During the last week of April, 1,500 electric cooperative representatives from across the country attended the 2026 NRECA Legislative Conference, which was attended by approximately fifty Ohio co-op leaders. To kick off the conference, NRECA staffers and prominent legislators briefed attendees on the issue suite they would be discussing during their meetings with legislators and staff. NRECA also discussed the importance of making the co-op message heard through effective and clear communication during their Capitol Hill meetings with legislators or their staff.
Ohio had a wide range of representatives at the conference, including attendees from 20 co-ops across the state. These co-op leaders met with 14 Federal legislative offices, including a joint meeting with Senator Moreno and Senator Husted, and meetings with 12 Congressional offices. In these meetings, important federal issues were discussed with each legislator, including streamlining permitting reform, data centers, supporting improved land management practices in the Fix our Forests Act, RUS electric loans, and reforming FEMA public assistance.
"We’re grateful to have legislators in Ohio who genuinely care about protecting the people in our co-op communities,” said Craig Grooms, president and CEO of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives. "Our group walked away from these meetings feeling like we're on the same page with policymakers, and we're excited about where our industry is headed.”
