Co-op Leaders Advocate for Members
Wasco Electric Cooperative (WEC) leaders recently visited Salem to engage with lawmakers on legislative issues that directly affect our members. Our goal is to ensure rural electric cooperatives have a voice in policies affecting the safety, affordability, and reliability of the electric services we provide.
During our discussions, we focused on 3 key legislative topics.
Advanced Clean Trucks Rule
The ACT rule aims to increase the number of zero-emission commercial vehicles on the road by requiring manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of electric trucks in Oregon. While this measure intends to reduce emissions, WEC is concerned about the ability of the electric grid in rural areas to support the large-scale electrification of heavy-duty vehicles.
We emphasized the need for infrastructure investment and policy flexibility to prevent unintended consequences, such as increased costs or reliability challenges for our members. Currently, there is only 1 fast charger in Oregon capable of handling electric commercial vehicles.
Requirement to Underground Electrical Lines
A Senate bill under consideration would mandate burying power lines to reduce wildfire risk.
While WEC supports efforts to enhance system resilience, a blanket requirement to bury lines is not financially feasible for many rural cooperatives. Undergrounding is significantly more expensive than overhead construction, and the rocky terrain in many areas makes it impractical.
Instead, we advocate for a balanced approach that includes vegetation management, targeted undergrounding where appropriate, and other proven wildfire mitigation strategies.
Mandating the undergrounding of all power lines would likely result in longer outages and significantly higher bills for our members.
Wildfire Legislation & Preparedness
Reducing wildfire risk is a priority for us, and we discussed proposed legislation that could affect our ability to proactively mitigate fire hazards. We highlighted the importance of cooperative-led wildfire mitigation plans, including strategic tree trimming and system hardening.
We emphasized our long-standing commitment to maintaining our infrastructure. We urged lawmakers to consider policies that support cooperative efforts to protect communities while ensuring affordable and reliable service. We reiterated how WEC differs from investor-owned utilities, emphasizing that each decision we make prioritizes our members’ needs.
Looking Ahead
Advocacy is essential for ensuring rural electric cooperatives like WEC can continue to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective electricity to our members. We appreciate the opportunity to engage with policymakers and will continue working to ensure legislative decisions reflect our communities’ needs.
In light of these important discussions, we encourage all members to reach out to their legislators and stay informed about the many bills introduced in the Oregon House and Senate. Your voice matters. Together, we can shape the future of our energy policies.
General Manager Lindsay Forepaugh