Action Committee for Rural Electrification

Helping candidates who support rural electrification is the primary purpose of the Action Committee for Rural Electrification (ACRE), the non-partisan political action committee that represents the interests of the nation's electric cooperatives and their consumer-members.

ACRE provides monetary support to the election campaigns of federal and state legislative candidates who support the goals and ideals of the electric cooperative program. A portion of Pennsylvania's contributions are retained by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, based in Washington, D.C., for distribution in federal elections. The rest is returned to PREA for use in state legislative campaigns.

One Portion of the Political Process

ACRE members realize that monetary contributions are only one portion of the political process. Members also receive information on important electric cooperative issues through political education workshops and publications. ACRE members also routinely write letters and visit legislators in their district offices to voice concerns on issues important to electric cooperatives.

A partner in this grassroots lobbying effort is the PA/NJ Rural Electric Community Service Network. Members of this group help raise money for ACRE, educate electric cooperative consumer-members on various cooperative issues and work in their communities to further to promote understanding of the rural electric program.

ACRE members include electric cooperative directors, managers, employees, their spouses and rural electric consumer-members. Since ACRE's inception in 1966, Pennsylvania has been recognized as a leader in the program.

Copyright © 2008 by the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association