Co-op Leaders Rally in Raleigh to Meet with Legislators

House Speaker Tim Moore (R-111) discussed issues with representatives from Rutherford EMC.

In March, 175 representatives from North Carolina’s electric cooperatives gathered in Raleigh to meet with their representatives in the General Assembly and discuss policy issues important to electric co-ops, their members and their communities. More than 80 state legislators participated in the event.

Representative Shelly Willingham (D-23) and Senators Erica Smith (D-3) and Don Davis (D-5) met with leaders from Edgecombe-Martin County EMC, Halifax EMC and Roanoke Electric.

“These meetings give co-op representatives an opportunity to look their legislators in the eye and talk about issues important to folks back home,” said Jay Rouse, director of government affairs for North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives. “Electric co-ops have cultivated relationships with our legislators built on trust. As a result, legislators look to us as a trusted, local source of information on rural issues.”

Issues addressed included electric co-ops’ support of communities through grant and scholarship programs, as well as new paths forward to ensuring all in North Carolina have access to reliable, high-speed broadband.