Every year, Clarke Electric Cooperative joins the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives and rural electric cooperatives from across Iowa to work diligently at the Iowa State Capitol to protect the shared interests we have with our members.

We understand that providing safe, affordable, and reliable energy is central to both the physical and financial well-being of our members.

Each year, cooperative leaders identify potential issues affecting RECs like ours that may come up at the Statehouse while legislators are in session. Our years of experience lobbying on behalf of our members have taught us that sometimes we need to be proactive in proposing bills and sometimes we need to defend our stance on proposed bills and their provisions, as both are important to ensure we meet our objectives for serving our members.

Three topics we are watching during the 2026 Legislative Session are:

Protect Iowa’s defined electric service territories to ensure every corner of the state receives consistent, cost-effective electric service. Recently, Big Tech companies have been working through special interest groups to draft legislation that could remove Iowa’s electric service territory protections. Often referred to as “deregulation” or “customer choice,” removing defined service areas could result in lower power costs for very large electric users at the expense of higher rates and lower reliability for everyone else. Over the past 20+ years, several states have deregulated their electric utilities, but the promises that competition would result in lower rates and improved reliability have not materialized.

Strengthen penalties to further protect utility workers who encounter threats, harassment and assaults while on the job. Although rare, CEC line workers have been threatened verbally, physically and with weapons in recent years. This is not okay. We would like them to get the same protection as similar groups get. While the state has laws that are meant to deter attacks on critical infrastructure like transmission lines, we support a policy that would increase penalties for anyone who carries out an attack on utility workers while performing the duties of their job. Violence against these heroes who power our communities with safe and reliable electricity should not be tolerated.

Third party solar (community solar) programs undermine defined electric service territory by allowing a non-utility to provide retail electric service within a public utility’s territory. Despite claims of lower energy costs, these programs can increase costs for nonsubscribers, especially low-income customers, by shifting system expenses. In fact, 9 out of 10 states with the highest utility costs do not have service territory protections. Lawmakers should not allow out-of-state entities to operate within the established boundaries without the accountability, oversight or reliability standards that Iowa co-ops and other utilities are held and designed to preserve the integrity of our electric grid.

Eminent domain requires clarification and legislation surrounding hazardous liquid pipelines, specifically carbon pipelines. As electricity providers, we will be closely monitoring this extremely important issue for any potential legislation and how it may impact RECs and our ability to deliver safe and reliable power at the lowest cost possible.