Co-ops won’t gamble the grid
AS AN ENGINEER AND a leader of electric cooperatives throughout my career, my philosophy never has been to roll the dice and see what happens. I like to have research, data and a reasonable plan. This is also true of electric cooperatives in general. We provide safe, reliable energy at affordable rates to our consumer-members—and we do this by responding to the facts.
When it comes to fulfilling that mission, Kentucky’s electric cooperatives will never leave anything to chance. Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way. Federal officials are punishing always-available energy sources while crossing their fingers and hoping renewable technologies will catch up. There is no guarantee they will. And when—not if—the demand for energy exceeds supply, real people will pay the price. This high-stakes gamble goes against everything I’ve advocated for throughout my career, which is why Kentucky Living highlights the importance of electric reliability.
While it is my job and the job of your electric cooperatives to do all we can to provide reliable electricity, I want to emphasize the many additional ways we are reliable. You can depend on us:
To be your trusted energy adviser and advocate. We know what it’s like to live and work where you do, because your communities are our communities. Cooperatives are led by people in your towns, and our employees live in your communities, too. Through Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, we advocate on your behalf in Frankfort; and with our partnership with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the 900 electric cooperatives across the country, we advocate for you in Washington, D.C.
To support our communities. Our employees are Little League coaches, Sunday school teachers and food pantry volunteers. You see them in the grocery store and at the salon. Our cooperatives donate their time and resources to local organizations that do good things throughout our community.
To serve you, in just about every aspect of the word. If your power goes out in the cold or during a thunderstorm, our cooperative employees work hard through day and night to get it back on. If you’ve fallen on hard times and need help paying your bill, the co-ops will work with you to find resources or set up a payment plan to get you back on track.
We’re here for you. Kentucky’s electric cooperatives take reliability seriously—you never have to roll the dice on that.
