(ARLINGTON, VA) — Representatives from ten member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives met with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) for a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) panel regarding the proposed federal implementation plan for existing power plants that EPA is developing as part of the Clean Power Plan (CPP).
“While we appreciate the EPA convening the SBAR, we are concerned, like the SBA, that the EPA is not providing sufficient analysis and options for small utilities,” said National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) CEO Jo Ann Emerson. “We requested the SBAR panel from the onset because nearly all NRECA members are small utilities as defined by the SBA and co-ops will be significantly and adversely impacted by the CPP. With 21 percent of co-op owned coal power plants shut down under the proposal – according to the EPA’s own analysis – it is imperative that it help identify lower-cost alternatives for small utilities impacted by the plan. Otherwise, consumers will be forced to pay twice – once for the existing power plants and again for replacement power – and rightly have concerns about reliability, too.”
Participating in the meeting were representatives from Golden Spread Electric Cooperative in Texas, San Miguel Electric Cooperative in Texas, Western Farmers Electric Cooperative in Oklahoma, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation in Kansas, Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative in Indiana, Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Southern Illinois Power Cooperative, Wabash Valley Power Association in Indiana, Central Iowa Power Cooperative, Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association, Seminole Electric Cooperative in Florida and Dairyland Power Cooperative in Wisconsin.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million people in 47 states.