Selected Co-ops with Good Practices

Governance

Energy

San Miguel Power Association, Colorado

By-Laws allow members to bring initiatives before entire membership for vote; right to open, transparent meetings and fair elections in by-laws; quarterly meetings with the mayors to explain programs and hear constituent concerns; programs to educate members on wise energy use and to hear their input. 

Champion of a new view of energy use and the responsibilities of the energy industry beyond lowest cost fuel before the Colorado Rural Electric Association; original financial sponsor of the area's first sustainability organization; renewable energy technician whose sole job is to assess and implement renewable energy programs to help members keep bills as low as possible; $400,000 in 2009 to energy efficiency and energy conservation programs; negotiating to develop distributed generation to full amount allowed under existing contracts with energy provider. 

Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Texas

Proposed member bill of rights; open meetings; transparent and easily accessible elections; committees on renewable energy and efficiency with member particpation

Ambitious goals for renewable energy production and energy efficiency; innovative agreement with primary supplier of electricity to allow additional purchase of renewable energy

Valley Electric Association, Nevada

Valley Electric has a good solar heating program, thanks to the clean energy efforts of its CEO

Socorro Electric Cooperative, New Mexico

New reform-minded board members have introduced measures to cap board member benefits and ensure transparency of meetings and elections. 

Farmers Electric Cooperative, Iowa

Possibly the oldest co-op in the country, Farmers' CEO Warren McKenna has been a staunch advocate for member engagement and clean energy 

Residential and commercial rebates for efficient HVAC, appliances, etc; 20 cents per kilowatt hour for solar energy; Green Power project gives customers the option of paying an additional $3 per month to support green energy programs. http://farmersrec.com/promotion

Homer Electric Association, Alaska

Efforts by the organizers of the HEA Member Forum have increased transparency and responsiveness to members, including voting not to deregulate.

HEA has begun a generation planning process similar to integrated resource planning, implemented net-metering for its members, and withdrawn from possible ownership of a coal plant

Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative, Montana

Yellowstone Protected the low rates the co-op provides to its members by actively campaigning against an expensive and unncessary coal plant, which was ultimately withdrawn

Highline Electric Association, Colorado / New Mexico

Trailblazer Heat Recovery Generation Project; captures waste heat from the exhaust of two natural gas turbines to generate electricity.

Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, New Mexico

Long-standing solar program being expanded with the help of a grant from REAP (Rural Energy for America Program)

Selected Co-ops with Bad Practices  

Governance

Energy

Cobb Electric Membership Corp., Georgia

No board elections for more than 2 years; allegations of corruption and misuse of co-op funds for personal benefit. Membership lawsuit challenging fiduciary irresponsibility

Working for construction of more coal plants as part of Power4Georgians; no integrated resource planning with targets

Carroll Electric Coop, Arkansas

Burdensome requirements for members to offer nominees for board election (1% or approximately 700 signatures collected in 30 days); dividends distributed to members only once in past 20 years; members not allowed to attend and observe board of directors meetings; Without giving notice to members, the Board of
directors changed the co-op's by-laws in 2009 eliminating member
initiated petitions.

Actively lobbies state and federal governments against climate change legislation

Intermountain Rural Electric Association, Colorado

Cooperative members report that board members are unwilling to listen to concerns, and the cooperative actively uses its resources to defend incumbent directors around elections

IREA has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to expand its dependence on coal, fights efficiency and clean energy, and has spent more than $100,000 to spread disinformation about global warming

East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC), Kentucky

A financially unstable G&T that actually requested that some of the ratepayers at their member co-ops not be allowed to intervene in a case affecting their electric rates because they weren’t members of EKPC itself.   

Aggressively attempting to expand its dependence on risky and expensive new coal plants

CoServ, Texas

Members have filed a lawsuit and are currently attempting to recall 4 directors because of violations of fiduciary responsibility, including a $1 billion bankruptcy for divesting cooperative assets into risky for-profit ventures

Golden Valley Electric Association, Arkansas

As HEA in Alaska withdrew from any ownership interest in the dirty Healy coal plant, GVEA has taken over the risky and expensive project

Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, Arizona

CEO threatening members leading reform efforts with legal action; management has refused to meet with reformers to discuss concerns

Members pay small monthly fee to cover rebates program for installing rooftop solar but fees used instead to repay CREB bond that paid for solar on schools; residential customers who installed solar expecting rebates are not being paid, undermining the program and leaving solar installers in the lurch

East Texas Electric Cooperative, Texas

Sued the USDA's Rural Utilities Service to defend its involvement in a coal plant that has had its permits rejected by the courts and that is threatening wetlands