Pat O'Loughlin

As 2016 comes to a close, we can look back on a year dominated by competing political ideas, which led to a close and contentious election. Of course, the big news is that our country will soon have a new, and very different, leader. While the Trump administration will certainly have an effect on the state of the electric utility industry, it’s difficult to project the extent of the impact.

Another important election day has arrived. Some view the election as historic. Some are passionate about candidates and issues, and others are disappointed with the negative tone that the various campaigns and protests have taken. Regardless of your view of the candidates or the issues, please take time to appreciate the rights of expression that we have been given. Our veterans, who are honored in November, have sacrificed much for our rights, and those who are no longer with us have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms.

National Cooperative Month has been celebrated in October for more than half a century. This year’s theme, “Cooperatives Build,” recognizes not only the physical facilities needed to serve members, but also the important role that cooperatives play in building community. Nationwide, 40,000 cooperative businesses, including electric cooperatives, credit unions, and agricultural cooperatives, offer various services and products to 120 million people. While each cooperative is unique in some ways, we all share a common set of business principles.

Just as summer winds down and the afternoons are cooling off, this year’s election cycle is heating up (who thought it could get any hotter?). While the presidential race makes daily headlines, numerous other state, local, and national offices are being contested. The results of the election will set a tone and direction for government policies nationally and for Ohio, which will likely affect the operation of your electric cooperative.

Our seven guiding principles serve as the touchstone for electric cooperatives around the world. Later in this issue, we’re featuring the principle of cooperation among cooperatives. Another cooperative principle that bears repeated emphasis is that of member education, training, and information.

We hear about independence all the time in our daily lives — independent voters are a hot topic this year, and energy independence has been an important subject of late. Last month’s issue of Country Living featured autonomy and independence as pillars of the seven principles on which electric cooperatives were founded. Independence is a powerful idea that has fueled our country’s growth; that was born of great intellect; and that has been paid for with blood, sweat, and tears.

Later this year, you’ll see Ohio’s electric cooperatives’ latest power generation project spring up, along with the OurSolar logo. We plan to install community solar projects in several locations around the state.

Sometimes our perceptions become skewed by what we hear or read in the news. Headlines often emphasize problems and concerns but rarely celebrate the slow, constant progress made by business or industry. We often need a reality check, or an opportunity to look at the facts and adjust our perception. I hope you’ll take a few moments to look at the electric power industry as I see it.

As a recipient of Country Living, you are almost certainly a member of an electric cooperative. But what does that mean, and how did that happen?

We take much for granted in our daily lives. This includes continuous access to an essentially unlimited supply of electricity at a relatively affordable price. Electricity and other modern energy delivery systems provide us not only the benefits of our many gadgets and toys, but also the essentials of light, heat, refrigeration and, of course, time — time to work at our jobs, complete our chores and enjoy our lives.