With the U.S. Senate poised to begin debate on climate change legislation, Bruce Graham, CEO of Indiana Statewide Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (ISA), Rick Coons, President and CEO of Wabash Valley Power, Steve Smith, President and CEO of Hoosier Energy, and Maureen Ferguson, Director of Government Relations for ISA delivered nearly 11,000 postcards from electric cooperative consumer-members to Indiana’s Senators on Capitol Hill during the last week of September.
Joining representatives from 25 other statewide associations, Indiana’s electric cooperative representatives urged Senators Lugar and Bayh to work with cooperatives to ensure climate change legislation is fair, affordable and achievable.
“We want to make sure our members’ voices get heard,” said Graham. “The thousands of cards are tangible evidence that cooperative consumers are paying attention and have real concerns about this legislation.”
“The response from cooperative members has been overwhelming,” said Glenn English, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “Boxes on top of boxes on top of boxes of signed post-cards – that is what a genuine grassroots campaign looks like.”
The postcard campaign is part of Our Energy, Our Future™, a national grassroots effort by rural electric cooperatives to engage consumer-members in a conversation with elected officials about how we meet climate change goals while keeping electricity reliable and affordable.
More than 400,000 postcards from across the United States, the first wave in an ongoing postcard campaign, were delivered to Senate offices last week.
You can still help out. If have not receives the postcards in the mail or picked one up at your local co-op office, please visit www.ourenergy.coop to send an electronic letter to Senators Bayh and Lugar. Please tell them that climate change legislation must be done in a way that protects you.
The legislation creates new government policy for energy use and production. It charges you for the greenhouse gases emitted when electricity is produced.
Our Senators need to fight for a bill that is FAIR, AFFORDABLE and ACHIEVABLE.
You can make a difference!