Advocacy
The Minnesota Rural Electric Association represents 1.通过与州和联邦各级的法律和政策制定者积极接触，为明尼苏达州700万人口提供了支持.我们积极与立法者和政策制定者建立关系，教育他们合作社的商业模式如何将成员放在首位，以及电力合作社在国家经济中发挥的关键作用.
我们积极与立法者和政策制定者建立关系，教育他们我们与其他类型的公用事业的不同之处，以及电力合作社在国家经济中发挥的关键作用.
Policy
明尼苏达州必须保持对公用事业配电线路附件的财产税豁免，以使明尼苏达州农村地区的电力服务负担得起.
向明尼苏达州农村地区提供电力服务的成本仍然远远高于城市地区. 长期以来对电表和路灯免征财产税的政策必须保持下去，以确保明尼苏达州农村居民能够负担得起电力服务.
Minnesota’s electric cooperatives exemplify the cooperative difference.
In the beginning there was light – for people who lived in cities. In 1935, only 10 percent of Americans lived in cities and had electricity. 电力公司拒绝给美国农村供电，因为他们看不到利润. By 1950, rural community members solved this challenge. Local communities banded together to form their own electric cooperatives. 他们选举了董事会，并授权这些新成立的组织向联邦政府借款，建设配电线路，为当地社区的人们提供电力.
Today, 邻居们继续选举他们的邻居加入合作社董事会，合作社继续为当地社区提供动力——提供可靠的服务, affordable and increasingly clean energy to over 1.7 million energy consumers in Minnesota.
Minnesota electric cooperatives’ are committed to transparency and accountability.
Minnesota’s electric cooperatives promote practices that promote good governance. Good governance includes abiding by a strong code of ethics, disclosing and/or avoiding potential conflicts of interest, operating transparently, and keeping member data confidential.
Minnesota’s electric cooperatives are leaders in the state’s energy transition.
Your Minnesota electric cooperatives are at the heart of a decades-long, nationwide campaign to decarbonize our energy production. 电力部门正在迅速减少碳排放，是唯一超过其脱碳目标的经济部门.
我们的方法是使用低成本的可再生能源，并根据需要与其他资源进行平衡. This ensures safe, reliable and affordable electricity, which is crucial to support electrification of other sectors of the economy, including electric vehicles.
Regulatory
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and Department of Commerce 在利率制定过程中为投资者所有的公用事业(iou)发挥监管作用，以提供制衡, and to ensure compliance with local, state and federal laws and policies.
While Minnesota’s electric cooperatives are not rate-regulated*, 与其他公用事业公司一样，合作社也受到明尼苏达州数百项法规和公共电力公司的监督. Cooperatives follow Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, National Electrical Safety Code® standards and Environmental Protection Agency regulations, to name just a few.
Additionally, Minnesota’s electric cooperatives work with USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS). USDA RUS:
- Makes infrastructure and infrastructure improvements, including electric power infrastructure, in rural communities.
- Provides capital and leadership to maintain, expand, upgrade and modernize America’s vast rural electric infrastructure.
- 为建设或改善配电设施提供贷款和贷款担保, transmission and generation facilities in rural areas.
- Funds demand-side management, energy efficiency and conservation programs, and on-and off-grid renewable energy systems.
*Dakota Electric Association is rate-regulated by the MN PUC
Political Action Committees (PACs)
A statewide or national association’s credibility depends on the knowledge, confidence, and enthusiasm of its members. beat365中文官方网站之所以成功，是因为其成员在家庭供电业务中与政府官员进行了互动和接触, farms, and businesses.
Telling the cooperative story is essential, particularly when it comes to the unique challenges our members face. 我们还提倡灵活性，以便电力合作社能够有效运作并继续提供安全, reliable, and affordable electricity even in the most remote areas of the state.
政治行动委员会(pac)是合作社成员参与政治进程的一个简单途径. 政治行动委员会允许普通公民汇集他们的小额捐款，为支持他们观点的立法候选人提供有意义的捐款. 这正是我们联邦的美国电力合作委员会和州农村电力政治行动委员会(REPAC)所做的.
REPAC and America’s Cooperative PAC allow electric co-op directors, managers, employees, and members to more actively participate in the legislative process. They allow us to join together to make our voice strong on electric utility issues. Without regard to party affiliation, 我们的政治行动委员会向对电力合作社的立法职位感兴趣的立法候选人捐款. 他们通过鼓励电力合作社更积极有效地参与365beat中文网来促进政府的改善. They, in conjunction with our national and state grassroots efforts, encourage electric co-ops to know and understand the nature and actions of their government, the critical political issues, and legislative records.
REPAC
农村电力政治行动委员会(REPAC)是一个由合作社董事自愿捐款资助的州政治行动委员会, employees and consumer-owners. The funds are contributed to Minnesota State House and Senate candidates seeking public office. 捐款帮助明尼苏达州立法者的竞选活动，这些立法者听取电力合作社的意见，并与电力合作社合作制定重要的立法.
Legislative affairs on the state level is an essential program for electric co-ops, especially as the state legislature is considering electric power needs, emissions, affordability, reliability, and other important changes. To influence electric industry issues, we must have broad-based legislative support. Because we need support from both parties and all areas of the state, rural and metro, REPAC在全州范围内运作，所有的州议员都支持当地的立法者和那些在他们的地区没有电力合作社的立法者.
REPAC的规模不断扩大，使立法者了解到我们的成员对他们的立法活动越来越感兴趣, especially issues on electric industry reliability and other changes. REPAC不仅要对其成员负责，还要对竞选财务和公开披露委员会的规定负责. We encourage contributions of $50 or $100. 捐款100美元将获得一个Willie Wiredhand别针，以表示您对明尼苏达州电力合作社的支持. The contribution option of $25 is open for members as well. The REPAC contribution cycle runs from January 1 to December 31.
America's Electric Cooperative PAC
美国电力合作社PAC(原ACRE®)是全国农村电力合作协会的基层政治行动委员会. PAC代表了全国近930个非营利性电力合作系统及其4200万农村消费者的利益, suburban and urban areas.
它的组织是为了支持那些代表和保护电力合作社及其消费者利益的联邦候选人. It’s bipartisan, and its contributions are based on a candidate’s record of support for rural electrification, not on his/her political affiliation. The process by which candidates are chosen to receive support is rigorous, requiring the approval of state committees, NRECA’s staff and electric co-op state association CEOs.
It supports congressional candidates, regardless of party, 谁的公共政策目标与成员所有制电力合作社的使命一致. Also, 对美国电力合作社政治行动委员会的捐款有一半返还给各州协会，用于州选举. It does not contribute to presidential campaigns.
The PAC is comprised of more than 35,000 individual contributions from electric cooperative directors, managers, employees and consumers nationwide. The average donation is $44 per year. It is truly a grassroots PAC and is a reflection of our membership.
The contribution cycle runs from January 1 and ends on December 31. All PAC contributions, including their monthly disclosure report, are available from the Federal Election Commission’s website at www.fec.gov.
Get Involved
Policy decisions impact co-op members in many ways. Your voice can make a difference.
Join us in advocating for safe, affordable, 可靠的电力-以负责任的方式交付，并为我们的州和会员促进光明和持续的经济未来.
You can find or contact your Minnesota State Senator and Representative by going to http://www.leg.mn.gov/.
Visit Voices for Cooperative Power to learn about and engage on important issues impacted cooperatives across the country.