POWERSOUTH EMPLOYEES MEET WITH NATIONAL LEADERS

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(left to right) Nancy, Amelia, Savannah and Vann Bumpers (Plant Lowman); Christopher and Ashley Sasser (Financial Services); Leslie Singleton (Plant Lowman); Tim Hattaway (Energy Control); Shane Booth (Plant Lowman) and Rhonda Hattaway stand on the steps of the Capitol.

ANDALUSIA, ALA. — Four PowerSouth employees recently traveled to Washington, D.C., and played an active role in promoting cooperative issues to our Congressional delegation.

The Action Committee for Rural Electrification (ACRE) selected four winners at random during appreciation luncheons in October 2007. The winners were: Vann Bumpers, Lowman Plant Operator; Tim Hattaway, Energy Control Center Manager; Ashley Sasser, Finance and Accounting Administrative Clerk; and Leslie Singleton, Plant Lowman Administrative Clerk.

The employees toured the capital city and joined with 3,000 other co-op representatives from all over the nation to meet with legislators at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) 2008 Legislative Conference May 4-7.

NRECA Board President Jack F. Wolfe Jr. called this year’s conference the most important in his three decades in the co-op movement because of the urgency and complexity of the issues. The conference focused on issues such as Rural Utilities Service (RUS) funding, clean coal technology and nuclear energy. Climate control legislation and the possibility of a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions were also discussed. Participants were asked to push for congressional action in four major areas: access to tax incentives for clean-coal technologies, changes in a climate change bill pending in the Senate, support for the Rural Economic Development Loans and Grants program, and reform of the freight rail industry.

NRECA CEO Glenn English told participants at the conference that they have an obligation to speak up on behalf of consumers.

“Unless we focus our elected officials’ attention on this issue, there is little hope of avoiding the kind of catastrophe that many see for us,” English said of the debate on climate change legislation. “We must urge our members of congress to listen to us on those matters in which we have great expertise: how to keep the lights on and how to keep the cost of electricity affordable.”

Sasser said she had a different respect for ACRE after seeing it in action. “They work hard for what we work for here,” she said.

Bumpers said he realizes how ACRE’s goals are in line with electric cooperative principles. “I'm more aware of what ACRE is trying to achieve -- to meet demands and keep power costs as low as possible,” he said.

“I didn't realize how much political issues affect us as a cooperative or how much we get involved in legislative activities,” Singleton said. “The people who speak to legislators on our behalf really study the details to present our side of the story.”

The PowerSouth group visited the offices of Congressmen Jo Bonner (district 1) and Artur Davis (district 7), and attended a breakfast with Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby. While the legislators seemed concerned about the issues that cooperatives face, Hattaway said he didn’t see anything happening fast in D.C. “It’s a slow process,” he said. “It takes a long time for things to get approved.”

There were more than 150 representatives from Alabama electric cooperatives in attendance this year, which is one of the largest delegations Alabama has ever had at the conference.

“It is really important to have one-on-one time with house members and senators,” Hattaway said. “They’re the ones voting on the issues that affect our company and other co-ops in the country.”

Mark Ingram, PowerSouth Communication Manager, said it is vital for cooperatives to have representation at the conference.

“It is a great opportunity for managers, board members and cooperative employees to have one-on-one meetings with our congressional delegation to discuss the issues affecting future power supply and the importance of keeping electric rates affordable as a national energy plan is developed,” Ingram said. “It gives everyone a chance to have a voice and talk about certain bills that may affect electric cooperatives.”

Bumpers echoed these sentiments. “We have to work with our senators and house members to help them do what they can for rural electrification.”

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About PowerSouth:

PowerSouth serves the wholesale energy needs of 16 electric cooperatives and four municipal electric systems in Alabama and northwest Florida, with more than a million consumers in 39 Alabama and 10 Florida counties. PowerSouth is dedicated to providing reliable energy at the lowest possible cost to its members.

For more information:

Mark Ingram, Corporate Communication Manager

334.427.3330

mark.ingram@powersouth.com

www.powersouth.com

PowerSouth is an EEO and AAP employer

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