In more than 30 years in Congress, Rep. Sanford D. Bishop Jr. of Georgia has proven to be a champion for rural communities and the electric cooperatives that serve them, state and national co-op leaders say.

As the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Bishop has used his clout to help co-ops secure funding to improve their infrastructure, spur economic development, create local jobs and deploy broadband, say leaders of Georgia Electric Membership Corp.

“Congressman Bishop has been a great friend to all of the co-ops in Georgia,” says Dennis Chastain, president and CEO of Georgia EMC. “As both ranking member—and previously chairman—of the agriculture appropriations subcommittee, he has been very important to us.”

Bishop represents the rural 2nd Congressional District in central and southwest Georgia, which includes about a dozen co-ops, says Jason Bragg, vice president of government relations at the statewide association.

“He makes sure every year that he supports funding for the Rural Utilities Service programs that benefit co-ops,” Bragg says. “He’s really focused on rural economic development, and more recently, he’s been a champion for broadband programs such as ReConnect. He also made sure co-ops had access to the broadband money in the American Rescue Plan during COVID.”

Heather Teilhet, senior vice president of external affairs for Oglethorpe Power Corp., said Bishop “has been a great partner” to the Tucker-based generation co-op.

“Some of our most important generation assets are in his rural district, and he and his staff have been tremendous supporters of our federal grant applications through the DoE [Department of Energy] and RUS.”

She said Oglethorpe Power has had several meetings with Bishop about projects it has proposed for federal funding under the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program and the New ERA program, which provides a total of $9.7 billion in grants and loans to co-ops for new and innovative clean energy systems.

“I remember a few years ago, during a meeting about our power plants in his district, he showed his deep familiarity with our operations, and that’s when I realized Congressman Bishop has a true understanding of our culture,” Teilhet says. “It’s a pleasure to work with a member of Congress who has been around long enough to develop a relationship with us over things we both care about, like the health and prosperity of rural Georgia.”

Bishop’s leadership on rural issues helps co-ops throughout the nation, NRECA’s lobbyists say.

“Rep. Bishop recognizes the seminal role of co-ops in maintaining a vibrant economy in rural America,” says Montee Wynn, legislative affairs director at NRECA who has worked with the congressman for years. He cited Bishop’s strong support for funding the RUS Electric Loan Program and his push to include co-op priorities in the Farm Bill.

“His expertise on rural issues, and particularly on electric co-op issues, is especially important in his position as the ranking member of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee,” says Jason Cooke, who lobbies on agriculture issues for NRECA. “Electric co-ops are fortunate to have such an experienced, knowledgeable legislator like Congressman Bishop in a position of consequence for our consumer-members.”

In Georgia, Bishop has always been easily accessible to co-ops, seeking their advice on energy issues and meeting regularly with co-op leaders and Youth Tour students, Chastain says.

The congressman regularly attends the annual meetings of co-ops in his district, and he was there for Sumter EMC’s meeting in Americus in August, Bragg says.

Bishop told co-op members at the meeting that “my passion is for rural America to have the resources and opportunities to reach its full potential.”

“Rural development is one of my top priorities,” Bishop told RE Magazine. “Reliable and affordable electricity and broadband infrastructure are essential to quality of life for our businesses, homes and families. I believe that your potential should not be limited because of your ZIP code. That’s why I am proud to support our rural electric cooperatives. They provide energy and internet access all across rural America to over 40 million people nationwide in 48 states—and they serve 92% of persistent-poverty counties, those who can least afford to pay higher rates to build and maintain crucial infrastructure. I will continue to ensure that that our co-ops receive federal support to invest in their communities in rural America so they have access to reliable and affordable energy and broadband.”

The 77-year-old congressman is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a small group of moderate House Democrats that pushes for bipartisan agreement on a variety of issues, including ways to revitalize rural America. Bishop has worked with Republicans, such as Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia, on ways to help farmers and other rural residents, Bragg says.

“He’s done a great job of working across the aisle to benefit Georgia,” Bragg says.