and residents in rural America came together to build the infrastructure, bringing electricity to sparsely populated areas when no one else would.
Central Electric Cooperative (CEC), founded in 1940, shares that history and has built an electric system delivering safe, reliable, and clean energy at affordable rates well below the national and state averages. Beyond that mission is a commitment to demonstrating concern for the community, cooperating with other cooperatives, and helping spur economic development in Central Oregon.
As the U.S. Congress and the Oregon Legislature embark on another legislative session, a range of issues put rural electric cooperatives at risk. At the top of the list are the ongoing efforts to remove the lower Snake River dams, an integral part of the Federal Columbia River Power System, and the continuing threat of wildfire liability and the financial impacts on rural cooperatives.
Policymakers need to hear from us. Without our voices, we risk one-size-fits-all policies overlooking rural electric cooperatives’ unique challenges.
How Can Your Voice Be Heard?
Oregon Voices for Cooperative Power is a grassroots network of more than 1.1 million advocates working to influence energy policy. This collective effort brings the voices of cooperative members directly to decision-makers locally, in Salem and Washington, D.C. By joining VCP, you help ensure rural communities across Oregon continue to have access to the safe, reliable, and affordable electricity we depend on daily.
There are several benefits of joining OCVP:
- Stay informed. Receive periodic and relevant updates on various legislative actions that could affect electric cooperative members.
- Protect co-op interests. Easily share your personal story with policymakers to show how energy decisions affect your family and community, ensuring co-op priorities—safety, affordability, reliability, and sustainability—remain at the forefront of policy discussions.
- Empower communities. Oregon’s electric co-ops are vital to rural areas. We have strength in numbers and can amplify our voices to have a direct say in policy decisions.
With your help, CEC can continue delivering safe, reliable, and affordable power in the communities we call home— now and in the future. Sign up at the Voices For Cooperative Power website.
President and CEO Brad Wilson