Congressman Garret Graves sends message to Louisiana electric cooperatives

Posted: June 30, 2020 at 9:10 am

Congressman Garret Graves recently recorded a video message to our Louisiana electric cooperatives.  Every year during the spring our directors and general managers spend a few days on Capitol Hill discussing the issues that are important to the Louisiana electric cooperatives. In addition to our cooperative representatives visiting our elected officials in the spring, Louisiana electric cooperatives send high school students to Washington, D.C. every year to learn about electric cooperatives and to gain a close up perspective of our government in action.

Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Legislative Conference and the Youth Tour were cancelled along with the appointments scheduled with Congressmen. In light of the recent pandemic, Louisiana electric cooperatives: Beauregard Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BECi); Claiborne Electric Cooperative, Inc.; DEMCO; Jefferson Davis Electric Co-op, Inc. (JDEC); South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association (SLECA); and Washington-St. Tammany Electric Cooperative, Inc. (WSTE) have agreed to send their 2020 Youth Tour delegates to Washington, D.C. for the 2021 Youth Tour next year in addition to their 2021 delegates.

Cooperatives adhere to seven cooperative principles.  Commitment to community is one of those principles.  Youth Tour Director, Addie Armato, expressed her pride in the Louisiana electric cooperatives having decided to offer these 2020 delegates another opportunity to attend next year’s Youth Tour.  “It’s moments like these that make me proud to work with these fine folks. Their unwavering commitment to our youth starts at the top with their board of directors, and like a rising tide moves through to the employees and membership,” said Armato.

2020 Youth Tour delegates will also have an opportunity to participate in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) virtual Youth Tour starting July 2.  To watch the festivities, follow ALEC on Facebook @LouisianaElectricCooperatives.

ALEC along with our member cooperatives value the close working relationship we have with our elected officials.  Through these relationships, we are able to provide safe, affordable, reliable electricity to the rural communities of Louisiana.