There’s an old saying in politics: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” Well, Florida’s electric co-ops recently went to the table to speak up for co-op consumers as participants in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s annual legislative conference. The conference, held May 4-6 in Washington, D.C., drew more than 3,000 electric co-op directors, managers, and employees from across America, who went to Capitol Hill to discuss our positions on legislative issues affecting non-profit co-ops and their member-owners. Florida co-op representatives personally visited the offices of 19 Florida Congressman. At each meeting, we reiterated our concerns regarding climate change legislation, proposed renewable energy and conservation mandates, and the lack of rail competition. As we made our way around Capitol Hill, every office we visited had received e-mails through electric co-ops’ Our Energy, Our Future campaign. Your advocacy efforts through this program are making a difference, so don’t let up now. Keep up – and step up – your efforts to speak up for electric co-ops and their consumers by asking your U.S. Senators and Representatives to make a commitment to: 

Promote a fair hearing on the state of climate science, so we can determine the realistic benefits that would come from costly efforts to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions;

Oppose the use of electric bills to collect revenues to fund other programs, through a carbon tax or a similar tax scheme, based on attributed carbon emissions;

Ensure that electric utilities can continue to plan to meet future demand while the energy policy debate moves forward;

Encourage the development of renewable energy sources, conservation, and energy efficiency, through grants, loan guarantees, low interest loans, and research, not arbitrary, one-size-fits-all mandates;

Support transmission development to connect highly productive renewable resources in remote areas to high demand areas;

Support the Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act to eliminate the railroad industry’s exemption from antitrust laws (S. 146, H.R. 233).  

Before recessing for the Memorial Day Holiday, Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., was successful in moving the climate change bill out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Instead of his wish to send it directly to the House floor for a vote, the bill will be referred to eight additional committees with likely floor action in July. Key committee members worked hard to soften the impact of the draft bill that Waxman and Markley released in March. While this is an improvement, we all need to continue to send our concerns to our legislators regarding the ultimate impact a carbon tax will have on the price of electricity in the future. We need to urge our legislators to work in the House and Senate to further improve the bill and make it a piece of legislation the electric cooperatives can support.  

On the local front, Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative members have joined forces to send their legislators their concerns about the rising cost of energy and the overall impact that an aggressive carbon emission tax would have on their families and other American families. The response of our members, friends, and neighbors has been overwhelming in opposition to a carbon tax. I urge you not to become complacent but continue to support the initiative to stop the carbon tax/carbon cap and trade issue. Contact your legislators by going to www.svec-coop.com and clicking on the Our Energy, Our Future logo and complete the form for submission. Also, Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative is encouraging all walk-in traffic in our office to fill out a card and we will process the request for you.

Senator Martinez

202-224-3041

Senator Nelson

202-224-5274

Member of Congress

202-225-3121