Farm Bill electrifying

As last year ended, rural Kentuckians got some very good news: Congress approved and President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill.

Anthony “Tony” Campbell, president and CEO of East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Winchester, which provides power to 16 electric cooperatives and their 1.1 million members across 87 Kentucky counties, provided the following open letter of thanks:

“Members of Kentucky’s congressional delegation played key roles in getting the Farm Bill approved. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Reps. Andy Barr and James Comer, along with Congressmen Hal Rogers and Brent Guthrie, provided critical support for issues important to our electric co-op members during the Farm Bill’s winding road to approval.

“Fittingly, the measure garnered overwhelming bipartisan support. The Farm Bill includes important provisions for helping farmers, as well as ensuring nutrition for at-risk families.

“For electric cooperatives and our members, the bill helps to ensure affordable financing for expensive investments in power lines and power plants. Electric cooperatives are not-for-profit entities, owned and led by the communities we serve. And, we serve some of the poorest populations and most remote locations, providing them with reliable, affordable energy.

“Electric co-ops are able to continue fulfilling this critical job thanks to support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service. And that support depends on funding from the Farm Bill.

“From all Kentucky electric cooperatives and our members, I would like to extend a huge thank you to McConnell, Barr, Comer, Guthrie and Rogers for their support.”