State Senate Bill 128

"It is my belief one of the most important jobs of a state legislator is to stop bad bills from becoming law. One such bill in the current session of the Alabama Legislature is Senate Bill 128.

"It seeks to place Alabama’s electric cooperatives under the jurisdiction and control of the state Public Service Commis-sion. I am strongly opposed to this because it would have a negative affect on a system that is working better than most business models today."

State Sen. Lowell Barron (D-Barron), who lives on the Sand Mountain EC system, wrote those words as part of a press release that was published last week by media outlets across the state. Here's a full version of the press release that was published in The (DeKalb County) Times Journal.

If you don't want to read the entire story, here are some highlights:

"Electric cooperatives are not owned by big stockholders, they are owned by the very families who buy the power they distribute. For this reason, electric cooperatives are focused on being responsive to their members’ needs, not on creating huge profits for investors."


"Electric cooperatives are examples of what is right about this country today. At a time when Wall Street’s corporate greed and mismanagement have created an economic crisis across our nation, electric cooperatives show us what corporate accountability, responsibility and transparency look like."


"I want to assure cooperative members that, while Senate Bill 128 is not dead, it is not breathing very well. I will work hard within the State Senate do ensure this bill is defeated.
"Placing electric cooperatives under the jurisdiction and control of the Public Service Commission would create needless bureaucracy and expense for a system that has a proven track record of progress.
"These locally-owned, locally-controlled utilities have improved the lives of people throughout rural Alabama for decades, and I will continue to support the excellent work they do."