On June 12th, there will be a public hearing in Newton regarding a proposed WAIVER that would prevent rural people from receiving a fair price when selling excess renewable electricity to a RURAL ELECTRIC COOP. The Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) which supplies electricity to numerous RECs is proposing a WAIVER to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This waiver would circumvent the rights and benefits of REC customers who wish to install renewable energy sources (e.g. wind generator) as entitled under PURPA, a Federal Law passed in 1978. The proposed waiver would, in effect, ban NET METERING -- a process by which coop customers producing renewable electricity for their own needs can sell the excess electricity to the coop and receive the same price the coop pays to its other power suppliers. There will be a hearing in Newton on Thursday June 12th, at 10:30 a.m. regarding this WAIVER. The hearing will be held at the DMACC Newton Conference Center, 600 N. 2nd Avenue, Newton, Iowa. The meeting is open to the public. People can register to make a statement at the hearing by calling Craig Fricke, CIPCO, 319-366-8011 or file a complaint requesting that this WAIVER SHOULD NOT be granted with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20326 or call their toll free hot line at 1-888-889-8030. Copies of the proposed rule can be obtained from any of the following COOPS: Clarke Electric Coop; Consumers Energy Coop; East-Central Iowa Rural Electric Coop, Eastern Iowa Light and Power Coop; Farmers Electric Coop; Guthrie County Rural Electric Coop; Maquoketa Valley Electric Coop; Midland Power Electric Coop; Pella Cooperative Electric Association; Rideta Electric Coop; South Iowa Municipal Electric Coop; Southwest Iowa Service Coop; T.I.P. Rural Electric Cooperative. NOTE: In a case last year involving Greg and Bev Swecker of Dana, Iowa -- the Iowa District Court ruled that a coop must abide by Federal Law and not discriminate against their customers. This ruling required coops to use NET METERING -- - in which the coop must pay the same price for excess electricity produced by alternative energy suppliers as it pays to its other power suppliers. The Coops, however, appealed this decision to the Iowa Supreme Court claiming that the District Court did not have the power to make that decision. The Supreme Court has not as yet made a ruling. Iowa Farmers Union PO Box 8988 528 Billy Sunday Rd Ames, IA 50014 800-775-5227 [log in to unmask] www.iafu.org Erin E. Jordahl Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club 3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280 Des Moines, IA 50310 515-277-8868 [log in to unmask] www.iowa.sierraclub.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]