December Letter From Your Manager

When Congress and our State Legislators convene after the start of the New Year, we expect there will be a lot of activity to address climate change. Some of the legislation under consideration puts at risk our current system that gives nearly every American access to dependable electricity.        
Our elected officials need to see the big picture. That’s where you, as co-op members, as electricity consumers, come in. Each of us has a role to play in making sure elected representatives remember their obligations to protecting the public’s interest in maintaining affordable, reliable electricity.
 
Responsible leadership on climate change means first answering hard questions about the economic impact on all of us. Our elected officials at both the State and Federal level must not only examine all the consequences, lawmakers should engage us in an honest conversation about those consequences and the cost of those consequences before taking action. What they should not do is open a door that puts in place arbitrary, unrealistic targets for emissions set far in the future—when many of them will be retired from office. 

RECare 
With the heating season underway, please do not forget our RECare program. Our RECare program allows you to add a donation to your monthly to help other members with their monthly bills.  The majority of the families assisted by RECare are elderly or handicapped. 
While the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps these deserving people with their heating bills, most LIHEAP assistance goes to pay gas bills and doesn’t help these folks with their electric bills.Your contribution to our RECare helps these folks served by Access Energy Cooperative. 
 
With the downturn in the economy, I also realize that some members maybe experiencing problems with the higher winter electric bills. I would encourage you to contact our billing department, who will be happy to work with you on a payment plan to spread part of your monthly bill out over several months. In order to avoid additional charges associated with being delinquent on your payment, it is always best to contact us prior to your due date.
 
As this is the last newsletter for 2008, I want to take this opportunity on behalf of the Board of Directors and the employees of Access Energy Cooperative, to thank you for your support of the cooperative during 2008 and wish you and your families a happy holiday season.