COLUMBUS, Ohio—NRECA remains laser-focused on the needs of electric cooperatives and their consumer-members and guarding co-ops’ ability to decide how to serve their communities amid an increasingly complex federal policy environment, NRECA CEO Jim Matheson said at the start of the 2026 Regional Meetings.

The upcoming midterm elections could change the balance of power in Congress, potentially affecting policies that impact electric co-ops.

But the outcome of those elections will not sway NRECA’s advocacy “because regardless of who is in office, the member at the end of the line is always our core focus,” Matheson said Sept. 10 on the first day of the Regions 1&4 Meeting.

No matter who wins seats in Congress, NRECA will engage “with every one of those members,” Matheson said, briefing them on Co-op 101 and the strength of the co-op business model.

Co-ops must also educate lawmakers on how energy policies in Washington affect power sector issues locally for people in their districts.

“People trust us because we’ve remained true to that North Star of looking out only for that member at the end of the line,” he said.

That approach has built trust with co-ops and members of Congress alike and made NRECA successful on the federal advocacy front, Matheson said. For the fourth year in a row, a top research firm ranked NRECA as the highest-rated advocacy organization in Washington, D.C.

NRECA’s resolutions process is foundational to that success, he continued. At each Regional Meeting, co-ops will discuss and vote on resolutions that guide NRECA’s federal policy priorities.

Another principle driving NRECA’s advocacy, Matheson said, is the need for co-ops to retain the local flexibility to best serve consumers and communities.

Each of the association’s roughly 900 co-op members should “have the flexibility and the autonomy to make decisions that are right for their community, for their utility,” he said.

“What makes sense in Oregon may be different than what makes sense in Alabama, may be different in Ohio.”

That approach applies to policies around energy-intensive data centers, which can affect the cost and availability of electricity in surrounding areas, Matheson said.

“There are places where it makes sense to build a data center, and there are places where it doesn’t make sense,” he said.

“We’re built by and belong to the community, and we’ll make the right decision for our community.”

Achieving good policy outcomes also relies on co-ops working together with NRECA, Matheson said.

“When we come together, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts,” he concluded.

“Let’s go forth. Let’s work together to build trust.”