Commentary State lawmakers go back to work F
Chris Meyers General Manager, Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives
ebruary 3rd is the beginning of the second session of the 54th Oklahoma
Legislature. Consistent with sessions of the past, our law- makers have a large number of bills to consider. Only a few hundred of them will make it through the process
to become law. Many never make it over the fi rst hurdle of a committee hearing—there are just too many to run through that process. The limited time available during each session is spent on priorities set by the Governor’s offi ce and party leaders. These priorities also get most of the press coverage. In the recent past, they have in- cluded workers compensation reform, tort reform, state income tax, and education. However, we never cease to get surprised with an unexpected headline- catching bill—horse slaughter for instance. Electricity related bills are not on any priority list that I am aware of, and I don’t expect to see electric- ity as one of those surprise headline issues, either. In the news or not, there are always bills introduced that work around the edges of the electric utility industry and that is where we at the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives will be
I
Joe Harris President, Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives
focused. There continues to be quite a lot of change in our industry. It mostly comes from the federal level in the form of regulations. There is also a national climate change debate going on that is having an impact on electric utility providers like your local co-op.
States have been responding to this national de- bate in a number of ways. For example, most states have adopted some policy encouraging renewable energy sources even without a federal mandate. A number of years ago our state adopted a renewable energy goal of 15 percent, which has been achieved. Some states have passed ‘cap and trade’ style laws designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Other state legislatures have established tax credits for energy efficiency improvements. Laws have been passed that protect utility consumer informa- tion as a result of the smart grid and new technology.
As we work around the edges of our industry
again this session, we will do our best to ensure that only fair and balanced energy-related bills are passed. Be assured that, as the session progresses, your electric cooperative will be fully engaged in the process, striving to fulfi ll our purpose of deliver- ing safe, reliable, and affordable electricity to our members.
Let’s be reasonable, not reactive
am amazed at the amount of blame the phenom- enon of climate change is receiving lately. It seems
every time I read or hear the news, there’s a report that re- lates to some extreme weather event. It could be fl ash fl oods or the wettest weather in his- tory. Or it could be the cold-
est winter on record, or maybe the warmest winter or coolest summer. Other topics include the melt- ing Arctic ice cap or the coldest Antarctic tempera- tures, the most tornadoes or the strongest hurricane on record—what I’m hearing is that these events take place because of climate change and global warming. Invariably, what follows is a statement that these events are caused by mankind and our use of car- bon or fossil-based fuels. I believe it would be safe to say that nearly everyone wants a cleaner environ- ment. But why is it that the whole climate change issue is couched in a manner that elicits an immedi- ate emotional reaction from so many among us? Who could possibly be against cleaning up the environment? I wish the scientifi c community were all on the same page. It appears that even they can’t agree on what is happening to our environment,
4
WWW.OK-LIVING.COOP
and to what extent mankind is responsible. I can remember years ago studying in school about the coming ice age and how the planet was getting cooler. Now all we talk about is global warming. I believe the Earth’s environment is changing; how much is caused by mankind and what is occur- ring naturally is up to greater minds than mine to decide. What I am sure about is that we need to think about the impact on utilities such as your electric cooperative when moving to renewable en- ergy generation resources alone.
Emotions aside, we are too dependent on the commercial applications of a fossil-driven economy to abruptly shut down all carbon-based applica- tions of energy. How would we manufacture or move commerce, or travel to destinations without it? How would we charge our smartphones, com- puters, keep groceries fresh and have lights at night? You can’t do many of these things with renewable power generation as it exists today. What is the eco- nomic cost of the change, and can we afford it? We have made improvements in the last decade to making our air cleaner, and I believe that we will continue to do so. Let’s not get so emotionally ex- cited about making generation fuel source changes that we forget there is a cost to be paid. We need to be mindful of the impact to our economy that such an abrupt change could cause.
Editorial, Advertising and General Offi ces
P.O. Box 54309, Oklahoma City, OK 73154-1309 Phone (405) 478-1455
Oklahoma Living online:
www.ok-living.coop Subscriptions
$3.12 per year for rural electric cooperative members.
$6.00 per year for non-members. Cooperative Members: Report change of
address to your local rural electric cooperative. Non-Cooperative Members: Send address
changes to Oklahoma Living, P.O. Box 54309, Oklahoma City, OK 73154-1309.
Oklahoma Living (ISSN 1064-8968),
USPS 407-040, is published monthly for consumer-members of Oklahoma’s rural electric cooperatives by the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, 2325 E. I-44 Service Road,
P.O. Box 54309, Oklahoma City, OK 73154-1309. Circulation this issue: 316,290
Periodical postage paid at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Association of Electric
Cooperatives is a statewide service organization for the following electric cooperatives: Alfalfa, Arkansas Valley, Caddo, Canadian Valley,
Central Rural, Choctaw, Cimarron, Cookson Hills, Cotton, East Central Oklahoma, Harmon, Indian, KAMO Power, Kay, Kiamichi, Kiwash, Lake Region, Northeast Oklahoma, Northfork,
Northwestern, Oklahoma, Ozarks, People’s, Red River Valley, Rural, Southeastern, Southwest
Rural, Tri-County, Verdigris Valley, and Western Farmers Electric Cooperative.
Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives
Chris Meyers, General Manager Joe Harris, President
Jimmy Taylor, Vice-President Kendall Beck, Secretary Gary McCune, Treasurer
Staff
Sid Sperry, Director of PR & Communications
sksperry@oaec.coop
Anna Politano, Managing Editor
editor@ok-living.coop
Larry Skoch, Advertising Manager
lskoch@ok-living.coop
Christy Johnson, Offi ce Manager
cjohnson@oaec.coop
Kirbi Mills, Accountant/Offi ce Manager Asst.
kmills@oaec.coop
Hayley Leatherwood, Multimedia Specialist
hleatherwood@ok-living.coop
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160