By the end of , over miles of line was energized, bringing electricity to members. The crowd that gathered to watch Doc ceremoniously throw on the switch to a single electric light bulb probably did not foresee the tremendous impact the electric cooperative movement would have on rural America. Cooperatives brought an urban standard of living to those in the country and changed the face of the national economy by promoting progress in the rural sector.
The following decades brought about tremendous growth and expansion due to dependence on power and electrical living. Oklahoma Electric Cooperative the name was shortened in kept extending its lines and individual consumers were constantly finding new ways to use more electricity. In the 40s, representatives from OEC and eight other co-ops in the state, embarked on a project to ensure adequate and affordable power.
In , construction of a power generation cooperative, Western Electric Cooperative now Western Farmers Electric Cooperative , began. During the Sixties, OEC was promoting the use of electricity by offering an appliance showroom and education on how to properly and safely use appliances in the home, appliance rebates, free electric hot water tanks and cheap power — 1 cent per kilowatt hour.
The History of OEC. Turning on the lights: The Rural Electrification Act. Cooperatives bring electricity to rural and suburban Texas, turning on the lights and improving quality of life B y the s, most urban areas in the United States and Texas had already been living with the conveniences of electricity for nearly 50 years. Aside from a few scattered pockets, the rest of the state would have been totally dark.
It was simply not profitable for the existing large, private power companies to serve rural areas. Farm and ranch wives cooked on wood stoves; children did their homework by the dim light of coal-oil lamps; water was pumped by hand, just as it had been for centuries. Radio communication with the outside world was all but unknown.
Finally, in , with the establishment of the Rural Electrification Administration, farmers and ranchers could borrow federal money and take it upon themselves to form local, consumer-owned electric cooperatives. At last, light shone on rural America. The impact was even greater than anyone had imagined. By , cooperatives across the nation were providing electricity to 1.
Today, nearly electric co-ops serve 40 million people in 47 states. In , Bartlett Electric Cooperative in Central Texas was first in the nation to turn on the lights for its members. Today, Bartlett EC is one of the 75 electric cooperatives—64 distribution co-ops and 11 generation and transmission co-ops—that provide safe, reliable electric service at a reasonable cost to nearly 3 million member-consumers in Texas.
Texas co-ops own more than , miles of line serving more than 2. Electric cooperatives are democratic, tax-paying, not-for-profit businesses governed by member-elected boards of directors. As member-owned utilities, the distribution systems are self-regulating. In addition to providing electricity and other products and services to their member-consumers, electric co-ops adhere to a proud tradition of community service. Co-op members and employees participate in economic development efforts and are involved in charitable undertakings and numerous other volunteer activities that contribute to quality of life in the communities they serve.
The mostly rural state was unable to supply the miles and miles of utility lines and poles needed to connect the rural areas, and for-profit electric companies could not justify the investment. In , President Franklin Roosevelt created the New Deal program in the hopes of jump-starting the post-Depression economy.
Within the New Deal program, President Roosevelt included funding for rural electrification, paving the way for Arkansas Gov. Carl E. Bailey to sign legislation allowing the incorporation of electric cooperatives in Arkansas. In , the electric cooperatives pooled their resources to form a statewide association, Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc.
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