ATLANTA – National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson issued the following statement thanking U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins for her remarks today to electric cooperative leaders at PowerXchange, NRECA’s annual meeting, in Atlanta.
“We are grateful to Secretary Rollins for making the time to speak to us about her priorities for USDA, a critical partner in helping electric cooperatives sustain and revitalize rural communities across America,” Matheson said. “USDA’s Rural Utilities Service, in particular, has been key to accomplishing this feat and remains a vital resource for co-ops as they work to keep the lights on and meet the growing energy needs of their members.
“We especially appreciate Secretary Rollins’ commitment to cutting bureaucratic red tape by expediting environmental permitting reviews for infrastructure projects that allow cooperatives to maintain and expand their energy systems. We look forward to working with the Secretary to achieve these goals and to our continued partnership with USDA under her leadership.”
The RUS has been providing co-ops with essential funding for electric infrastructure projects since 1936. These loans are issued at no cost to the federal government, and in fiscal year 2023 they netted $218 million to the U.S. Treasury.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape. As local businesses built by the consumers they serve, electric cooperatives have meaningful ties to rural America and invest $15 billion annually in their communities.
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