By Pete Gawda
Mountain View Electric Association has a program to keep its members aware of proposed legislation that could affect their electric bills.
“Electricity has become a hot topic, and we want people to be informed,” said Austin Rodemaker, government affairs liaison for Mountain View. “A lot of people are not aware of policies that affect the availability and affordability of electricity.”
That is why Mountain View formed Grassroots Network in 2023. Interested members can visit https://mvea/community/grassroots-network to find out more about Grassroots Network and sign up to receive emails. Members who sign up for emails are not committing to advocacy or political action. The emails are simply a way to inform members of legislative matters that affect them. Any further action on the part of the member is strictly voluntary.
Rodemaker said that each session of the Colorado General Assembly deals with 40 to 60 bills involving electricity. In tracking those bills, he plans to inform Mountain View members via email of the ones that will affect them personally.
The government liaison affairs position generally involves representing the utility in regulatory legislative and public affairs matters, coordinating with state and federal agencies and informing stakeholders of issues affecting them. Rodemaker recently came to Mountain View from a similar position with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association in Cheyenne Wyoming. Tri-State is a wholesale electricity power provider to 39 utilities across the rural west. He said he came to Mountain View because he enjoys working with electric cooperatives and his wife is from Colorado Springs.
