Listening to Main Street

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Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, and regardless of which candidate you back in the upcoming presidential election, there is an important issue on the horizon that should concern every member of a South Carolina electric cooperative.

When the dust settles on the 2012 political season, Congress will almost certainly be called upon to craft a bold, new energy policy for our nation, and in the process, reshape an electric power industry already facing seismic shifts in the way it does business. Growing demand for electricity, deferred major infrastructure investments, costly regulatory issues and an increasingly competitive global marketplace for fuels have all fundamentally altered the cost of providing power to consumers.

The energy policy debate will be driven by an array of environmental, financial and national security concerns and our elected representatives will face a monumental task in balancing competing political agendas without hampering delivery of the reliable, affordable electricity that fuels our economy.

Unfortunately, major policy shifts that originate in Washington, D.C., have a way of being unduly influenced by the well-financed lobbyists of K Street, the avenue in our nation’s capital that is home to advocacy firms for hire. We believe that when debating an issue this important, Congress desperately needs to hear the voices of people, who live on Main Street, in small towns and on the dirt roads of rural America.

In anticipation of the legislative battles to come, South Carolina’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives are working together to protect the interests of you, our member-owners. We’ve already been in contact with lawmakers and their staffs with a simple message: Before you take action, consult with us for input and dialogue so you can understand the bottom-line impact your decisions will have on South Carolina consumers. In return, we’ll provide the unvarnished data and studies lawmakers need to sort out these weighty policy decisions.

For many years, South Carolina’s electric cooperatives have been national leaders in energy efficiency programs. In partnership with Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility that supplies most of the electricity distributed by your cooperative, we’ve been pioneers in developing affordable renewable energy sources like landfill gas and biomass with our Green Power program. We’ve also worked with Santee Cooper to educate future consumers on the potential of renewable energy by creating 19 Green Power Solar Schools across the state, and we’ve helped fund the Palmetto Wind Project, exploring the possibilities of using offshore windmills to produce electricity.

While we have made remarkable progress on these fronts, our state’s economy is still predominantly fueled by conventional fossil energy sources, primarily coal. Transitioning away from fossil fuels will take time, massive financial investments and a federal regulatory climate that is consistent and rational. If we wish for our state and nation to prosper, Congress has to get these issues right—the first time.

As readers of this column may recall, my grandfather was a carpenter and he built his reputation on the tried-and-true principle of “measure twice, cut once.” By helping Congress “measure twice” when evaluating energy policy, your electric cooperatives will continue to build a strong economic foundation for our state and our nation.