When Mathew Emery’s pickup truck crashed into a utility pole in rural Illinois, he knew the crackling sound of electricity meant he should stay in the cab until help arrived. And that’s exactly what electric cooperative and investor-owned utility linemen provided.

A shattered utility pole remains atop the damaged pickup truck with de-energized lines still attached. (Photo By: Bill Hart/RECC)

“I was safer in there than I was outside,” Emery recalled about the April 27 single-vehicle accident, near North Litchfield in south-central Illinois. “People who saw the accident were sitting on the road talking to me, and I knew the best thing for me to do was stay put.”

That’s because two power lines were still attached to the pole. A 34,500-volt transmission line belonging to investor-owned Ameren was on top of the truck. A 7,200-volt distribution line belonging to Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative was suspended about three feet above the ground just outside of the driver’s door.

“You could hear the electricity just sizzling through those lines, so there was no way I was getting out of the truck without help,” Emery said.

Both utilities responded quickly to emergency calls. David Stuva, president and CEO of Auburn, Ill.-based RECC, said a lineman from Ameren disconnected the energized lines and used his bucket to lay insulated blankets on the ground and sleeves on the co-op line.

Bill Hart and Curt Nichelson of RECC arrived at the scene in time to see the Ameren technician trying to maneuver his bucket truck into position to help Emery out of his truck.

“The Ameren technician wasn’t aware that when he killed his transmission line, our distribution line had also been de-energized, so he’d covered it with an insulator blanket as a precaution,” Hart said.

Emery might have avoided serious injury because he remained in his vehicle until trained workers removed the lines, Hart said. “He’s a farmer and it’s likely he’s had some safety training.”

The co-op crew stayed at the scene until Ameren could replace its damaged pole, and then reattached its distribution line to the new pole, restoring service to 24 affected consumer-members.

Stuva said the RECC crew took a lot of photos at the accident scene for future reference. “We’ll be using them for emergency response training.”

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NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. got a first-hand look at one of the most modern power plants providing electricity to electric cooperative members.

NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. (left) tours the control room of the John W. Turk Jr. Power Plant in Arkansas. (Photo By: Arkansas Living Magazine)

Earnhardt toured the nearly $2 billion John W. Turk Jr. Power Plant in Hempstead County, Ark., May 2.

“He was there in connection with the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity’s public awareness campaign,” said Rob Roedel, manager of corporate communications for AECC. “Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. receives about 70 megawatts of power from the plant to help meet the needs of its member cooperatives.”

The plant is a central focus of a campaign promoting coal’s role in the nation’s energy future. Since late December it has been providing power to generation and transmission co-ops in Arkansas and Texas.

The 600-MW plant is primarily owned by investor-owned Southwestern Electric Power Co., but Little Rock-based Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation owns a 12 percent stake in the facility.

Nacogdoches-based East Texas Electric Cooperative owns just over 8 percent of the plant, which is now providing wholesale power to 27 of the two G&T’s member distribution co-ops.

The 19-time NASCAR winner signed autographs and chatted with staffers and other guests at the plant. Earnhardt also narrated two short videos about the plant, produced for presentation in a mobile classroom that will be featured at several NASCAR races this season.

“I’ve been learning a lot about clean coal,” said Earnhardt, who signed on as a spokesman for the coalition earlier this year. “It’s really important to our economy.”

Between NASCAR events, Earnhardt and Regan Smith, another one of Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports team drivers, will be making appearances promoting the coalition’s Clean Coal Campaign, which is backed by several G&Ts.

“Coal keeps electricity prices down,” Earnhardt says in one of the videos. “We have enough coal to power America for over 200 years.”

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Electric cooperatives in Georgia have made a major investment in the state’s youth programs by renovating a cabin originally paid for by co-op donations in the 1950s.

Bobby Ferris of Southern Rivers Energy (left) and Paul Wood of Georgia EMC join leaders of Georgia FCCLA and Georgia FFA outside of the Georgia EMC cabin. (Photo By: Gale Cutler/Georgia EMC)

“Nearly 60 years ago the EMCs helped fund one of the first of many cabins built by the shores of Lake Jackson,” said Paul Wood, president and CEO of the Georgia EMC. “The new cabin will continue to host generations of campers who are learning to better themselves and our communities through FFA for years to come.”

More than $140,000 in renovations have been completed on a cabin on the grounds of the Georgia FFA-FCCLA Center in Covington. The money was donated by the state’s 41 distribution cooperatives and their power, transmission and support services providers, Oglethorpe Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia System Operations Corp.

Co-op contributions were used to build the original cabin in 1957 to support what were then state chapters of the Future Farmers of America and the Future Homemakers of America. Both organizations changed their names more than a decade ago as their missions, goals and memberships changed.

When officials from the state’s electric co-ops learned in 2011 that the outdated REA cabin was in need of renovations, co-op leaders quickly decided to help.

“EMC involvement and support of the new cabin is a perfect example of a long-standing belief in the importance of the Georgia FFA-FCCLA program,” said Wood.

Restoration work included structural repairs, new doors, exterior and interior finishes, new bathrooms, plumbing, heating and air, electrical, carpet and tile, painting and new built-in furniture. The cabin is also one of the first on the campus of the summer youth camp and conference center to be fully wheelchair accessible.

This project has been the impetus to plan on refitting many of the facility’s cabins with the same type of features, said Todd Teasley, director of the state camp. He added that scores of FFA campers will spend time in the newly renovated EMC cabin beginning this summer.

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If you’re looking for an excuse to take in the rugged beauty and charm of northeast Georgia, an electric cooperative has come up with 75 good reasons.

Habersham EMC released a travel guide and CD set of 75 “must-see” sites. (Photo By: HEMC)

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Habersham EMC in Clarkesville released a travel guide and a four and one-half hour CD set highlighting 75 sites to visit in eight northeast Georgia counties. Museums, waterfalls, state parks and other sites are included, along with downloadable coupons for nearby businesses.

The co-op wants the product to boost the tourism-dependent local economy, which is just starting to rebound after the construction industry dried up during the recession.

“The whole intention of this project is for our co-op to give back to the community that has supported us for 75 years,” said Susan Baker, director of the co-op’s Marketing and Contact Centre. “It’s a good project for our community, and any proceeds will be used to promote the product for the region and local chambers of commerce.”

Baker and local author Emory Jones traveled to each place listed in “Experience Northeast Georgia: John Kollock’s Guide to 75 Wonderful Places.” Audio CD narrator John Kollock is a prominent local artist, whom Jones described as “the local Norman Rockwell.”

“The audio CDs tell stories; it’s not just facts and figures,” said Jones, whose list originally had 200 sites. “We tell of legends, and there’s lots of Indian lore.”

Now that the guide is finished, Jones has been hitting the road again, but this time to promote the book. He’s appearing at museum gift shops, book stores and local chambers of commerce in all eight counties and giving radio interviews.

“The reception has been unbelievably positive,” said Jones, adding that he has yet to meet a local who’s been to all 75 places. “One guy was kind of upset about that. So when I saw him again, he said, ‘I went out last weekend and went to the three places I’ve never visited.’”

Melissa Charles, president of the White County Chamber of Commerce, admired how the co-op involved the entire community to help it celebrate its 75th anniversary. “They said, ‘How can this benefit the whole community, and not just Habersham EMC?’”

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Electric cooperatives have many great stories and it’s up to co-op communicators to tell them, NRECA CEO Jo Ann Emerson said at CONNECT ’13.

NRECA CEO Jo Ann Emerson urged communicators to not be shy about telling the co-op story. (Photo By: Michael W. Kahn)

“People don’t know that we do much more than just provide power, and that we’re involved in our communities, and that there are marvelous stories all over the country about the good work that each and every co-op does in its community,” Emerson told the May 14 opening general session.

Emerson said that “the world at large has no clue” about the numerous things co-ops are involved in.

“It’s up to us—all of us collectively working together—to tell that story a whole lot better than we do it now.”

Leading by example, Emerson told the more than 500 communicators and other CONNECT ’13 participants that NRECA is ramping up its communication efforts.

“We’re going to add a lot of social media. We’re going to do a lot more national press,” she said.

Emerson made clear it’s not about bragging, but rather a strategic push to get people to understand the co-op story.

“Hopefully, with the growing awareness of the multiplicity of things we do, that will hold us in good stead on the regulatory and legislative fronts later on,” she added.

Appearing at her first CONNECT conference since becoming CEO, Emerson held a town hall, taking questions from the audience. Emerson was asked if she thought CEOs are starting to warm to social media.

“Some CEOs are,” said Emerson, who has her own Facebook page. She called Mel Coleman, NRECA Board vice president, “a Facebook fanatic [who] puts me to shame.” Coleman, CEO of North Arkansas Electric Cooperative, uses Facebook to communicate with members, particularly during emergencies.

Emerson acknowledged some CEOs will take longer than others to see the value of Facebook and Twitter. “But you all have an opportunity, and that’s why I started doing it immediately.”

Click here for more CONNECT ‘13 coverage.

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Once the damage was repaired and the power restored, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative could have put the July 2012 derecho behind it. Instead, the co-op used the straight line wind storm as a learning experience to refine its Crisis Communication Plan.

From left, NRECA CEO Jo Ann Emerson presents the Chesnutt Award to Ann Lewis, Rhonda Curtis and Casey Hollins of Rappahannock Electric Co-op. (Photo By: Brenda Somes/Ruralite Services)

Good thing, too, because just a few months later, that plan was put into effect when Superstorm Sandy hit.

Its efforts earned Rappahannock EC the 2013 Edgar F. Chesnutt Award, presented May 14 during CONNECT ’13.

More than 40 percent of the Fredericksburg, Va.-based co-op’s members saw extended power outages after the derecho. The co-op later conducted surveys to see how effective its communications were during the storm. Several members said radio, telephone and email weren’t that useful.

The crisis plan Rappahannock EC developed identified key messages for before, during and after an event. It also identified the methods of communication to use during each scenario.

Rappahannock EC added an “Outage Center” to its Facebook page, as social media and the co-op website joined with more traditional forms of communication.

When Sandy struck in October, Rappahannock EC’s brand new Crisis Communication Plan was put to the test. It passed, as the co-op mixed real-time social media posts, photos, videos and news releases. The co-op’s Facebook likes nearly doubled in a matter of days.

“I know with every storm our communication efforts are stronger and stronger,” said Ann Lewis, Rappahannock EC’s director of communications and public relations.

“This is a plan that you prepare but you’re always going back and tweaking it and tweaking it to make it even better and better for your members,” added Lewis, who accepted the award from NRECA CEO Jo Ann Emerson.

The Chesnutt award is named for Edgar F. Chesnutt, who was manager of corporate communication at Arkansas Electric Cooperatives for more than a quarter century. Recognizing the Best Total Communication Program, it is the highest honor bestowed through the Spotlight on Excellence Awards program.

Click here for more CONNECT ‘13 coverage.

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When a school bus went off a rural Kansas road and into a utility pole, the results could have been tragic. The accident was relatively minor, but happened next also could have had major safety consequences: The driver and the children imprudently got off the bus.

Kevin Swenson, a journeyman lineman at Bluestem Electric, repairs the damage after a school bus hit a pole. (Photo By: Courtney Grater)

It happened near Wakefield on April 22m as snow and sleet were coming down. The bus hit a slick spot and went into a ditch.

Around 7:50 a.m., Bluestem Electric Cooperative began receiving outage calls, and so Courtney Grater, the operations foreman, got in his pickup. While on the way, his supervisor called to say there had been a bus accident.

Grater was the first person from the Wamego-based co-op to arrive. He found the pole lying across the front of the bus roof.

“The wires were never in contact with the bus,” and the line was dead, Grater said. That was a relief. But it unnerved him to see the bus was empty.

“What concerned me was the bus driver was sitting in the deputy’s vehicle, and the three kids had already been offloaded to another bus before they actually knew that the line was dead.”

School officials later acknowledged a break in protocol. Knowing what could have happened, Grater wanted to raise awareness of the danger of downed power lines.

“My kids a ride a bus to town and they know to stay on there, because I drill that into their heads,” he said.

In August, just before the new school year begins, Bluestem Electric will give a safety presentation to school bus drivers in its service area.

“It’s to let them be aware of what could have happened,” Grater said. The co-op is also looking to set up a presentation for elementary school students.

May is National Electrical Safety Month, making it a good time for co-ops to remind members what to do if they’re in an accident involving downed power lines.

Everyone should stay in the vehicle until a utility worker tells them it’s safe. If it’s absolutely necessary to get out—for example, there’s a fire—the occupants should stand on the rocker panels and, with both feet together, jump away. Once outside, don’t touch the vehicle; instead, continue jumping with both feet together until you’re 50-70 feet away.

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Unchecked flooding from a North Dakota lake that has vexed electric cooperatives for two decades will cause millions of dollars in damage again this year, though its waters should fall short of reaching historic highs.

The rising waters of Devils Lake will cost North Dakota’s nearly $200 million in crop losses and business activity this year, a study says. (Photo By: Northern Plains Electric Cooperative)

Devils Lake will consume nearly 161,000 acres of cropland in 2013 and cost the state’s Lake Region nearly $200 million in economic activity, according to new estimates from the North Dakota State University Extension Service.

That includes 267 lost jobs and a $54 million reduction in crop production, said Dwight Aakre of the extension service.

“The largest loss is from spring wheat, at more than 25 percent of the total. Other crops with major losses include soybeans, corn, edible beans, barley and canola,” he said.

Devils Lake is part of a closed basin in the northeastern part of the state, with no natural outlet. It has been rising for 20 years because of unique geological conditions that date back to the Ice Age.

The lake has more than quadrupled in size from 43,000 acres in 1993, wiping out small communities, destroying more than 650 residences and businesses, and eroding hundreds of miles of roads.

Co-ops including Carrington-based Northern Plains Electric Cooperative have spent tens of millions of dollars to reconstruct lines, poles and substations wiped out by the lake’s incessant creep.

“It’s just nonstop,” said Gary Allen, who retired in late April as manager of engineering at Northern Plains. “The lost revenue from customers is significant, plus the loss of infrastructure and relocating some of it is painfully expensive.”

A recent wet spate boosted the lake to 1,452.30 feet above sea level as of May 12, a gain of a foot since early November 2012, according to U.S. Geological Service data. The current level is still two feet lower than the record of 1,454.30 feet, set in 2011.

Each additional foot washes out 10,000 to 12,000 acres of land, so agricultural specialists said this year’s flooding is likely to undo gains made in 2012, when dry weather and a new pumping station helped to bring down the lake by about 3 feet.

An updated forecast issued this month by the National Weather Service gives the lake only a 10 percent chance of hitting a record elevation by Sept. 30. But lake elevations have been notoriously hard to pin down.

“You’ll have a couple years when it goes down, then all of a sudden, it’s a bullet―it goes straight up,” Allen said.

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When they arrived at their scheduled call, the Co-Mo Electric Cooperative crew members quickly realized it wouldn’t be just another underground installation job.

Co-op employees freed this deer stuck in a trench just 8 inches wide. (Photo By: Nathan Graham)

A member in Lone Elm, Mo., had already dug the required ditch, so Co-Mo could bring power to a well. “They were checking for cave-ins and they found a deer in the ditch about the time we pulled up,” said Rob Hirst, a Co-Mo line foreman.

“We were surprised because the thing about it was the ditch was only 8 inches wide, and for that deer to get down in that ditch was pretty well unbelievable. He had to be almost perpendicular to it when he went down in it,” Hirst recalled.

“It was pretty amazing.”

Wiring would take a backseat—Hirst and Co-Mo colleagues Nathan Graham and George Brant had a new priority.

The deer was about a foot and a half down in the 5-foot deep trench. “You had to really be looking for him or you wouldn’t have seen him,” Graham said.

The property owner had a mini-trackhoe, so the crew started with that.

“It got to the point where we couldn’t dig with it anymore because we were down right about to him,” said Graham, who then went about the rest of the job the old-fashioned way. “We finished it off with a shovel.”

It took about 15-20 minutes, but it wasn’t as if the deer was going anywhere.

“He was wedged so tight he couldn’t go forward or backward, not even until we got it all dug out,” Hirst said, adding that the deer was “pretty calm” throughout.

“Once we freed the sides he came out and took off on a dead run,” Hirst said. “He lost quite a bit of hair on his hind legs from where he was wedged in,” but otherwise appeared fine from what they could see before the deer vanished.

Hirst is a 23-year Co-Mo veteran; Graham has 15 years with the Tipton-based co-op. But what happened April 3 was a new one on them.

“I have never seen anything even close to that,” Graham said. “I’ve seen snakes in a ditch. I’ve seen different things, but I never thought you’d have found a deer in there.”

Click here to watch a video of the deer rescue.

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A line construction training program created by a North Carolina community college and local electric cooperatives was featured on a local PBS station.

Lineworker students replace cross-arms during class at Nash Community College. (Photo By: Farris Leonard)

A segment on the Electric Lineman Academy at Nash Community College aired on UNC-TV as part of a series on the 50th anniversary of North Carolina’s community college system. The show ran earlier this year, but can still be viewed on UNC-TV’s website.

The North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives’ Tommy Greer, also an instructor, talks on camera about the “tremendous” demand for trained lineworkers. “If you think of the baby boomers—and me being one—and you take linemen not only in North Carolina but across the nation, 30 to 50 percent of men are going to be retiring in the next 10 years,” said Greer, director of training and safety at the Raleigh-based statewide association.

The show explains how losses in the banking and the textile industries in Nash County led college officials to involve local businesses to adapt degree programs to fit changing times.

“We did it with industry at the table,” said Dr. Bill Carver, president of Nash Community College. “We said, ‘What are you using? What kind of programming do you need? What kind of students do you need when they’re our graduates?’”

When it began about 10 years ago, the lineworker program was a one-year offering. About six years ago, the college “decided to take an academy approach, like firefighters or police,” and upgraded the program, with help from the statewide association, said Gary Blackburn, engineering department chairman.

“We wouldn’t even be in businesses if it weren’t for them,” said Blackburn. “They not only have given us moral support, but they’ve contributed financially to keep the program going.”

That collaboration has resulted in a fast-track process to fully train a lineman. At the end of the 16-week academy, graduates earn a third-class lineman certificate, giving them an edge in the job market.

“To start someone green and turn him into a journeyman lineman, it takes eight years—about as much time as a doctor,” said Greer, who designed and still updates the technical side of the curriculum.

Greer also has worked with college and state labor officials to further advance co-op lineworkers’ job security. Now, lineworkers get credit hours towards a two-year degree and a state-recognized apprenticeship certificate.

And in today’s economy, every little bit helps, said Greer, the statewide’s director of job training and safety. “The apprenticeship is just another feather in your cap that employers will like.”

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