The Whys Behind High Prices
We�ve got good and bad news for you in this month�s issue.
Energy prices lead the bad news. Although we�ve been living with high gasoline and natural gas prices for months, that makes it especially important to explore the reasons for the increased costs. A story in this issue describes how worldwide supply and demand hits all of us in the wallet.
These national and international trends will likely mean higher bills for electric co-op members in Kentucky during the next few years. Although we�ve been using more electricity in the past decade, there hasn�t been much construction of power plants or major transmission lines. Those are starting to be built and come online, and they will have to be paid for. Adding enormously to the cost of those projects are environmental requirements that result in cleaner air, but at a price.
The silver lining to these clouds is hard to find, but there are glimmers. One is that cost increases are affecting the whole nation and the world. That means that as our prices increase, so will everyone else�s�Kentucky will likely continue to have some of the lowest electric rates in the nation. Better yet, there are things we can do as a nation, a state, and as individuals to use energy more efficiently. Keep reading the Cut Your Utility Bills and The Future of Electricity columns, and your local co-op news section, for efficiency advice.
Worried about catching the flu? In this issue, we look back at how bad things can get with the story on the 1918 pandemic, when thousands of Kentuckians were dying every month. We�re not trying to depress you, honest. But with flu in the news, it seemed fascinating, and we hope instructive, to remind ourselves of this history.
I can end on a happier note thanks to our regular January focus on agriculture. We report on how some clever Kentuckians are finding success raising goats. And elsewhere, you can read about some Christian County farmers who are teaching children about agriculture by �tricking� them into having fun with farm chores.
Happy new year.
