Rural Missouri - July 2023 - 5

Missouri
RURAL
Volume 76 | JULY 2023 | Number 7
EDITORIAL STAFF:
Sara Schafer, editor
sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop
Jim McCarty, editor emeritus
jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop
Paul Newton, managing editor
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Megan Backes, creative director
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Zach Smith, director of digital media
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Angie Jones-Wheeler, associate editor
ajones@ruralmissouri.coop
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573-659-3400
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Rural Missouri (ISSN 0164-8578) (USPS 473000)
is published monthly by the Association
of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, 2722 E.
McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101, Caleb
Jones, CEO/executive vice president. Individual
subscription rate: $12 per year or $25 for three
years, taxes and postage included. Group rate for
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and postage, paid from equity accruing to the
member. Delivery as specified by subscriber. If not
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offices. Copyright 2023, Association of Missouri
Electric Cooperatives. Call for reprint rights.
Circulation of this issue: 581,881
Max is all smiles after we got a new propane tank and returned to the days of hot water.
by Caleb Jones | cjones@amec.coop
few weeks ago on a Friday
afternoon, the Jones family
got to travel back in time
- not exactly by choice.
The chance meeting of my propane
tank and a skid-steer resulted in the
emptying of my propane supply that
would rival Old Faithful.
A
Thankfully no one was hurt, but
the weekend turned into a family
camping experience - only in our
house. We had zero hot water and no
working appliances.
While my kids didn't seem to mind
the ice baths and hot dogs cooked
over our firepit, after a couple days
I caught my wife looking up hotels
on her phone. The one saving grace
came when Lindsey and I built our
farmhouse the experts over at Boone
Electric Cooperative guided us to a
ground-source heat pump, which
provides our heating and cooling.
The folks at the Environmental
Protection Agency must really enjoy
camping, too. They just proposed
some new rules for electricity production
with the goal of a carbon-free
power sector by 2035. If finalized,
these rules would shut down the
majority, if not all, of your electric
cooperative's natural gas and coal
plants.
Don't get me wrong, I applaud
their good intentions, but this is
about as smart as putting an ejection
seat in a helicopter.
RM | PERSPECTIVES
Good ol' days? Yeah, right!
Here in Missouri, our electricity
is generated by a host of different
sources. This mix of coal, natural
gas, wind and hydro all play a role in
working together to keep your lights
on every time you flip that switch.
We have watched other states shut
down coal and natural gas plants
without having an alternative and
reliable baseload of electricity. As you
can imagine, when the sun isn't shining
and the wind isn't blowing their
electricity isn't flowing. Last December
nine of our neighboring states
faced rolling blackouts because the
demand for electricity outpaced what
they could provide. That's unacceptable
and downright dangerous.
Our electric co-ops aren't against
using renewable resources. In fact,
25% of the electricity you already
use comes from renewable resources
like wind and water. Because we
added these sources when they made
economic sense, we are able to do
this without blackouts and sky-high
electric bills for our members.
Someday, there will be technology
available for electric co-ops to generate
100% renewable, reliable and
affordable electricity for you. Until
that time, let's avoid a future of cold
showers and lights we can't turn on. I
only want to camp on the back 40.
Caleb is the executive vice president
and CEO of the Association of Missouri
Electric Cooperatives and a member of
Boone Electric Cooperative.
JULY 2023 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 5
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Rural Missouri - July 2023

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