Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), recently spoke at the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas Directors’ Summer Conference in Rogers. NRECA represents more than 900 consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives, public power districts and public utility districts in the United States.
In keeping with the conference’s theme, “Reliable Realities,” Matheson spoke about the challenges co-ops face in protecting grid reliability as demand for electricity continues to soar.
Matheson, a former congressman, said NRECA will continue to fight against policies that threaten electric reliability, like the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) power plant rule, and he remains optimistic about the cooperatives’ future.
He said, “We’re about people over profits. … It gives us a standing of authenticity in a world where no one seems to trust anyone anymore.”