Happy New Year!
Our editor challenged me, as she did our new governor in a sit-down interview on page 12, to pick a word of the year.
My initial thought was how impossible it seemed. Choose only one word to set the tone for an entire year? Begrudgingly, I complied.
I chose the word “transition.”
Maybe it’s because we’ve been hearing the word a lot lately – political transitions, transition teams, the energy transition. While some may find change or transition to be uncomfortable, transitions present opportunities. To reset. To learn. To listen. To grow. To have meaningful discussions.
As electric cooperatives, we are eager to engage government leaders in conversations about the critical need to maintain an affordable, reliable electric system. We will work with all elected officials to advance beneficial policies for electric co-ops and the members and communities they serve. We will advocate for an energy future that responds to skyrocketing electric demand, removes regulatory burdens and promotes the long-term wellbeing of rural communities, all while keeping co-op members at the forefront.
We’ve reported a lot about the transition occurring in the electric industry. Balancing reliability and affordability is increasingly difficult in an increasingly volatile energy market influenced by regulations, consumer habits, preferences and soaring demand for electricity.
We are at an energy crossroads, and leadership is more critical than ever.
North Dakota electric cooperatives have been successful in meeting the demand of member-owners and existing, new and growing industries. They have provided the infrastructure and power needed to diversify and grow local economies. They have invested billions of dollars in the past decade to build out local electric systems, adding new generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure and improving capacity. Collectively, North Dakota’s electric cooperatives own and maintain 67,000 miles of power lines – enough to span the circumference of the Earth nearly three times! And, they have plans to invest billions more to meet the forecasted demand loads of the future.
Maintaining affordability, however, is a challenge. Though North Dakota electricity rates are among the lowest in the nation, cost pressures continue to mount. Beginning in this issue through April, North Dakota Living will present a four-part series to examine electric industry pressures and how they may impact the cost of your electricity. Read the first feature in the “Cost of Your Power” series on here.
Although “transition” is my word of the year, some things will stay as they should. Despite the headwinds, electric cooperatives remain committed to affordability and reliability. Here at North Dakota Living, we remain committed to being your reliable, transparent and trusted source of information about this critical industry, which impacts us all.
Maybe this editor’s challenge has been a good exercise after all. So, what’s your word of the year?
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Josh Kramer, editor-in-chief of North Dakota Living, is executive vice president and general manager of NDAREC. Contact him at jkramer@ndarec.com.
