CCEC understands our members and the communities we serve are experiencing immediate impacts from government-ordered actions to slow the spread of COVID-19.  The CCEC board of directors recognizes the financial hardships many members will face in the wake of the global pandemic and has therefore delayed the rate increase announced in the April 2020 Ruralite from May 1, 2020 to July 1, 2020.

“This small increase in rates is necessary for the continued financial health of Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative,” said General Manager/CEO Brent Bischoff. “Though we recognized the need for this increase while preparing the 2020 budget last fall, we’ve fortunately had no expensive storm response so far this year allowing the Board to delay raising rates during these challenging times.”

Since the last rate increase in 2016, CCEC has made every effort to control expenses.  Safety is an important value of CCEC which reduces expensive lost time accidents and keeps insurance premiums low;  CCEC advocates for improvements in operational efficiency at the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the federal agency responsible for generating the power we use; and the CCEC Board of Directors carefully monitors the budget and seeks opportunities to control operating and personnel expenses.

“We have been very diligent about managing our costs,” says Bischoff. “Annually we see significant increases in costs to just about every aspect of running our electric utility.  For over 4 years we have been able to absorb those increases without raising rates to our members.  This year to maintain financial stability we need a slight rate increase.”

At a time when we are all affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, CCEC wants our members to remember three things:

CCEC will continue to reliably provide our members with essential electric energy throughout this health and economic crisis,
We are committed to treating all members fairly, and
We are a not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative striving daily to hold down costs while providing the reliable, quality service you expect.

We're here for you. We understand that CCEC members may be impacted financially by Covid-19. We are here to help and will work with you to find a solution to your situation. Call our office to speak with a Member Service Representative to discuss payment options, arrangements and other resources, (541) 332-3931.