MECA News

This year marked the 50th anniversary of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. (June 14-19). There were approximately 1,800 students participating from across the country, and Michigan was represented by 18 students from eight electric co-ops, including Cherryland, Cloverland, Great Lakes, HomeWorks, Midwest, Presque Isle Electric & Gas, Thumb and Wolverine. While in Washington, the Michigan students traveled with a local tour [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]