Michigan Co-op CEO calls Public Service Commission “a nuisance”
At a public gathering near the proposed coal plant site, Eric Baker, CEO of Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative complained about the State of Michigan report that showed his coal plant was unneeded. Baker wanted to keep hope alive within the small rural community with above average unemployment even as recent events continue to cast doubt on the economic feasibility and the air permit required for construction. Noting that the co-op had already spent over $20 million of member money on the proposal, he was undeterred in cutting member losses promising to stay the course noting that board of directors had recently voted to continue funding the proposal with member funds, and even if it meant waiting for the next governor to be elected. Click Here to read the full story from the Presque Isle Advance | Read more about the Wolverine coal proposal

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Illinois Co-ops Scaring Members to Oppose Energy Reform
Wayne-White Electric Cooperative—An electric utility in southern Illinois is frightening thousands of its customers by spreading misinformation about President Obama’s clean energy reform agenda. The Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative has joined the American Petroleum Institute’s “Energy Citizens” propaganda campaign, telling its members to oppose the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

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South Carolina Co-op Puts $800 million into Energy Efficiency Campaign
Cobb EMC—South Carolina's electricity cooperatives have an $800 million plan that could dramatically cut energy use in nearly a quarter-million homes -- and cost almost no money. The plan could save billions of dollars in costs for electricity use and power plant construction, and substantially cut greenhouse gas pollution

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Michigan Wolverine Co-op Coal Proposal Flunks Prudent and Feasible Test
Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative—Data supplied by Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative concerning its proposed Rogers City coal plant is deeply flawed, according to a national firm that consults on energy, economic, and environmental topics. Synapse Energy says that Wolverine badly underestimated the cost of building and operating its proposed coal plant and significantly overestimated the cost of using more wind energy, energy efficiency, and natural gas to meet its member’s needs.

Member-owned, Electric Co-op Practices Examined
Atlanta, Ga. — Why are electric rates higher for customer in Cobb County, Georgia's electric membership corporation (EMC) than for other utility customers? That's only one of the questions Cobb and other EMC members hope to find answers to as the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) gathers in Atlanta this week for its annual meeting. America's electric co-ops were founded in the 1930s as member-owned utilities in rural areas where big utility companies were not serving the population. Today, 900 co-ops still provide power to 42 million Americans in 47 states, but often these associations look more like big private corporations than the democratically-managed cooperatives of earlier days. These days, co-op members are asking a host of questions about the governance and energy decisions of their co-ops, and what they are doing to move toward democratic transparency and encourage energy efficiency and clean alternative energy production.

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A Conversational Blog

Well, here we go, the first blog for Co-op Conversations USA. My name is Tom Karas and for better or worse, this website is my responsibility. There are many other members of the National Public Power Reform steering committee that handle all the other chores from fundraising to legislative strategy. But I get to manage Co-opConversationsUSA, and I will be doing this from my outpost in northern Michigan. Between myself, Mo Charbonneau and our webmistress M’Lynn Hartwell, we hope that you find Co-opConversationsUSA to be the perfect resource for co-op members to learn about the history of cooperatives and understand how members can effect progressive change.

Everyone should start with a spin through Congressman Jim Coopers essay about regaining control of our co-ops. On the History page we try and give you a sense of how this national reform effort got started, and we are actively seeking examples of good co-op practices to feature on the Solutions page. Look who is helping us manage your state page, and consider pitching in to help.

Visit us often and follow our growth. This blog space will see lots of action and there will be new features that come up on a regular basis. But like your hometown co-op, this site needs YOU. You are a MEMBER, that means you have Responsibility not only to your own co-op, but to helping all the rest of us at Co-opConversationsUSA know what’s going on in your neck of the woods.

We look forward to working with all of you.