Basin Electric members connect with lawmakers at 2025 NRECA Legislative Conference

Members across Basin Electric attended the 2025 Legislative Conference hosted by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) in Washington, D.C., on April 27-30. Nearly 2,000 electric cooperative leaders attended the conference, where they engaged with members of Congress and the Trump administration, urging them to take action to help meet growing electricity demand.

During the conference, Basin Electric staff attended individual meetings with Senate and House members from North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wyoming.

“Currently, there are many questions on the minds of our co-op membership as new agency and congressional staff are getting established and agency roles are being confirmed, but it is still important to be messaging on all of the issues we covered,” said Jean Schafer, Basin Electric’s senior legislative representative. “In fact, our meeting with Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) took place in the hallway of the Capitol between confirmation hearings as she wasn’t able to leave but still wanted to meet with the Iowa cooperative delegation.”

Key policies that cooperatives advocated for during the conference included permitting reform, unwinding current Environmental Protection Agency regulations, protecting hydroelectric power, and efforts to mitigate the impact of wildfires. Cooperatives also rallied support for rural communities by encouraging representatives to fully fund the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Electric Loan appropriations, protecting access to elective pay energy tax credits, opposing cuts to USDA and Department Of Energy infrastructure programs, encouraging Federal Emergency Management Agencies continuation to invest in rebuilding and resiliency after natural disasters, and discussing the impact tariffs have on electric supply chains.

“Basin Electric’s priorities are tied to our ability to meet rapidly growing demand—access to RUS funding and available tax credits, permitting reform and regulatory certainty,” said Schafer. “Talking about the importance of those issues as the House was working on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was essential, and this rally provided a well-timed visit.”

As Basin Electric works to meet the growing energy demands of its member-owners, it is essential to address federal permitting and regulatory policies to ensure the cooperative can build and maintain the critical infrastructure necessary to fulfill its mission.