Annual Meeting…
The Association’s 75th membership meeting is now history. All of us here at the Association would like to thank all of you that took the time to attend the meeting. We had the usual business meeting information as well as some fine speakers. Senator Barrasso gave us a quick update on what was going on in the beltway. Tri-State G&T’s Brad Nebergall updated us on what was going on at Tri-State. Shawn Taylor, Wyoming Rural Electric Association, updated us on what was happening in the Wyoming Legislature. All in all, it was a good meeting with great weather and an outstanding noon meal.
On December 21, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the finalized Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, now commonly called MATS, limiting mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. In addition, the rule limits several hazardous air pollutants, including lead, arsenic, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride and dioxins/furans. Environmental groups are elated. Many people whom aren’t even passionate about the environment are happy about this rule. They assume that less of any toxin in the air is a good thing. Many of these same people, however, don’t understand that their electric bills almost certainly will increase because of this new rule. Proponents of the rule, claim that health care costs will decrease much more than electric bills will increase. Time will tell if Americans’ health improves, and if so, if the improvement is enough to reduce health care costs.
It won’t take long however, to determine if power generation costs will increase. Predictions about how much it will cost to comply with the new rule varies. Power generators are deciding whether to retrofit their coal-fired plants to meet the new MATS rule or retire their plants and build new capacity. Either way the cost is enormous, which could mean they’ll have to raise rates to cover the cost. Retrofitting a large coal unit will cost about $800 per kilowatt. A new natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant could be built for $800 to $1,000 per kilowatt. Natural gas prices hovering around $2 per million Btu could explain why many generators are opting to build new gas fired plants and retire some of the older coal fired plants. It is estimated that 12% of the coal fired plants will be shut down. When the cost of natural gas increases, the cost of generation will increase with it and so will the rates consumers pay. Affordable reliable electric rates are critical for growing jobs in America. With the new MATS rule it is estimated that 180,000 American jobs will be lost due to increasing cost of electricity. Thank you EPA for your job creation rule.
During the months of March and April we get some of our worst storms. Snow, rain and ice can occur during these months and your power can be cut off by mean old Mother Nature. Losing our electrical power during one of these storms is not pleasant. We lose lights and warmth and move back into the good old days. Kerosene lamps or candles and maybe even a flashlight provide light . Wood stoves can be used for warmth if you remembered to have a cord or two handy. Today, power generators are used as backup power for many of our members. Just remember to throw that two way switch to take your generator off the power grid and protect our linemen.
During a power outage remember to check the breakers in the house and on the meter pole. Call your neighbors to see if they are out of power and then call the Association’s office. Remember to have your account number, name the service is in, phone number and address handy to give the person taking your call. This helps to speed the outage restoration. Please try to stay by your phone as an employee of the Association may try to call you to verify your outage. With a little luck you should soon have your power back in service.
E-Check is here...
E-Check is a way to pay your electric bill by inputting your routing number, your account number and a check number with the amount due. There is no fee involved and you can utilize it on the website or you can call the office and make the payment that way. If the E-check is returned by your bank, it is considered an insufficient funds check and will incur a $20.00 check return fee. Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions on this additional feature for YOU, the member!
Don't forget to use your Co-op Connections Card at participating businesses to receive discounts. "Click" on the connections card picture at the top of this page, put in our zip code and you will see all the local businesses that accept the "Card" and what specific discount they offer when you present your card.
If you do not have health insurance, these cards can be very valuable to you because all of our local pharmacies accept them. They are not insurance and can't be used with insurance, but can offer substantial savings on your prescriptions if you don't have insurance.
Don't have a Co-op Connections Card? We sent out in your February billing. If you threw yours away, call or stop by the office and we will give you a new card.
Wheatland REA's after-hours outage call numbers are: |
