ARLINGTON, Va. – National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) CEO Jim Matheson today applauded the 2018 farm bill conference agreement and issued the following statement:
“Connecting rural economies and modernizing local communities are two priorities for electric cooperatives,” said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson. “We are glad to see House and Senate negotiators take meaningful steps in both areas by working to advance rural broadband deployment and promoting strong rural development programs. The compromise bill is a strong proposal that advances the interests of rural America and stops short of abruptly changing the rural electrification loan program. The bill’s strong rural development provisions will enable co-ops to invest in modernizing the electric grid and continue key economic development activities in the communities they serve.”
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national trade association representing more than 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 $12 billion annually in their communities.
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