Iowa's electric cooperatives have long recognized the importance of policial advocacy and sharing our story with policymakers and elected officials. We have the added benefit of being the home of the first in the nation caucuses, which gives electric cooperative advocates countless opportunities to engage with influential public figures campaigning for the nation's highest office.
During the 2020 caucus season, Rural Power advocates will be attending events in order to engage with presidential candidates and promote issues impacting cooperatives and their member-consumers. You can expect to see Rural Power advocates wearing green shirts and asking candidates: "How will your energy plan help provide affordable and reliable power to rural Iowa?"
As the national conversation includes climate change and clean energy themes, we want to make sure energy poicies discussed won't shift the cost to our member-consumers, making their power less affordable. In addition, safety and reliability of service is impacted by federal policies ranging from emergency assistance following extreme weather, to cyber and physical security threats to the grid. A safe grid is a reliable grid.
We are hopeful that this question will help accomplish our goal of speaking with candidates about their energy policies and the potential impact on rural Iowa, and we look forward to sharing our story over the next several months.
