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PEOPLE YOU CAN COUNT ON
Pennsylvania Rural Electric
Association Serves 600,000 Residents
The Pennsylvania Rural
Electric Association (PREA),
based in Harrisburg, Pa., is the
service organization for the
nonprofit, consumer-owned
rural electric cooperatives in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Currently, the 13 co-ops in Pen
nsylvania and one in New
Jersey provide electric service
to more than 600,000 rural resi
dents, businesses and indus
tries. Pennsylvania’s co-ops
own and maintain about 12. S
percent of the electric distribu
tion lines in the state, covering
nearly one-third of the Com
monwealth's land area in 41
counties. These lines represent
one of the largest non
governmental investments in
rural infrastructure in the state
and arc an essential component
of business and industry.
PREA’s 14-member board of
directors one director
elected from each of its mem
ber cooperatives conducts
the association's business to
best serve the consumer
members of the op-ops.
PREA works jointly with
Allegheny Electric Coopera
tive, Inc., a generation and
transmission cooperative that
provides wholesale power to
the 14 co-ops.
HISTORY
As late as the 19305, only six
out of every 100 rural Pennsyl
vanians knew the miracle of the
electric light bulb in their
homes. The reason estab
lishing power companies in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey
had decided that running electr
ic lines into rural areas would
not make them a profit
As a rule, power companies
charged farmers $2,000 to
$3,000 per mile to build lines to
their homes and then charged
electric rates higher than those
in the cities. Since the average
gross income of a farm family
of the period was just $l,BOO
per year, most couldn't afford
electric service.
In many areas, power was
not available at any cost. For a
time it seemed the profit needs
greed of stockholder
controlled private power com
panies would condemn most of
Pennsylvania’s and New
Jersey’s rural population to live
forever with kerosene lamps
and hand pumps.
But rural leaders and a hand-
Reading Fair Swine Results
MARKET SWINE
KUTZTOWN (Berks Co.) Light Lightweight (138-186 lbs}- 1 John
Following are the results of the *^ artman 2. Brian Hartman. 3. John Hartman.
Reading Fair Swine Show last Ca^Lw^.^ 3*BrJn market swine pairs
week at the Kutztown Hartman L Light Lightweight (332-386 lb*.): i. John
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Light Middleweight (204-211 lb.). 1 .Justin . > 1 C-hy
READING FAIR Levan. 2. Ashley Shollenberger. 3.'Amber 2 - i
QWIMP CHOW Shollenberger. Champion Lighßeeight Pair: Cathy Levan
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Class 1.1. Daniel Allen Btllig 2 Kimberly Heavy Middleweight (230-239 lbs.): 1
**.-•3 3 Adam 'Sff'J.md
Class 2-1 Cathryn Levan 2 Jared Treich- Lambert. t™iah« n«™.' .Horn lamhnrt
ler. 3 Adam Lambert Champion Middleweight. Jared Treichler. T )• 1
Class 3 1 Justin Levan 2 Ashley Reserve: Jared Treiehler. L« h t Pair (475-490 lbs.) 1.
Shollenberger Light Heavyweight (240-248 lbs )• 1. Jared J MO-536 lbs) 1
FITTING Treichler. 2 Jason Levan. 3. Adam Lambert „ i SJB D1)1 '
4 „ C1 “*, 6 1 Kitnberbr Angstadt 2 Dan«l Pain George 8,l-
Allen Bring 3 Jason Levan ttn Shollenberger. 2 Jason Levan 3 Kimber- , » “
Class 7: 1 Jared Treichler. 2 Cathryn hr Angstadt "0- Reserve. Justin Levan.
Levan 3 Adam Lambert Heavy Heavyweight (264-286 lbs): 1 CHAMPION PAIR
Class 8 1. Ashley Shollenberger. 2. Justin Daniel Billig. 2. George Brlllg. 3 Justin Levan. Jared Treichler
Levan. Champion Heavyweight; Jared Treichler RESERVE
Reserve; Daniel Billig. George Billig
ful of politicians were not ready
to accept the status quo. They
began working to demonstrate
that electric power could be
provided to rural areas at a rea
sonable cost and began deve
loping a business structure to
make that dclivety possible.
In 1931, New York Gover
nor Franklin D. Roosevelt
established the Power authority
of the State of New York (PAS
NY) to develop water power on
the St. Lawrence River. PAS
NY produced the first study on
the actual costs of electric dis
tribution and helped demons
trate the practicality of provid
ing electricity to rural areas.
The first official federal
action in the process leading to
rural electrification came in
1933 with the formation of the
Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA). The act enabling the
TV A authorized the construc
tion of transmission lines to
serve farms and small villages
"not otherwise supplied with
electricty at reasonable rates"
and gave preference in the sale
of power to “cooperative orga
nizations of citizens or
farmers.”
In 1935, armed with studies
showing both the economic
fcasiblity and the benefits of
providing electricty to rural
areas, then-President Roosevelt
signed an executive order form
ing the Rural Electrification
Administration (REA).
The REA program was ini
tially intended as an induce
ment to the private power com
panies to begin serving rural
areas. But even with the incen
tives provided by 2 percent
REA loans, the private power
suppliers showed litde interest
in building the necessary lines.
By the end of 1935, it was clear
that the private power compa
nies weren't serious about act
ing on the government's offer
to electrify the countryside.
Most of the loan applications
and inquiries REA received
came from farm co-ops. REA
now realized that farmers and
their rural neighbors were will
ing to take electrification into
their own hands on a coopera
tive basis.
Farmcrs had long experience
with cooperatives. In fact, the
co-op was the business struc
ture rural people adopted when
confronted with a task too large
for any family to handle itself.
It was natural then that rural
leaders chose to form another
kind of co-op to provide them
selves and their neighbors with
electricity. Since extending
central station electric service
required very specialized engi
neering skills, many in Con
gress were convinced rural
electrification would never be
accomplished without REA
receiving regular appropria
tions and full status. So in 1936,
one year and 20 days after REA
had been created. Congress
passed legislation making REA
a permanent government agen
cy. In 1939, REA became part
of the U.S. Department of
Agricluture.
On October 20, 1994, a
sweeping reorganization of the
Ag Department took place. As
a result, after 59 years of exis
tence, REA was officially dis
banded. Most REA functions
were transferred to a new Rural
Utilities Service (RUS).
But the mission of rural clcc
triciation continues. Today,
about 1,000 electric coopera
tives across the United States
provide power to more than 25
million consumer members.
Each co-op is a locally owned,
taxpaying business incorpor
ated under the laws of its indi
vidual state.
Rural electric cooperatives
have been delivering low-cost
electric service to Pennsylvania
and New Jersey rural residents
since 1936, when the Steam
burg Electric Cooperative
Association (later consolidated
into Northwestern Rural Electr
ic Cooperative) was established
in Erie and Crawford counties.
The 14 rural electric
cooperatives that today com
prise PREA were organized
between 1936 and 1941. By the
time the Japanese attacked
Pearl Harbor on December 7,
1941, all of them had gone
through the pangs of becoming
oragnized, of getting their first
loans, of making arrangements
for power supply at least on a
short-term basis and had begun
construction of lines to reach
their unserved neighbors.
With the outbreak of WWII,
the co-ops realized they need a
statewide organization to speak
for them as one voice on legi
slative issues. The co-ops
created PREA in February
1942.
CHAMPION MARKET HOO
Jared Tretchler
RESERVE
George Btllig
OCTOBER
IS CO-OP
MONTH
RURAL ELECTRIC
COOPERATIVES
Rural Electric Cooperatives have been providing
low-cost electric service to Pennsylvania rural
residents since 1936, when the Steamburg Electric
Cooperative Association (later consolidated into
Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative) was
established in Crawford and Erie counties.
Today, rural electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania
are providing reliable electric service to many rural
residents in numerous counties. Many rural electric
co-ops are involved in economic growth efforts and
community programs to meet rural needs.
Rural electric cooperatives are owned and
controlled by the people they serve. The consumers
who receive electricity from them are cooperative
members, and share responsibility for the success of
the cooperative.
The following Rural Electric Cooperatives are
proud to be a part of the 1996 Co-Op Month
Campaign.
PEOPLE
YOU CAN
COUNT
ON!
SOMERSET
RURAL
ELECTRIC, INC.
Somerset, PA
814-445-4106
Serving Somerset, Bedford,
Westmoreland, Fayette and
Garrett, Md. Counties
Northwestern
Rec Assoc., Inc.
Cambridge Spring, PA
814-398-4651
800-352-0014
Serv.ng Crawford, Erie,
Venango, Warren & Mercer
Counties
VALLEY RURAL
ELECTRIC COOP
Huntingdon, PA
814-643-2650
800-432-0680
Serving Bedford ‘ Blair,
Centre, Franklin, Fulton,
Huntingdon, Juniata and
Mifflin Counties.
212 Locust Street . _ .
• p.o. box 1266 717 -233-5704
•Harrisburg, PA 17108
BEDFORD
REC, INC.
Bedford, PA
814-623-5101
Serving Bedford, Fulton and
Somerset Counties
NEW
ENTERPRISE
Rural Electric, Inc
New Enterprise, PA
814-766-3231
Providing Rural Electric
Needs for Bedford, Fulton and
Huntingdon Counties
UNITED ELECTRIC
COOPERATIVE, INC.
Dubois, PA
814-371-8570
800-262-8959
Serving Armstrong, Cambria,
Centre, Clarion, Clearfield,
Clinton, Elk, Forest, Indiana,
and Jefferson Counties
Delivering reliable
25,000 homes, farms
and businesses in the
heart of Southcentral
Pennsylvania
ADAMS ELECTRIC
COOPERATIVE, INC.
Phone toll-free
1-888-AD AMSEC
ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.