Electric Co-op Today

The threat of high electric bills under proposed federal climate change legislation was the focus of a recent set of public service spots featuring an official from the Iowa statewide.

Local anchor Elezabeth Kling (l) and the Iowa statewide’s Allan Urlis (r) discussed climate change on a cable TV news program. The station’s Bill Peard assisted. (Photo By: Mediacom)

Throughout April, Allan Urlis, director of communications for the Iowa Association of Electric Co-ops, Des Moines, appeared on “Newsleaders,” an interview series sponsored by Mediacom, a telecom provider in Des Moines. Elizabeth Klinge, a local TV anchor, interviewed Urlis during the five-minute spots, which aired on CNN “Headline News” on a rotating basis with other segments in the Des Moines market.

Urlis discussed the programs and goals of electric co-ops and their concerns about affordability of electric bills under proposed climate change legislation.

His remarks on affordability were based on findings from a recent Tax Foundation study that electric bills would rise by $1,218 a year for the average American household.

The segments “were real eye-openers for people,” Urlis said.

“People told me, ‘I didn’t know our electric bill could go up like that,’ or, ‘I didn’t know Congress was looking at climate change legislation.’ This was a great opportunity to get our message out and have a non-partisan outsider doing the interview.”

Tags: Climate Change Legislation, Consumer-Members, Local Initiatives