by Scott R. Bowers
Director of Government Relations,
Indiana Statewide Association of RECs, Inc.


Over the last several weeks, the world has played witness to the rise of public rallies throughout the Middle East as well as in some states here in the United States.

While the issues vary widely in each circumstance, the rallies demonstrate the power people have to impact the governance of their country or tackle a hot-potato issue such as education reform, immigration reform, collective bargaining or right to work.

The recent events in Egypt, Libya and other Middle Eastern countries have certainly captured the attention of the world as the pursuit for more democratic reforms have in many instances been met with bloodshed. The images and events playing out before our eyes are fascinating, enthralling and, at times, horrific. But this intimate view of seeing democracy take shape through the will of the people is historic.

Here at home, we are seeing similar, but much more peaceful, public demonstrations happening as states work to address crushing budget deficits. Ideas how to address the dire fiscal situations in most states, and even those on Capitol Hill, are wide ranging and will impact most, if not all, Americans.

The debate has and will continue to be emotional, passionate and perhaps volatile, but the democratic process here at home should maintain a reasonable and peaceful level of discourse — unlike what is occurring in other parts of the world. Our long history as a republic, the unwavering belief in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the proven ability to effect change through the electoral process at all levels of government are key contributors to the debate as it rages here at home vs. what we are seeing in other areas of the world.

We are bearing witness to the power of a single voice or a collection of unified voices to influence policy discussions or even impact change that can alter the course and future of a nation and its citizens.

The events here at home or those that are happening abroad should only reinforce the importance of staying informed on the issues, engaging in the political process and holding our elected leaders accountable through our actions at the ballot box. By doing so, we can ensure that our elected leaders are working in our best interests as both an individual and as a nation. By not following through on our civic duty, we are the ones responsible for the outcomes that could occur.

In the past, electric cooperative consumers have engaged their elected representatives on a number of issues that would have impacted the continued affordability and even the reliability of electricity. The most recent instance was the issue of cap-and-trade.

While events that are outside our control in the Middle East and other parts of the world have impacted the cost and availability of energy here in the United States, the active engagement by the members of our electric cooperatives have been a substantial influence on proposed policies in the past and will continue to be important in the future. Not only will we see future legislative challenges, we also face significant restrictions from the Environmental Protection Agency that will adversely affect the price and quality of your electric service.

Ultimately, the power of one can spark change, but the unified voices of many —consumers, cooperatives and their statewide and national associations — can be a tremendous and positive force in working to ensure that our common goals of affordability and reliability are secure.


Scott R. Bowers joined Indiana Statewide in January. Previously, he was deputy secretary of state and chief of staff for Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita. Rokita was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November. Indiana Statewide is the service association for Indiana’s 39 consumer-owned electric co-ops and publishes Electric Consumer.