TAYLORSVILLE, Miss. (WDAM) – Representatives from nearby electric cooperatives convened at the Southern Pine Electric offices in Taylorsville to network both with local media outlets and among themselves.
The day enabled cooperatives to become somewhat better acquainted with each other.
This presents us with a chance to share our thoughts and requirements,” explained Jan Collins, who serves as the vice president of communications and government relations for Southern Pine Electric Cooperative. “There might be particular needs within their region or service area that we aren’t aware of, just as they might not be familiar with ours.
A worker at a cooperative mentions that being aware of other cooperatives and understanding how they can assist is an extremely valuable asset.
“When we have storms that come through, we can draw on each other’s resources and knowledge and be able to get help from each other, no matter what the situation is,” said Leif Munkel, Pearl River Valley Electric Marketing & Communications/Member Services manager.
Along with getting to connect with other co-ops, issues within the electric and utility world were discussed.
A pressing issue discussed: An update on the deceased trees dilemma stemming from California’s statewide drought of 2023.
Right-Of-Way crews have cut down approximately 175,000 dead trees in the area.
“[It has] significantly helped our outage numbers,” said Nolan Thorne, Southern Pine Electric’s “Right-Of-Way” manager. “We still have work to do, but we’ve made significant progress along our main lines and our worst-impacted areas.”
Thorne mentioned that additional tree assaults attributed to at least two types of beetles have also begun emerging recently.
“Due to the severe drought we had, the plants were stressed,” Thorne said. “They were not able to defend themselves as well, so, we’ve had an increase in Southern Pine beetles as well as Elk beetles.”
Co-op leaders and law enforcement also discussed the importance of being aware of what’s happening when bad weather comes through.
The annual joint electric co-op meeting happens every second Thursday of May.
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