Along Those Lines

NRECA

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's podcast is focused on the important stories from across co-op country about the issues that matter most to rural America and the energy industry.

  1. MAY 11

    'It's In Our Principles': North Dakota Statewide Food Project Shows Concern for Community

    Food deserts are a major challenge in rural America, leaving many communities without easy access to affordable, nutritious food. The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives is forging an ambitious solution to this problem. With help from a large new grant, the statewide's rural development center is launching a regional grocery and food hub to tackle hunger in north central North Dakota. Hear more about this project from NDAREC's Josh Kramer and Ellen Huber.

    26 min

  2. APR 20

    Unpacking the Surge in U.S. Electricity Demand

    After decades of stagnant growth, U.S. power demand is set to jump in the years ahead. Data centers will be a big part of the increase, but other sources could rival those gains. On this episode of Along Those Lines, we take a closer look at these demand growth drivers with Lidija Sekaric, NRECA's vice president of innovation and emerging technology, and David Porter, vice president of electrification and sustainable energy strategy at EPRI.

    31 min

  3. MAR 16

    Co-op Safety Conversation Evolves as Annual Summit Draws Record Interest

    On this episode of Along Those Lines, we're joined by NRECA Director of Safety Programs Ken Macken and Johnie Hendrix, vice president of risk management and training for the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. Ken and Johnie will talk about new ways that NRECA, statewide organizations and co-ops are working to improve safety. They'll also give program highlights of the upcoming NRECA Safety Leadership Summit in St. Louis, Missouri, which is smashing past registration records.

    30 min

  4. FEB 13

    Award-Winning CEO Shares Her Co-op's Communication Strategy

    Effective communication by electric co-ops—through good times and bad—builds member loyalty and better aligns and engages co-op employees. In this episode, Cherryland Electric Cooperative CEO Rachel Johnson, this year's winner of the J.C. Brown CEO Communication Leadership Award, shares her thoughts on how to leverage new and traditional media platforms to reach members and educate the public. She also gives tips on improving internal communication between co-op leadership and staff.

    27 min

  5. JAN 15

    Kate Steel Leads NRECA International Into Its Next Chapter

    For over 60 years, NRECA International has helped bring electricity to unserved or underserved parts of the world, drawing on lessons learned from the U.S. electrification story. Hear from NRECA International's new senior vice president, Kate Steel, on how the organization is staying true to its mission as it charts a new path toward global electrification as well as how co-ops and others can support this vital work.

    19 min

  6. 2025-12-15

    Electric Co-ops Manage Unprecedented Data Center Growth

    Data center development is surging to meet demand for cloud applications, cryptocurrency, streaming services and AI. Electric co-ops are at the center of it, with some fielding multiple new requests at a time to serve data centers. These large loads can benefit co-ops and their communities in a number of ways—and they also pose a host of challenges. Learn more from NRECA's Allison Hamilton, Wabash Valley Power Alliance's Jeff Conrad and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp.'s JD Lowery.

    39 min

  7. 2025-11-10

    NRECA Defense Summits Address Military's Evolving Energy Needs

    More than 140 electric co-ops serve Department of Defense facilities or Coast Guard stations, and co-ops own, operate and maintain the power distribution grids at 31 military installations through utility privatization contracts. Hear from NRECA's Lauren Khair, Kodiak Electric Association's Dan Menth and Kotzebue Electric Association's Tom Atkinson about a new series of Defense Summits to tackle grid modernization challenges amid the changing energy needs of our armed services.

    28 min

  8. 2025-10-13

    Electric Co-ops Mount Multipronged Campaign to Improve FEMA

    FEMA provides crucial funding to co-ops after disasters, allowing them to restore power faster and make their infrastructure more resilient while limiting related costs for members. But FEMA is far from perfect, with many co-ops facing issues with accessing funding. Hear from NRECA's Jim Matheson, Florida Electric Cooperatives Association's Mike Bjorklund and Vermont Electric Co-op's Rebecca Towne on why FEMA is so essential and how a bipartisan bill in Congress could improve the agency.

    32 min
See All (94)

About

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's podcast is focused on the important stories from across co-op country about the issues that matter most to rural America and the energy industry.

Information

  • Creator
    NRECA
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    94
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 383586
  • Show Website
    Along Those Lines

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