Pictured above: Chris Ball, Wolverine director of IT; James Curtis, Wolverine director of communications; U.S. Congressman John Moolenaar; Michelle Clements, Wolverine director of accounting

While the city of Washington D.C. buzzed with the clamor of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game and the din of the daily political news last week, a group of Wolverine Power Cooperative employees took to the nation’s capital on a mission for Michigan’s electric co-ops.

Chris Ball, Michelle Clements, and I, accompanied Craig Borr on a three-day trip to Washington D.C. to peek behind the curtain of the advocacy world for our members.

Meeting with elected officials was a new experience for Chris, Michelle, and I, but Craig has made hundreds of trips to D.C. and countless trips to Lansing to advocate on the cooperatives’ behalf. In Craig’s role at the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association, he represents ten Michigan electric cooperatives and works daily to advance the interests of each. He has spent years building a far-reaching network of vital relationships to serve this critical purpose. It was thrilling to learn more about this activism, to join the effort for a few days, and to share what we learned with our fellow colleagues through this blog.

DAY ONE –NRECA and ACRE

NRECA Headquarters in Arlington, VA

As we made our way from Reagan International Airport to NRECA headquarters in Arlington, VA, the July heat and humidity were instantly oppressive as the “feels-like” temperature climbed over a hundred degrees. The weather reinforced our purpose as we thought of our members’ reliance on us to help keep cool when they need it most.

Arriving at NRECA, we first met with Gabe Snow, director of the Action Committee for Rural Electrification (ACRE)—our political action committee. Gabe educated us on how ACRE coordinates fundraising with federally elected officials and candidates. ACRE’s efforts support the government relations efforts of the NRECA, who advocate for policies on a portfolio of issues affecting co-ops nationwide—ranging from energy, environment, finance, economic development, and more. Look for more information about ACRE and their efforts in the coming months.

Following our ACRE update, we met with NRECA’s two top executives—Jim Matheson, president and chief executive officer; and Jeffrey Connor, chief operating officer—as well as nearly a dozen members of the NRECA government relations team. They briefed us in greater detail about three major legislative issues currently impacting co-ops around the nation and at home—the Farm Bill, Tax Bill, and rural broadband. Key provisions in these bills could mean hundreds of millions of dollars in costs or benefits for co-ops.

Panoramic view from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument

While there are certainly many issues facing our co-ops today, these would be the priorities of the moment we would discuss with our elected officials. Armed with knowledge from ACRE and NRECA, we ended our first day digesting all we learned, and preparing to discuss it with our elected officials.

Look for part two of this blog next week to find out what happened when our group met with Michigan legislators.