Leaders from Indiana’s electric cooperatives were in Washington, D.C. last month during the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Legislative Conference to meet with members of Indiana’s Congressional Delegation about issues important to electric cooperatives and the rural communities they serve. This year, 66 representatives from 28 Indiana electric cooperatives joined more than 2,000 cooperative leaders from across the country for the annual conference.
While on Capitol Hill, Indiana electric cooperative leaders heard from both U.S. Senators before participating in face-to-face small-group meetings with members of Congress and legislative staff representing their local service areas. These conversations gave cooperative leaders the opportunity to share firsthand perspectives on how federal policies impact reliability, infrastructure investment, economic development, and the daily lives of rural Hoosiers.
Key topics discussed during the conference included:
- How cooperatives are prepared to meet the moment to serve new large developments
- Federal permitting reform and electric reliability
- USDA Rural Utilities Service loan funding
- Disaster recovery and FEMA reform legislation
Cooperative leaders also discussed concerns surrounding the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program and federal pole attachment regulations. Indiana’s electric cooperatives urged lawmakers to protect the exemption Congress granted cooperatives from FCC pole attachment rules and to oppose efforts that could create additional regulatory burdens impacting electric reliability and infrastructure management.
Indiana’s electric cooperatives emphasized the importance of maintaining reliable and affordable electricity while supporting economic growth and protecting the interests of existing cooperative members.
By bringing local perspectives directly to lawmakers in Washington, D.C., cooperative representatives helped ensure the voices of rural Hoosiers remain part of national conversations on energy policy, infrastructure investment, and the future of reliable, affordable electricity.
