Cooperatives around the world operate according to the same set of seven core principles and values, adopted by the International Cooperative Alliance. These principles are a key reason why electric cooperatives like Highline Electric Association operate differently from other electric utilities and put the needs of our members first.
The sixth principle is Cooperation Among Cooperatives. For Highline, I visualize this principle as a set of concentric circles. The innermost circle starts in our local community. We partner with local cooperative organizations including our credit union, our telecommunications cooperative, and our agricultural cooperative to support local fundraisers and organize the annual Christmas Parade of Lights.
Moving outward, the next circle includes our relationships with neighboring electric cooperatives. This level of cooperation starts with the sharing of employees. Highline has agreements with Y-W Electric, our neighbor to the south, to share engineering and communication employees on an ongoing basis. This level of cooperation also includes helping each other through mutual aid when one of our systems sustains damage during a thunderstorm or ice storm.
Our next stop brings us to our partnerships with our regional neighbors. For Highline, this level of collaboration is most evident with the group of eastern Colorado electric cooperatives. These neighbors are also available to help in storm situations where the damage is substantial. We also call on these neighbors to work collaboratively on projects when it’s beneficial to do so. This collaboration includes sourcing material when faced with long lead times and joint investments in mobile substations that are used to restore power during emergency equipment failure. There’s no better feeling to know you have a trusted confidant that is a phone call away and is likely working through a similar problem to the one you’re currently trying to solve.
The next circle of cooperation occurs at the statewide level. This cooperation is manifested in our statewide organization, the Colorado Rural Electric Association. We rely on CREA for a multitude of services that include publishing Colorado Country Life, job and safety training, safety accreditation visits, lobbying for our best interest at the state Capitol, and training opportunities to keep our employees and leadership performing at the highest level.
The final layer of cooperation is evident in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. NRECA is the trustee that provides the medical and retirement benefits for our employees. NRECA also provides employee and director training at a national level. Last, but certainly not least, is the lobbying effort NRECA engages in at the national level. As the national voice of the nearly 900 electric cooperatives that serve electricity to 42 million Americans across 56% of the nation’s landmass, NRECA carries a loud voice to Capitol Hill as well as the regulators housed across multiple agencies that govern the day-to-day business of electric utilities.
Cooperation Among Cooperatives is the cooperative principle that gives your member-owned, local utility a voice and the ability to “punch above our weight” while participating in the policy and regulatory discussions that shape our industry.
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Dennis Herman is the General Manager of Highline Electric Association. HEA’s mission is to provide our members with reliable, high-quality electricity and other needed services, which will improve their economic and social well-being and provide significant long-range benefits for our communities, our state, and our nation.
