One of our priorities at Broad River Electric Cooperative is to be our members’ trusted source of relevant energy information. That role extends beyond those we serve, however. It also extends to those that are serving you and me—our lawmakers at the State House and in Washington, D.C.
Every year, South Carolina’s General Assembly, the U.S. Congress and governmental agencies consider issues that affect our members. Whether it is legislation or regulations involving energy generation, tax breaks, infrastructure funding and more, we strive to make certain that cooperatives are a trusted source of reliable public policy analysis. That’s why we work closely with elected officials, ensuring that they understand and are enabled to act on the issues that are important to our members.
The cooperative model provides a strong network of resources that helps us cultivate these relationships and advocate for you. It’s a collective effort that involves our staff, trustees, and our cooperative partners statewide and in the nation’s capital.
Broad River Electric recently hosted a legislative breakfast to thank elected officials for their service to our state and to educate legislative members about the cooperative and our efforts in community engagement and partnerships in economic development. In attendance were S.C. Sen. Harvey Peeler and S.C. Representatives Doug Gilliam, Brian Lawson, and Dennis Moss.
Fortunately, more often than not, we see trusted relationships with our legislators yield positive results for cooperative members and our state as a whole. Last year, the General Assembly passed, and our Governor signed into law, legislation that did just that.
One piece of legislation increased tax credits to entities engaged in infrastructure and development projects. These tax credits paved the way for Oshkosh, a global defense manufacturer, to name Spartanburg as its new home to manufacture a new fleet of trucks for the U.S. Postal Service. The project represents a $155 million investment in the community, with plans in the works to bring over 1,000 jobs to this region. Such economic activity can have a substantial positive impact not only on our community, but even on the overall price of power to the extent it makes our systems’ use of generation resources more efficient.
Legislators’ understanding of how we operate and educate our employees was crucial in a driver training bill passed last session. It allows our statewide association, which provides much of the training to our workforce, to offer entry-level driver training now required to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Without this allowance, cooperatives would be forced to absorb an added and unnecessary expense.
We’re thankful for our elected officials and the relationships we have with them. We’re encouraged when they seek our expertise on energy-related issues and trust our input when bills that matter to us are being considered.
Like all electric cooperatives, we exist to serve our members and our communities. We are committed to providing safe, reliable, and reasonably-priced electricity and other energy-related services while improving the communities we serve. With a new legislative session just beginning, we’ll continue to serve as a trusted source for you and for our elected leaders.
President & CEO
Interested in becoming a board member?
Broad River Electric members elect three new board trustees each year to serve on the co-op’s board. If you are interested in running as a candidate for the election held in April, please note the qualifications below.
In order to be eligible to become, or to remain, a trustee of the Cooperative, a candidate must:
1. Be at least a two-year member of the co-op who receives service at their primary residence;
2. Not be a “close relative” as defined by these bylaws to any trustee or employee of the Cooperative;
3. Have the legal capacity to enter into legally binding contracts;
4. Have not been employed by the Cooperative in the past 10 years;
5. Possess or obtain a NRECA Trustee’s Certificate or similar certification of education and training that may be specified by the Board of Trustees;
6. Attend at least eight monthly board meetings each year, with any absences being excused by the Board of Trustees for good cause;
7. Not be engaged with, or employed by, a Cooperative competitor;
8. Not have been found guilty of a criminal offense punishable by more than one-year imprisonment, or a crime of moral turpi- tude or dishonesty;
and 9. Not have engaged in fraudulent or dishonest acts, or gross abuse of authority in the discharge of duties to the Cooperative.
For the full list of qualifications or for more information, contact our member care center at (866) 687-2667 or download our full Bylaws.