Colorado Rural Electric Association
The Colorado Rural Electric Association is the statewide service organization representing Colorado’s electric distribution cooperatives and generation and transmission cooperative. CREA was organized in 1945 to provide a variety of services to its member cooperatives. Through CREA, the individual cooperatives share in the advantages of a larger utility operation, but control and ownership is maintained at the local level. CREA is governed by a board of directors that is made up of one representative from each of its member systems. CREA exists as a united representative for its members and functions for their mutual benefit to promote rural electrification and to foster the principles upon which the electric cooperatives were founded. Some of the services and programs offered by CREA include:
Legislative Support
The CREA staff maintains a legislative program both at the state and national levels. From time to time, CREA becomes involved in certain issues before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. CREA works very closely with its members, its power supplier, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in the implementation of a complete legislative agenda.
Communications
Colorado Country Life is an award-winning monthly magazine that is published for participating member electric cooperatives. It is a consumer-oriented publication and has a circulation of more than 189,000 copies per month. It is the official voice of the Colorado Rural Electric Association and its members, but is just one piece of an extensive communications program offered to CREA’s member co-ops.
Safety Training and Loss Control
CREA provides safety and regulatory training and assistance to its member systems. Information and special reports are also sent to member systems to aid in the system’s efforts to comply with the multitude of complex governmental regulations. CREA assists its member cooperatives in providing safe work environments for their employees and training them in safe work practices.
Education Programs
The cooperatives have set high standards of governance and performance for directors and employees. To meet the demands of our changing industry, CREA is ready to assist its membership with lifelong learning opportunities by offering ongoing education classes and conferences covering industry issues.
Stay Current with the Electric Industry
CREA provides its members and the general public with several ways to stay informed as to what is happening within the electric industry. These include the following:
Colorado Country Life magazine. This magazine is purchased by CREA member co-ops for their member-owners and is the most cost-effective way for the co-ops to get important information to their members. The public may subscribe to the magazine for only $15 a year (in state) or $20 a year (out of state). Call 303-455-4111 or email info@coloradocountylife.org to subscribe.
Our Colorado Power newsletter. This 6 times a year e-newsletter is filled with information on what Colorado’s electric co-ops are doing in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation. It also keeps readers up to date on other innovative programs the co-ops are involved in. Subscribe by filling out this form.
The CREA Energy Innovations Summit. Another way to stay current with industry information is to attend the annual fall Energy Innovations Summit.
America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC/CARE
To enhance the legislative program, CREA actively promotes and solicits memberships in both America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC and CARE. America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC, formally known as ACRE, is the national political action committee headquartered at NRECA in Arlington, Virginia. CARE, Colorado Advocates for Rural Electrification, is the Colorado PAC, and its funds are maintained in the CREA office in Denver, Colorado. The CREA legislative staff, the CARE Committee and the membership determine which candidates for state office receive CARE’s support. PAC and CARE are bipartisan committees.