Advocacy
明尼苏达州农村电力协会代表1.7 million Minnesotans by actively engaging with law and policy makers at the state and federal levels.We proactively build relationships with legislators and policymakers by educating them about how the cooperative business model puts members first and the critical role electric cooperatives play in the state’s economy.
We proactively build relationships with legislators and policymakers by educating them about how we are different from other types of utilities and the critical role electric cooperatives play in the state’s economy.
Policy
Minnesota must maintain property tax exemption for attachments to utility distribution lines to keep electric service in rural Minnesota affordable.
Providing electric service to rural Minnesota remains significantly more costly than urban areas. The longstanding property tax exemption for meters and streetlights must be maintained in order to ensure affordable electric service to rural Minnesotans.
明尼苏达州的电力合作社就是这种合作社差异的例证.
一开始是有光的——对住在城市里的人来说. 1935年，只有10%的美国人住在城市并有电. Electric companies refused to bring power to rural America because they didn’t see a profit in it. 到1950年，农村社区成员解决了这一挑战. 当地社区联合起来成立了自己的电力合作社. They elected board of directors and empowered these newly founded organizations to borrow money from the federal government to build distribution lines and bring power to the people in their local communities.
Today, neighbors continue to elect their neighbors to cooperative boards and co-ops continue to power their local communities – delivering reliable, 可负担且日益清洁的能源将超过1亿美元.700万能源消费者.
明尼苏达州电力合作社致力于透明度和问责制.
明尼苏达州的电力合作社提倡促进良好治理的做法. 良好的治理包括遵守严格的道德准则, 披露和/或避免潜在的利益冲突, operating transparently, 并对会员资料保密.
明尼苏达州的电力合作社是该州能源转型的领导者.
你们明尼苏达州的电力合作社是几十年来的核心, 全国范围内的能源生产脱碳运动. The electricity sector is rapidly reducing carbon emissions and is the only sector of the economy exceeding its decarbonization goals.
Our approach uses lower-cost renewable sources and balances them with other resources, as needed. This ensures safe, 可靠且价格合理的电力, 支持其他经济部门电气化的关键是什么, including electric vehicles.
Regulatory
The 明尼苏达州公用事业委员会(PUC) and Department of Commerce play a regulatory role for investor-owned utilities (IOUs) in the rate-making process to provide checks and balances, 并确保遵守当地规定, 州和联邦法律和政策.
而明尼苏达州的电力合作社不受费率管制*, cooperatives are subject to oversight through hundreds of Minnesota state statutes and by the PUC like other utilities. Cooperatives follow 职业安全与健康管理局 regulations, 国家电气安全规范®标准和环境保护局规定, to name just a few.
此外，明尼苏达州的电力合作社与 美国农业部农村公用事业服务(RUS). USDA RUS:
- Makes 基础设施和基础设施改善, 包括电力基础设施, in rural communities.
- 提供资金和领导维护, expand, 升级和现代化美国庞大的农村电力基础设施.
- Provides loans and loan guarantees to finance the construction or improvement of electric distribution, 农村输电发电设施.
- Funds demand-side management, 能源效率和节约计划, 并网和离网可再生能源系统.
*达科他电力协会由明尼苏达州公用事业委员会进行费率调节
政治行动委员会
一个全州或全国协会的信誉取决于知识, confidence, 和它的成员的热情. beat365中文官方网站 succeeds because its members interact and engage government officials in the business of powering homes, farms, and businesses.
讲述合作的故事是必要的, 特别是当涉及到我们的成员面临的独特挑战时. We also advocate for flexibility so that electric cooperatives can operate efficiently and continue to provide safe, reliable, 即使在该州最偏远的地区，人们也能负担得起电力.
Political action committees (PACs) are an easy way for co-op members to become involved in the political process. PACs allow ordinary citizens to pool their small contributions to make a meaningful donation to legislative candidates who support their point of view. That is precisely what our federal America’s Electric Cooperative PAC and state Rural Electric Political Action Committee (REPAC) do.
REPAC和美国合作社PAC允许电动合作社董事, managers, employees, 并让议员更积极地参与立法过程. 它们使我们能够联合起来，在电力事业问题上发出强有力的声音. 不考虑党派关系, our PACs make contributions to legislative candidates who show an interest in electric co-ops’ legislative positions. They promote the improvement of government by encouraging electric co-ops to take a more active and effective part in government affairs. They, 与我们国家和州基层的努力相结合, 鼓励电力合作社了解和理解政府的性质和行动, 关键的政治问题, and legislative records.
REPAC
The Rural Electric Political Action Committee (REPAC) is a state political action committee funded by voluntary contributions from co-op directors, employees and consumer-owners. 这些资金被捐赠给明尼苏达州参众两院寻求公职的候选人. Contributions assist campaigns of Minnesota state legislators who listen to and work with electric cooperatives on legislation of importance.
州一级的立法事务是电力合作社的重要项目, 尤其是在州立法机构考虑电力需求的时候, emissions, affordability, reliability, and other important changes. 要影响电力行业的问题，我们必须有广泛的立法支持. 因为我们需要两党和全州所有地区的支持, rural and metro, REPAC operates on a statewide basis with all state legislators supporting your local legislators and those legislators who have no electric co-ops in their district.
The growing size of REPAC informs legislators that there is an increasingly high level of interest by our membership in their legislative activities, 特别是电力行业的可靠性和其他变化问题. REPAC is held accountable not only by its members but also by the regulations of the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. 我们鼓励捐款50美元或100美元. Contributions of $100 receive a Willie Wiredhand pin to show your support of electric cooperatives in Minnesota. 会员也可以选择25美元的捐款. REPAC的捐款周期为1月1日至12月31日.
美国电力合作社PAC
America’s Electric Cooperative PAC (formerly ACRE®) is the grassroots political action committee of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The PAC represents the interests of the nation’s nearly 930 non-profit electric cooperative systems and their 42 million consumers in rural, suburban and urban areas.
It’s organized to support federal candidates who will speak for and protect the interests of electric cooperatives and their consumers. It’s bipartisan, 它的捐款是基于候选人支持农村电气化的记录, 而不是他/她的政治派别. 选择候选人接受支持的过程是严格的, 需要国家委员会批准的, NRECA的员工和电力合作社州协会的首席执行官.
它支持国会候选人, regardless of party, who share public policy goals that are consistent with the mission of member-owned electric cooperatives. Also, half of the contributions to America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC are returned to the statewide associations for use in state elections. 它不参与总统竞选.
该委员会由超过35名成员组成,电力合作社主任个人捐款1万元, managers, 全国的员工和消费者. 平均每年捐款44美元. 这是一个真正的草根政治行动委员会，反映了我们的成员.
供款周期由1月1日起至12月31日止. All PAC contributions, 包括他们的月度披露报告, 可在联邦选举委员会的网站 www.fec.gov.
Get Involved
政策决定在许多方面影响合作社成员. 你的声音可以带来改变.
和我们一起倡导安全, affordable, reliable electricity – delivered in a responsible manner as well as promoting a bright and continuous economic future for our state and members.
Look here 找到明尼苏达州合作社和立法区的地图.
您可以通过以下网址找到或联系明尼苏达州参议员和众议员 http://www.leg.mn.gov/.
Visit Voices for Cooperative Power 了解并参与影响全国合作社的重要问题.