ATLANTA—NRECA CEO Jim Matheson brought a message of encouragement to electric cooperative leaders at NRECA's annual PowerXchange.

In his remarks during the opening general session Monday, Matheson drew upon the inspiring stories of the program's early years, the impact of co-op vision, leadership and unity and even his own family history. He painted a picture of a co-op industry that is uniquely prepared to thrive.

“We strive to do the right thing, and we're good at doing it," he told the crowd in the Georgia World Congress Center. “In the face of hardship, we draw on the incredible foundation of character, courage and hope laid by those who came before us."

Matheson called out the electric reliability threats caused by “bad public policy" as a major challenge of our time.

“Public policies haven't planned for the growth in our economy and increases in electric demand the way they should have," Matheson said. “That was our main message to the Biden administration, and it's been our main message to the Trump administration."

He noted that he, the NRECA team and co-ops across the country have worked together to quickly engage policymakers on ways they can help co-ops and rural communities succeed.

“We're at the table. We have the relationships. We're leaders because we know what it takes to bring power to the places that America depends on for its strength," he said.

“We've connected the dots between economic growth and reliable, affordable, always-available electricity. The ironclad relationship between electricity and opportunity is something electric cooperatives demonstrate every single day."

Matheson evoked the spirit and strength of his Scottish great-grandparents, who came to America and walked across the plains to settle in Utah.

And he told the story of President Franklin Roosevelt's summer home in Warm Springs, Georgia, dubbed the Little White House. It was there that FDR conceived the idea of creating the Rural Electrification Administration and entrusting rural Americans with the task of bringing power to the countryside.

“He knew what we could do," he said. “He saw resilient men and women, forged by the experience of life in rural places, who could take on tough tasks, who possessed the self-reliance, the grit, the ability to work together to pursue an ambitious goal and then make it happen.

“And those attributes still ring true in rural America."

Matheson also outlined the policy priorities co-ops are focused on in Washington. He listed key co-op objectives, including permitting reform, new power generation, continued investment in co-op infrastructure projects and a diversified national energy portfolio.

“When I talk about a pro-energy agenda for America, I'm talking about what we do best," he said. “Pro-energy means local control. It means being practical. Pro-energy means being for something."

He closed with an invitation to attendees and a reminder that for more than 80 years, the nation has benefited during challenging times from the electric cooperative spirit.

“This is a chance to create real, meaningful change," he said. “Our conversations this week help forge one, strong, powerful co-op voice. That's the voice people hear in Congress, in the White House, in Washington and across the country. We make an incredible difference when we speak with one voice, choose the communities and people we serve and when we put them first."