Living Better Electrically

TOGETHER IN A COMMON PURPOSE

From the beginning, REA and electrical cooperatives faced criticism from the private utility industry and pro-business politicians. Some even called REA socialistic. During World War II, when the government redirected copper and aluminum supplies to the war effort and away from the cooperatives, the government also accused EMCs of hoarding these materials. At that point, electric cooperatives across the country decided they must form a national organization that would represent their views and interests as a whole.

In late March 1942, prominent co-op leaders met in Washington, D.C. to organize the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The newly appointed board of directors elected native Georgian Steve Tate, once the first president of the Amicalola EMC Board of Directors, as NRECA president. With significant congressional support, the group aimed to provide electricity to the remaining American farms without power and shield cooperatives from lawsuits, discriminatory taxes, and state regulations. Assisted by REA, NRECA lobbied to remove the wartime ban on copper wire for rural electrification projects. They argued persuasively that rural electrification helped American farmers produce more goods for the war effort and replaced the shortage of farm labor. Years after WWII, NRECA still continues to advocate for American electrical cooperatives and the communities they serve.