Everybody loves food. It nourishes, delights and unites us. Perhaps that’s why the members’ recipe feature in Michigan Country Lines has been a favorite for decades. “To build on that strength we launched MI Co-op Kitchen- an interactive digital cooking community exclusively for Michigan co-op members,” explains Casey Clark, director of communications and marketing at MECA. MI Co-op Kitchen launched on May 7, 2016 [...]
The Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA) and Great Lakes Energy Cooperative have launched a special project to explore options for the future of the Great Lakes Energy Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program. “Great Lakes Energy has been providing quality instruction and leadership in our apprenticeship lineman program for more than two decades,” said Craig Borr, MECA CEO. “However, because of the resources necessary to [...]
The Action Committee for Rural Electrification (ACRE) is a political action committee for electric cooperative member-consumers who support safe, reliable, affordable energy. Together, we advocate for responsible energy policies in Washington, D.C. and Lansing. “I don’t need to explain the legislative challenges our program faces in the future,” says Tony Anderson, Cherryland Electric Cooperative CEO and Michigan’s NRECA Director. “We have a history of [...]
Michigan has put its efforts to comply with new federal carbon rules on hold until the courts decide the future of the Clean Power Plan (CPP). Under the CPP, Michigan is required to cut emissions by 31 percent by 2030. Before the U.S. Supreme Court called “time out” on the CPP, Michigan was required to submit a plan to the EPA detailing how it [...]
A stunning decision by the U.S. Supreme Court called ‘time out’ on the enforcement of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) until legal challenges are resolved. The main question that must be answered is whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) even has the legal authority to impose these regulatory requirements on existing power plants under Section 111(d) in the first place. Last August the EPA [...]
Unlike other states, there is no question as to whether or not Michigan will attempt to meet the Clean Power Plan’s aggressive targets for carbon dioxide emissions reductions from power plants. We will. The question the state is currently wrestling with is, “How will we do it?” The Timeline By September 2016 Michigan must show that we are on a path to developing a [...]
Commitment to community is more than a corporate value at Team Midwest; it’s a way of life for the family of employees. In January, employees presented checks of $5,347.20 each to Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Wounded Warrior Project through the Midwest Employees Give Back (MEGB) Program. An additional $7,900 was donated over the course of 2015 to organizations and individuals through employee-sponsored [...]
When John Peck took the position of operations supervisor for the City of Croswell last year, safety was high on his radar. In his quest to take safety to the next level he began a conversation with Dallas Braun, general manager at Thumb Electric Cooperative. Ultimately, the dialog led to the City of Croswell joining MECA’s Safety program. “We are really looking forward to [...]
Students from 17 regional public schools will enjoy new opportunities this semester after Midwest Energy Cooperative awarded $30,476.20 in Strengthening Schools grants. The grants are funded with partnership dollars from Touchstone Energy Cooperative. A committee comprised of co-op members evaluated and scored 89 applications totaling more than $156,000, then determined the final awards without knowledge of the school, district or community. Committee members included [...]
‘Twas the night before Christmas when 70 mph winds whipped through Michigan, knocking down trees and power lines, and leaving thousands of Michigan residents without electricity. Collectively the windstorm resulted in nearly 120,000 outages for Michigan’s electric co-ops. “This event was more challenging than the Christmas ice storm of 2012,” commented Joe McElroy, safety and loss control director for the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association. [...]
