AMERICA NEEDS STRONG RURAL ELECTRIC PROGRAM

Rural electric programs and rural economic development have always gone hand in hand. Over the years, rural electric programs have quite literally brought our farms, towns, and communities out of the dark.~ Unfortunately, today we have to deal with both urban and federal budget critics who remain in the dark when it comes to the need for these critical programs.

Rural electric co-ops still help create jobs in local communities. In addition to hiring local workers, co-ops encourage companies to relocate and expand in our local towns and communities. These same cooperatives are helping Missouri communities receive sewer and water services, satellite television capability, and provide improved health care services.

However, the demand for loan funds for rural electric systems continues to increase while OMB bureaucrats yield the budget axe. Now is not the time to pull the budget plug on these systems that serve our local needs.

One such need is the recent Clean Air Act. The annual cost of compliance to local electric utilities is estimated to require nearly $500 million for the next twenty years. Adequate Rural Electrification Administration (REA) funding is needed to hold down current and future utility rates, facilitate rural development, and lessen the pressure on rural families.

Rural America depends on this vital link in our rural infrastructure that we know as our local electric cooperative. Today and in the future, our rural economic livelihood will continue the rely on the critical service these co-ops provide. I remain committed to building on past rural electric system achievements in economic growth and development and achieving REA budget fairness which will make our towns and communities stronger in the months and years ahead.