Outage Map
Protecting Our Forests & Clean, Reliable Power
The year is off to a productive start, with solid progress already underway.
Central Electric Cooperative continues to work hard to keep your lights on and our rates affordable while investing in new and ongoing capital projects to enhance the safety and reliability of the electric system to meet future growth in our service territory.
While managing and operating an electric cooperative, we need to keep an eye on the Oregon Legislature, whose decisions can adversely affect the members we serve. It convenes this month for the 83rd Legislative Assembly.
Funding the Oregon Department of Transportation will dominate the Legislature’s time and newspaper headlines, but there are other issues we want to keep at the forefront of their attention, such as wildfire mitigation and the importance of our federal hydropower system.
We never stop planning for the next wildfire season, even during the winter. As in the last legislative session, we will use this time in Salem to continue educating lawmakers about the uncertainty that comes with wildfire liability—and that the time has come for the state to recognize we need healthy forests and healthy utilities.
We will also raise awareness of the state of Oregon’s lawsuit against the federal hydropower system that supplies carbon-free, reliable, and affordable electricity to our homes and businesses.
According to Northwest Requirements Utilities, Oregon’s lawsuit could raise rates by 22% and increase the chance of rolling blackouts by 30%. It is unfortunate that Oregon would take this action after the last legislative assembly focused on keeping power bills affordable for Oregonians.
Your voice is needed, too. Oregon Voices for Cooperative Power is part of a grassroots network of more than 1,100,000 advocates working to influence energy policy. This collective effort brings the voices of cooperative members directly to decision-makers locally, in Salem and in Washington, D.C. By joining VCP, you can help ensure rural communities across Oregon continue to have access to clean, safe, reliable, and affordable electricity. Learn more and sign up on the Voices for Cooperative Power website.
We thank our legislators for their service and look forward to working with them to advance policies that keep your electricity affordable and reliable.
President and CEO Brad Wilson