News

4/20/2010

Cooperative Members Can Have A Voice

South River Electric Membership Corporation has begun offering members the opportunity to participate in a nationwide grassroots community with a strong collective voice working on behalf of electric cooperatives and their members through a special program called Co-op Owners for Political Action, or COPA.

For more than 30 years, the Action Committee for Rural Electrification, or ACRE, has been working to support candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives who understand and advocate on behalf of electric cooperatives and their members.

Formed in 1966 ACRE, a political action committee, commonly called a PAC, was organized with the mission of making the voices of rural electric cooperatives, like South River EMC, heard in Congress. One of the 100 largest PACs, ACRE has over 33,000 members across the country who are helping their electric co-ops.

Today, electric co-ops are facing many legislative issues that will affect the future operations of the cooperative and their rates. One way members can help is by joining COPA, which provides a convenient way for members of electric cooperatives to participate in the political affairs of their co-op. The participation of members helps ensure that the voice of electric cooperatives remains strong and effective in the political arena.

Contributions are used to help educate elected representatives about issues affecting electric co-ops and to explain how proposed legislation could harm or help rural electric consumers and their cooperatives.

For more information or questions on getting involved with COPA, please contact Catherine O’Dell at South River EMC at (910)230-2982 or via e-mail to COPA@sremc.com.

South River EMC is a locally-owned and operated electric cooperative, which provides electric service to 42,000 homes, farms and businesses in parts of Harnett, Cumberland, Sampson, Johnston and Bladen counties.

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