Editorial Submitted by Anthony Bohaty

The American Clean Energy and Security Act is a bill which seeks to implement a hefty tax on carbon emissions by way of a cap-and-trade program. This tax ultimately falls into the lap of electric consumers in the form of significant rate increases. This bill is moving swiftly through various committees in our nation’s Congress. The next goal established by leaders of the House is to push the 900-plus page bill through the House Ways and Means Committee by June 19th.

As the Irrigation Services Manager for Southern Power District, I am well aware of the rising production costs and how they affect our local farmers. Now, farmers who depend on the affordability of electricity to pump water through their irrigation systems face the possibility of electric rates that could triple. Many of our local farmers have dozens of irrigation services and such a significant increase would put many of them out of business. In addition, most of our farmers reside near their farming operations, and providing to them the electrical services that they need in their homes will be costly if a cap-and-trade, or “cap and tax” proposal becomes a reality.

With the urgency to pass this bill that we are seeing from the leaders of our Congress, those of us who are concerned about those skyrocketing rates also need to act with urgency. If you are concerned about keeping your electric rates affordable, then the time to speak with your Congressman and Senators in Washington is NOW! Please visit www.southernpd.com/oeof today and take just a few minutes to share your concerns with Congressman Adrian Smith, and Senators Ben Nelson and Mike Johanns. If you do not have email access, look for the comment form that can be found in your SPD Irrigation or Customer Newsletters.

Sincerely,


Anthony Bohaty,
Southern Power District Irrigation Services Manager