Click here to watch the video. Co-op updates begin at 45:15.

On April 8, Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives President and CEO Craig Grooms joined other electric cooperative leaders, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) CEO Jim Matheson, and dozens of coal miners for Tuesday’s White House event with President Trump as he signed four new executive orders supporting cooperatives’ promise to deliver reliable, affordable electricity. 

Each executive order aimed to remove barriers to:

• Reinvigorate America’s coal industry 
• Lift EPA restrictions on coal plants 
• Strengthen the reliability and security of the United States electric grid
• Protect American energy from state overreach

The orders are part of President Trump’s promise to unleash American energy. President Trump believes that an affordable and reliable domestic energy supply is vital to America’s national security, economic prosperity, and foreign policy.

"Ohio's electric cooperatives and the 1-million people they serve, depend on Buckeye Power to deliver reliable, affordable electricity-especially during Ohio's cold winters and hot summers. Coal-fired power generation is at the core of keeping that promise,” said Craig Grooms, President and CEO of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives. “OEC is pleased to work with an administration that makes the reliability of electricity a priority."

Tony Campbell, CEO of East Kentucky Power Cooperative, spoke alongside President Trump and thanked him for partnering with electric co-ops to power America’s future. 

“America must keep coal plants open and running to ensure reliable electricity when we need it most,” Campbell said. “To meet growing demand over the next decade and ensure fuel security, America will need more always available power, such as coal.”

Jim Matheson, the CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, also chimed in.

“President Trump and his National Energy Dominance Council are making good on their commitment to pursue a pro-energy policy agenda that prioritizes reliable power,” said Matheson. "At a time when electricity demand is skyrocketing, we need to be adding more always available energy to the grid, not shutting down power plants that have useful life left. Electric co-ops provide reliable power to communities across the country. Today’s announcements help drive home smart energy policies that will support efforts to keep the lights on at a price families and businesses can afford. We thank the administration for recognizing the continued importance of always-available resources in the nation’s energy mix.”

Background (why does this matter?)

Electric cooperatives wholly or partially own 79 coal units with a total capacity of about 21 gigawatts. Eleven of these units, about 3 GW of capacity, are scheduled to be retired (aka, shut down) between 2025 and 2030. Three GW is enough to power roughly 2.5 million homes. 

Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives (and thus, Tricounty REC) owns Cardinal Plant in Brilliant, Ohio which has three coal-fired generation units. Two of the units currently generate nearly 70% of the electricity consumed by more than 1,000,000 people served by 25 electric cooperatives in 77 of Ohio’s 88 counties. This move will help protect Cardinal Power Plant and Ohio’s reliable electric generation.