I just returned from Tucson after a long week. To be sure, I enjoyed seeing the sun for a few days (because it’s January and in case you’ve forgotten, the sun is this warm ball in the sky that shines on your face) and I didn’t look forward to driving in another snowstorm to get home from the airport. However, traveling to the southwest actually turns a three-day business trip into a five-day trip with one full day of travel each way, leaving me anxious to get home. So why did Wolverine business take me all the way to Tucson?

Each year, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) meets to discuss past and proposed new Resolutions from the membership. Think of Resolutions as guideposts to direct our national organization as it represents our interests in Washington D.C. on Regulatory and Legislative matters. Resolutions frame the consensus among all cooperatives as to what are the important issues and what should be our collective stance.

There are three Committees among which all the Resolutions have been distributed. This allows the smaller Committees to “divide and conquer” and tackle a smaller subset of the whole lot. Craig Borr represents Michigan cooperatives on the Legislative Committee and I represent Michigan on the Regulations Committee. My Committee deals with Resolutions on Environmental, Transmission, Technology, and Federal Hydro issues.

It’s a very old-fashioned Democratic process for establishing positions. It’s a healthy process too. This year marked my ninth year and I will be term limited out in a few more years. Cooperatives thrive when there is member engagement. Our engagement allows a lone Wolverine voice to steer a collective national voice. Now that national voice has a fighting chance of making a difference.

Another important Wolverine connection to NRECA is through Tony Anderson, General Manager of Cherryland Electric. Tony sits on the Board of NRECA and has spent his career in the cooperative program. Look for Tony’s guest blog next week where he will share his thoughts on what it means to be a cooperative member!

To learn more about where NRECA stands on major issues and how they support America’s electric cooperatives, visit www.nreca.coop.