MECA News

MECA Unites Behind FEMA Reform to Strengthen Disaster Recovery

2025-11-18T08:10:49-05:00November 17th, 2025|MECA News|

MECA Unites Behind FEMA Reform to Strengthen Disaster Recovery Across Michigan and the nation, electric cooperatives are speaking with one voice to strengthen disaster recovery and ensure communities can rebuild faster when severe weather strikes. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA) are both rallying support for the bipartisan Fixing Emergency Management [...]

Cooperative IT Professionals Connect on Cybersecurity and Innovation

2025-11-11T13:48:03-05:00November 11th, 2025|MECA News|

Cooperative IT Professionals Connect on Cybersecurity and Innovation Each October, information technology professionals from Michigan’s electric cooperatives come together to exchange ideas and explore emerging trends. This year's IT Conference was hosted by Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) at its Cassopolis headquarters. The event brought together 23 staff members representing seven cooperatives: Cherryland, HomeWorks, Great Lakes, Presque Isle, Wolverine, [...]

Youth Tour Student Combines His Love of Cars with a Lesson in Safety

2025-10-31T09:13:23-04:00October 31st, 2025|MECA News|

Youth Tour Student Combines His Love of Cars with a Lesson in Safety For one Michigan Youth Tour participant, the road to leadership led straight to the driver’s seat. Literally. Inspired by his love of sports cars and his passion for learning, Great Lakes Energy member Naaman Looy’s service project turned into something fast, fun, and educational: a community [...]

Training Opportunities Strengthen Cooperative Leadership and Financial Insight

2025-11-11T12:25:45-05:00October 16th, 2025|MECA News|

Training Opportunities Strengthen Cooperative Leadership and Financial Insight Michigan’s electric cooperatives continue to invest in professional development that strengthens financial expertise and board leadership through hands-on training from national cooperative partners. The Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA) recently hosted a CFC Workshop to help cooperative accounting staff sharpen their financial planning and analysis skills. Twenty-six employees from seven distribution [...]

Comments Off on Training Opportunities Strengthen Cooperative Leadership and Financial Insight

From Elmira to D.C. and Back Again: Youth Tour Creates a Lifelong Co-op Advocate

2025-11-11T12:25:52-05:00August 1st, 2025|MECA News|

From Elmira to D.C. and Back Again: Youth Tour Creates a Lifelong Co-op Advocate When Alex Mason boarded a plane to Washington, D.C. in 2016 as a home-schooled high school junior, he couldn’t have imagined how much the trip would shape his future. Representing Great Lakes Energy (GLE) as a student delegate on the NRECA Youth Tour, the high [...]

Comments Off on From Elmira to D.C. and Back Again: Youth Tour Creates a Lifelong Co-op Advocate

Michigan Students Find Inspiration in Nation’s Capital on 2025 Youth Tour

2025-07-11T11:09:26-04:00July 11th, 2025|MECA News|

Michigan Students Find Inspiration in Nation’s Capital on 2025 Youth Tour Eighteen high school students from across Michigan took part in a life-changing journey this June, representing their electric cooperatives on the 2025 Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. The annual event, coordinated by the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA) in partnership with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), offers student [...]

Comments Off on Michigan Students Find Inspiration in Nation’s Capital on 2025 Youth Tour

Michigan Delegation Unites to Support Federal Disaster Relief After Devastating Ice Storm

2025-06-25T20:22:10-04:00June 25th, 2025|MECA News|

Michigan Delegation Unites to Support Federal Disaster Relief After Devastating Ice Storm In late March, an unprecedented ice storm tore through northern Michigan and parts of the Upper Peninsula, leaving behind a trail of downed trees, damaged power lines, and widespread outages that affected tens of thousands of electric cooperative members. Months later, the physical cleanup may be mostly complete, but [...]

Comments Off on Michigan Delegation Unites to Support Federal Disaster Relief After Devastating Ice Storm

Thumb Electric’s Mazure Testifies in Support of Tree Trimming Standards

2025-06-25T15:25:05-04:00June 12th, 2025|MECA News, Uncategorized|

Thumb Electric Cooperative’s Legal & Compliance Engineer Kevin Mazure testified before the Michigan House Energy Committee this week in support of House Bill 4361, which would establish statewide standards for tree trimming near power lines. The goal of the bill, introduced by Rep. Phil Green (R-Watertown Twp.), is to reduce outages and improve reliability by requiring electric utilities to maintain a 15-foot vegetation [...]

Mastering the Craft: JMAP Graduates Prepare for the Future of Linework

2025-05-20T11:49:58-04:00May 19th, 2025|Uncategorized|

Electric lineworkers are the backbone of Michigan’s power grid—weathering storms, climbing poles, and working around the clock to ensure electricity flows safely to homes and businesses. Thanks to the Joint Michigan Apprentice Program (JMAP), a new group of graduates is now ready to take on that responsibility with confidence and skill. Thirty-three lineworkers graduated from the Joint Michigan Apprentice Program (JMAP) this year, officially [...]

Comments Off on Mastering the Craft: JMAP Graduates Prepare for the Future of Linework

2025 NRECA Legislative Conference Recap

2025-05-18T16:55:58-04:00May 18th, 2025|Uncategorized|

Co-op Leaders Engage Lawmakers at 2025 NRECA Legislative Conference More than 2,000 electric cooperative leaders from across the country traveled to Washington, D.C., this April to participate in the NRECA 2025 Legislative Conference, including delegates from Michigan’s co-ops. The annual event provides a valuable opportunity for co-op representatives to connect directly with members of Congress and share perspectives on the issues shaping energy [...]

Comments Off on 2025 NRECA Legislative Conference Recap
Go to Top