News

5/30/2009

The 72nd Annual Meeting

More than 750 members and guests arrived at Miami University’s Millett Hall on Saturday, May 30, for the Cooperative’s 72nd Annual Meeting.

Tom McQuiston, chairman of the Cooperative’s Board of Trustees, welcomed those in attendance and assured the members that due to good financial planning, closely monitoring our rate structure, and careful management of assets, the Cooperative is in solid financial and operational position. “That is not to say that we aren’t closely watching our costs and have modified some of our priorities, but be assured that we will be maintaining our system and providing the reliability and quality of service that our members are accustomed to and expect,” Tom said. “We continue to reap the benefits and see the pay-off of system improvements and maintenance. This was never more evident than last September when the remnants of Hurricane Ike came through.” Tom reaffirmed that tree trimming and the cooperation of our members helped us all get through that wind storm in better shape than many of our neighboring utility companies.

One problem that has continued to surface is the service reliability for those members who are served by our New Biddinger substation. “You are aware of the outage problems that you have experienced over the last several years and we thank you for your patience and understanding,” Tom said. “The problem stems from the transmission line that feeds the substation and we have little or no control over its reliability. We regard this situation as unacceptable.” Tom announced that the Cooperative has set into motion a plan to repower the New Biddinger substation by constructing our own transmission line from a completely different source. “We are looking at a completion time for this project of the last quarter in 2011,” Tom said. “The project will cost approximately four million dollars, but we have built that into our long-range plan. This will provide a huge improvement in the quality of service to members in that part of our system.”

Keeping abreast of current legislative activities is important to our Cooperative’s trustees and management. Tom McQuiston, Mike Sims, the Cooperative’s general manager, and Bob Hoelle, a Cooperative trustee, traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the National Legislative Conference. They met with Congressman Boehner and Turner, and Senators Voinivich and Brown. Congressman Driehaus met with the board later that month at the Cooperative’s office. Mike and Bob also spent time in Columbus visiting with state representatives Derikson, Combs, Coley, Morgan, Blessings, and Zehringer.  “It is very important for us to keep our legislative representatives informed about our issues and maintain a good relationship that will assist them in carrying out their responsibilities to the public while representing your interests,” Tom said. He then encouraged members to join ACRE/COPA to make their voices heard in Congress.

The Cooperative’s general manager, Mike Sims, addressed the members and their guests. “The Cooperative’s commitment to the integrity and reliability of the electrical system is evident by the infrastructure improvements made during the past fifteen years,” says Mike. “But it is our members and their support of our aggressive tree trimming program that have made these improvements possible. Clearing trees and other vegetation from the power lines is a critical ingredient for safe and reliable electric service to our members.”

Damage and destruction from the wind storm in September left every member without power. “Members provided us with valuable information concerning downed power lines, fallen trees and other equipment damage that helped us prepare prior to arriving a the scene. The patience and assistance of the members were both gratifying and had a direct impact on the restoration efforts,” Mike commented.

“Integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to the community are not hollow words whose purpose is to just sound good,” Mike said. “These are the four core values of our national brand, Touchstone Energy. There are 685 Touchstone Energy cooperatives in 46 states, and the four core values represent our promise and commitment to our members. Future generations of loyal and committed cooperative members must understand that the Touchstone Energy brand is about them.”

Tony Ahern, president and CEO of Buckeye Power, Inc. and Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, was the annual meeting’s guest speaker.  He began by acknowledging the reeling economy and the belt-tightening that all members are experiencing. As our cooperative’s power supplier, how is Buckeye Power responding? “Like you, we’re looking closely at expenses and seeking new operating efficiencies,” Tony said. “Our costs of providing power are inching up due, in part, to increasing fuel costs. But the good news is that we were prepared and bought existing coal and natural gas generation at prices well below replacement costs. We’ve become a little more ‘green’ now that we are getting electricity from wind turbines in Iowa and two manure digesters from Ohio farms. We also have some hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls.”

But, according to Tony, that’s not as green as the government would like. “The government has announced its intent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), which for us means reducing carbon dioxide emissions,” Tony said. “The House is drafting a proposal to require increasing annual reductions in greenhouse gas emissions beginning in 2012. The latest draft seeks 20% reductions by 2020 and 40% reduction by 2030.” Tony said that for electric cooperatives, that means reducing the carbon dioxide emissions, which is produced when coal, oil and natural gas are burned.

How can we reduce greenhouse gases? “One proposal is to place a tax on carbon dioxide emissions that would slowly be increased over time and, as a result, not hit members with a large overnight increase,” Tony said. “But, if Congress adopts a Cap and Trade Allowance system, you might see cost increases of $50 or more a month, and it could vary widely depending on the market price for carbon dioxide.”

Tony encouraged members to contact their Congressmen and let them know that however carbon dioxide emissions are cut, it must be affordable, sensible, and sustainable over time. An effective way to do that is to send a pre-written message to your congressional representative by logging onto Our Energy, Our Future. You can go to the Cooperative’s Web site, www.butlerrural.coop and click on the Our Energy, Our Future icon. 

“Your cooperative has worked diligently for 73 years to provide you with stable prices and reliable electric supply,” Tony said. “Members need to stand up for themselves on the issue of Cap and Trade and speak to Washington D.C. so that secure and affordable energy is the central theme for our nation’s energy policy.”

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