November Editorial

November is one of my favorite months. Hunting season is in full swing, the mosquitoes are gone, and people are beginning to prepare for the holiday season. November is also a time for thanks, and we have much to be thankful for.

Electricity is one thing we continue to be grateful for – it’s something we depend on daily for essential needs. Keeping the lights on, heating our homes, keeping our food cold, charging phones, and powering well pumps so we have running water are all essential needs that can’t happen without reliable electricity. You may remember the 2023 Christmas Day ice storm that left some without electricity for 11 days.  

This reminds me of something else to be thankful for. Lineworkers and many other cooperative employees stepped up to the plate, working 12–15-hour days, leaving their families during the holidays, and embracing the less-than-perfect working conditions to restore power to our members’ homes, farms, and businesses, and they deserve our thanks.

We occasionally must deal with an ice storm or windstorm, but we can be thankful that we are not going through what our cooperative families are experiencing in the southern part of our nation. The one-two punch of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton left more than 3 million Americans without power, which continues as I write this article. We are thankful that we have cooperation among cooperatives, which is one of our seven cooperative principles. Electric cooperatives nationwide have sent mutual aid crews, equipment, and donations to the electric cooperatives and their families affected by the hurricanes. We are working with our statewide organization, North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC), to coordinate assistance and donations.

Controlling expenses, embracing technology, and managing budgets are things we attribute to keeping your electricity rates stable. CCEC has not implemented a rate increase since 2017 despite inflationary pressures on our material costs. Over the past four years, the cost of our power poles has increased 173%, transformers are up 320%, wire up 40%, conduit is up 99%, and bucket trucks are up 24.5%. Another component that helps to keep rates stable – and something to be thankful for – is our load growth. We are fortunate to live and serve in areas that support economic development and growth. Over the past 20 years, we have added 1,600 accounts per year, on average. Load growth for cities, rural communities, and utilities has challenges, but overall, it is healthy for cost stability.

We’re grateful to have you as a member of Cass County Electric Cooperative, and we hope you feel the same. At CCEC, we’re committed to providing reliable service, managing costs responsibly, and giving back to the communities we serve. As always, our goal is to keep your power on 100% of the time. Wishing you and your loved ones a safe and joyful Thanksgiving!