Time capsule

Coop CurrentsCoop News

15 years ago, here’s what Cabot kids learned about energy During the 2007-2008 school year, Energy Coach Bill Powell visited Cabot fourth-graders to talk about power. What they learned from his presentation was incorporated into “a display we created to share our year-long, whole school focus on energy and sustainability,” said retired teacher and WEC member Mary Ann Tormey. Recently, …

Safety Minute: Don’t become the path for an electric current

Coop CurrentsCoop News

A new feature from Safety and Environmental Compliance Specialist David Young Safety Minute is a new, regular feature from Safety and Environmental Compliance Specialist David Young. Young started at WEC in 2022 after 19 years at Vermont Electric Cooperative. He’s specialized in safety for nine years. WEC, which has received multiple awards for its safety record, is a great fit …

President’s Message: Variability and our renewable energy future

Coop CurrentsCoop News

2022 marked by major storm, broadband make-ready, rate increase By Stephen Knowlton Washington Electric Cooperative faced two major challenges in 2022. First, Winter Storm Elliott joined us all for Christmas like an unexpected relative, making the holidays more difficult and less comfortable for many WEC members and their actual relatives. As I write this, I find it pleasant to have …

Public Power in the Public Interest

Coop CurrentsCoop News

By Louis Porter, General Manager Vermont’s power system is the cleanest in the country, from a carbon perspective. Since Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard took effect in 2016, utilities have made enormous progress reducing emissions.  Public power utilities make sure our power purchases are both environmentally and financially sustainable. Beyond provision of power, our mission includes community and environmental impact. Today, …

Members Write

Coop CurrentsCoop News

To Co-op Currents: As a 30 year industrial and commercial IBEW journeyman electrician, I recently became aware of a dangerous situation with trees that had fallen and brought powerlines into the street. Trees had been coming down in this specific spot on a semi regular basis, nearly hitting a moving vehicle and regularly bringing down powerlines into the street.  When …

Winter Storm Elliott coverage

Coop CurrentsCoop News

By the Co-op Currents Editorial Committee On December 23, 2022, Winter Storm Elliott reached Vermont with extremely high winds coming from an unusual direction, and a thaw followed by a temperature plunge that created icy conditions so fast, state officials warned drivers to get to wherever they planned to spend the night by 3 p.m. It was a historic storm …

Three incumbents run for re-election to Board of Directors

Coop CurrentsCoop News

Every year, WEC’s membership elects three fellow members to serve on the Co-op’s nine-seat Board of Directors. The members who serve in these critical roles oversee management and staff and make policy and leadership decisions for the member-owned electric utility. Three incumbent Directors are running for re-election in 2023: Don Douglas of Orange, Treasurer; Jean Hamilton of Plainfield; and Mary …

Winter Storm Elliott: How does it compare to previous storms?

Coop CurrentsCoop News

By Barry Bernstein Winter Storm Elliott, or the Christmas 2022 storm, will prove to be the most expensive storm in WEC’s history, but not the longest one in terms of days out. It was part of a storm front that put 200 million Americans on a winter alert: that’s two thirds of the US population. It was preceded by a …

Special: Winter Storm Elliott coverage and letter to members from GM Louis Porter

Coop CurrentsCoop News

Dear Fellow Members of Washington Electric Cooperative, I want to thank you for your patience during the recent outage, for caring for your neighbors, and for the encouragement and kindness you showed WEC staff. WEC has recovered from experiencing one of its most destructive storms in recent history. At the start of our restoration efforts, 5,700 members were without power …