Making sure that our elected leaders keep electric cooperatives in mind when crafting laws and regulations that impact its members was a key focus of hundreds of electric cooperative leaders who descended on Washington, D.C. in May for a legislative conference organized by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Representatives from electric cooperatives across the nation visited Capitol Hill during the conference to urge Congress to help co-ops take advantage of energy incentives, reduce their federal debt and access billions of infrastructure dollars.

Van Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, represented Citizens Electric Corporation headquartered in Perryville. He was among the 50 members of rural electric leaders from Missouri who took part in the annual legislative conference. Missouri’s electric co-ops met with Senator Roy Blunt as well as key staff members of Senator Josh Hawley and Missouri’s congressional delegation in the House of Representatives.

“It’s important that we meet with elected officials because rural Missourians know the best needs of our communities,” said Caleb Jones, CEO of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Jefferson City. “The work the co-ops do is vitally important to rural America and their presence here shows that co-ops are dedicated to working for our members back home.”