Manager’s Message – June 2026

Recently, 18 Oregon electric cooperative leaders, including Lane Electric Central District Director Ingrid Kessler, traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress to discuss federal policies that shape reliability, safety, and affordability for the communities we serve.

Those conversations highlighted:

• The significant investments co-ops are making in wildfire mitigation—from vegetation management to system hardening—and the barriers that can slow our work. We emphasized the need for commonsense federal land management reforms, including provisions in the Fix Our Forests Act, which allow utilities to mitigate wildfire risk more quickly and safely.

• The value of the FEMA Reform Act of 2025. This allows co-ops to recover faster, rebuild stronger, and restore power without shouldering years of reimbursement delays. Case in point, Lane Electric is still awaiting $6 million in FEMA funding stemming from events in 2020.

• The serious implications of Oregon’s ongoing anti-hydropower litigation. We have seen how critical the Federal Columbia River Power System is to not only keeping your rates affordable but also keeping your lights on by ramping up during extreme temperatures when demand is high. We know both topics are on our members' minds.

As summer temperatures rise and wildfire season intensifies, the stakes for reliable and affordable electricity have never been higher. The decisions made in Washington, D.C., have real consequences here in Lane County. They affect how quickly we can respond to emergencies, how we strengthen our system, and how we keep power flowing when our communities need it most. That’s why we will continue advocating for practical policies that protect the reliability, affordability, and safety that our members-owners depend on.

General Manager Scott Coe