Manager's Message

When most people think about reliable electricity, they picture poles, wires and crews working in the field. While those things are essential, long-term reliability and affordability also depend on decisions made far beyond our local communities.

For this month’s FAQ, we tackle the question: Why does Central Electric spend time advocating for energy policy?

At Central Electric, we plan decades ahead. Power generation resources, grid upgrades and major infrastructure investments are not short-term decisions. They require stable, predictable policies that allow utilities to plan responsibly.

This spring, I represented our members in advocacy efforts at both the national and state levels. From April 26–28, electric cooperative leaders met in Washington, D.C., during the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Legislative Conference. Just days later, on May 5–6, cooperatives from across North Carolina gathered at the Rally in Raleigh.

Our advocacy focused on three priorities that directly affect reliability and affordability for our members: securing permitting reform that provides long-term stability and predictability for always-available electric generation resources, modernizing FEMA to reduce red tape and lower costs associated with disaster recovery and reducing longterm policy uncertainty around electric generation.

Stable policies help electric cooperatives plan long term, recover more efficiently after natural disasters, and invest in dependable power resources. When policies are unpredictable or overly complex, costs rise and reliability becomes harder to maintain. Advocacy helps protect our members from those risks.

While these policy discussions may happen far from home, their impact is very close to it. The decisions made today influence how we plan, how we invest, and how we keep electricity reliable and affordable for our members.

Advocacy is a core responsibility of your member-owned cooperative. Every conversation we have is guided by what is best for the members we serve and the communities that depend on us.

Thank you for the trust you place in Central Electric. We remain committed to delivering safe, reliable, and affordable power today and building a stable energy future for the years ahead.

Until next time,