MECA CEO Craig Borr has been appointed to the Senate Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Workgroup that will make recommendations for improving the Clean, Renewable and Energy Efficient Act (P.A. 295) regulations. MPSC commissioner Sally Talberg and a mix of environmental and utility representatives are also in the workgroup, which plans to wrap their assignment sometime this fall.
Cloverland is extending an invitation to employees from sister co-ops to tour their hydroelectric plant on the St. Mary’s River, June 27, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Sault Ste. Marie. It’s a family affair, with free hot dogs and popcorn, prize drawings, artifact and historical photo displays, a video presentation, and a tools-of-the-trade exhibit, equipment display, and LSSU Aquatic Lab tours. Visit their [...]
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) CEO Jo Ann Emerson commented June 2 on the latest round of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations limiting carbon dioxide emissions for power plants. “Americans count on affordable and reliable energy to power our communities, promote job and economic growth, and keep costs in line for the basic necessities in our family budgets. New EPA regulations that add [...]
MSU Extension is reminding Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) applicants to apply for grant dollars and low interest loans to help implement energy conservation practices by 4:30 p.m., July 31, 2014. REAP funds must be used to buy a renewable energy system, such as: Wind Solar Biomass/biofuel Anaerobic digester Geothermal Hydro Or energy efficiency improvements, including: Freezer & cooler upgrades Lighting, window & plumbing [...]
The 6th Annual Curt Knierim Memorial Run will be June 28 (8 a.m., EDT) in Newberry, Mi. The Cloverland Electric Co-op lineman/supervisor lost his life in an electricity-related accident in 2008, but he left a legacy of keeping kids active and out of trouble by being an avid fan, coach and organizer of local youth athletics for over 20 years. Even after his kids [...]
Sen. Bruce Caswell presents a resolution to Robin Creel, widow of Consumers Energy employee Jeff Creel, killed while working along the roadway. Consumers Energy retiree Frank Coolbaugh, left, looks on. Photo-Consumers Energy As Michigan motorists prepared to hit the road for Memorial Day, utilities and others working alongside those roads are reminding drivers to slow down in utility work zones. Over 12 [...]
Art Thayer, MECA’s energy efficiency programs director, was elected May 21 to the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) Board of Directors. “This partnership with the Alliance will help our electric co-ops because it is the largest voice advocating for change in energy optimization targets and policies – especially policies that don’t recognize the member-owned uniqueness of co-ops and how they operate,” Thayer explains. The [...]
The 2014 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey released in May shows that members belonging to electric co-ops are more satisfied with their utility than consumers served by either investor-owned (IOU) or municipal utilities. Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives received an overall customer satisfaction score of 81 - the highest for any electric-only utility. Co-ops not affiliated with Touchstone scored 80. IOUs and municipals received scores [...]
A team of nine Michigan electric co-op representatives spent May 5-7 in Washington, D.C., at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Legislative Conference. Team members included Ken Swope, Dave Allen and Bob Hance (Midwest); Rachel Johnson (Cherryland); Brian Burns (Presque Isle); Nancy Gardner-Platt and Tom Harrell (Alger Delta); Kim Molitor (Wolverine), and Craig Borr (MECA). They lobbied the Michigan Congressional Delegation on several [...]
Midwest Energy Cooperative was honored this week with the Expanding Excellence Award for Best Mobility Implementation. The award recognizes outstanding contributions, innovations and excellence in utility customer service. The Cassopolis-based utility’s submission featured the 2013 upgrade of their customer self-service portal to SmartHub, and implementation of the SmartHub mobile application. SmartHub is an online and mobile platform that provides access and two-way communication with [...]
