Manager’s Message

Look Up for Power Lines

It can be easy to overlook things we see daily—including overhead power lines. Failure to notice overhead lines can be deadly. If you or an object you are touching contacts or gets too close to a power line, you could be seriously injured or killed.

Overhead power lines require 10 feet of clearance in all directions. This distance rule
applies to the power lines draped from pole to pole near roads—these are distribution
lines—and the drop-down lines that service homes or other structures.

If your job requires you to operate equipment near large transmission lines and
towers, these require even more clearance than distribution and drop-down lines. The
Occupational Safety and Health Administration determines that clearance.
Be mindful of overhead power lines when completing any task.

Home Maintenance
Always be aware of the location of power lines, particularly when using long tools such
as ladders, pool skimmers and pruning poles. Lower long tools and equipment before
moving or transporting them. Other safety tips include:
• Carry ladders and other long items horizontally whenever possible.
• Be careful when working on or around your roof.
• Never go on a roof in windy or bad weather.
Yard Work
When trimming trees, do not allow yourself or trimmers to come within 10 feet of
overhead power lines, including service lines to your home or outbuilding. Also:
• Do not trim trees near power lines. Instead, leave this to certified line clearance tree
trimmers.
• Do not use water or blower extensions to clean gutters near electric lines.
Farming
Review power line locations and other potential electrical hazards with all workers at
morning safety meetings. Equipment that could get too close or contact a power pole or line includes sprayer tips, combines, dump trucks, augers and other extensions.
At Work
Follow all OSHA distance requirements when operating dump trucks, cranes, concrete
pump truck extensions and when working on a roof or in a bucket.
Other reminders:
• Do not come within 50 feet of a downed or damaged power line. Warn others to stay
away. Call 911 to report it.
• Never climb trees near power lines. Even if the power lines are not touching the tree,
they could come in contact when weight is added to the branch.
Look up and look out for overhead power lines. Contact can happen in an instant. For
additional electrical safety tips, go to SafeElectricity.org.

Electrical Safety Year-Round

Ohop Mutual recognizes Electrical Safety Month every May, but our workers know
the importance of practicing safety year-round. From Ohop crews to our consumers,
everyone has a part in prioritizing safety.

According to Electrical Safety Foundation International, thousands of people in the
United States are critically injured or electrocuted due to electrical fires and accidents
in their homes. Many of these accidents are preventable. Electricity is a necessity, and it powers our daily lives. But we know firsthand how hazardous electricity can be because we work with it daily.

Electricity is an integral part of modern life. Given the prevalence of electrical devices,
tools and appliances, I would like to pass along a few practical electrical safety tips.
• Frayed wires are a dangerous threat. Power cords can become damaged
or frayed from age, heavy use or excessive current flow. Replace damaged, frayed
or cut power cords, as they could cause a shock when handled.
• Avoid overloading circuits. Circuits can only cope with a limited amount of
electricity. Overloading happens when you draw more electricity than a circuit can safely handle by having too many devices running on one circuit.
• Label circuit breakers to understand your home’s circuits. For homes more than 40
years old, contact a qualified electrician if you wish to install multiple large appliances
that use large amounts of electricity.
• Use extension cords properly. Never plug an extension cord into another extension
cord. It could lead to overheating, creating a potential fire hazard. Don’t exceed the
wattage of the cord. Doing so risks overloading the cord and starting a fire. Rather than
using extension cords as permanent solutions, contact a licensed electrician to install
additional outlets.
• Talk with your children about playing it safe around electricity. Help them be aware
of overhead power lines near where they play outdoors.

Our priority is keeping power flowing to your home or business 24/7, 365 days a
year. Equally important is keeping our community safe around electricity. Contact us for
additional electrical safety tips or if you would like us to provide a safety demonstration at your school or community event.

Trees and Power Lines

Dear Members,

Spring has finally arrived. After the harsh winter, the sight of trees budding and
daffodils blooming is a welcome change. Although the temperatures are beginning to
increase as we head toward summer, we need to remember that vegetation growth will
also start to increase.
Tree related power outages are the single most frequent reason for interruptions
to service. Wind, snow and ice damage the trees causing branches and limbs—and
sometimes entire trees—to tear down energized lines and poles.
Ohop will continue to contract with Asplundh to trim and remove trees along the
Rights of Way to help reduce power outages. We appreciate all of their hard work. We
also want to thank all of those members who have taken the extra step to keep the right of way clear of trees or have allowed us to remove the existing trees. Even though tree removal is more expensive than trimming trees—not having to come back and trim
again every few years saves the Cooperative money.

Rate Increase Necessary
As some of you may recall, the only shadow over the otherwise very positive company
report at our annual meeting was that we had to talk about the upcoming rate increase.
The cost of electric power, as well as other forms of energy, has risen dramatically
during the past few years. Due to state and county mandates and restrictions, mostly
environmental in nature, our work has become more cumbersome and costly. Also,
many of our other costs—such as labor, materials, taxes, and fuel—have increased. In
addition, the Bonneville Power Administration is implementing a very large rate increase this year.
By implementing sound fiscal policies and maintaining strong financial management,
Ohop Mutual has not raised the kWh rates for more than 10 Years (since July 2014).
In keeping with our commitment to our members, your Co-op Board and employees
have worked hard to manage costs and continuously look for ways to operate the
Cooperative more efficiently, and, although I feel that there is never a “positive” way
to announce a rate increase, I am happy to say that the increases are minimal with
the Facilities Charge going up $4.00 and the kWh Rate going from 7.24 to 7.95. This
still keeps Ohop Mutual rates well below the State Average Rate of 11.83 cents and the
National Average Rate of 16.26 cents per kWh.

We appreciate your understanding and commitment to the cooperative way of
business.Thank you. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me.

Kenneth Klotz
General Manager

Call Before You Dig

Spring is near, and warmer weather is on the way.
If your spring plans include remodeling, installing
a fence or sprinkler system or planting a tree,
remember to call 811 first.

811 is the national call-before-you-dig phone
number. Before you begin a project that involves
digging, call 811 to request that the approximate
location of buried utilities be marked with paint
or flags to avoid contact with an underground
utility line.
You must give 48-hour notice for a digging
project, which gives all utilities the opportunity to
locate their facilities. Once all utilities have marked their buried lines, consider how close
your project is to the existing utility line for safety.
Every digging job requires a call. Digging without calling can disrupt service, harm you
or those around you, and potentially result in fines and repair costs.
If you are getting ready to plant trees, look around to see where overhead power lines
may be affected by their growth. In its lifetime, a 2-foot-tall fir seedling will grow to more
than 100 feet tall and about 30 to 50 feet wide. Larger trees should be planted at least 30
feet away from the lines.
Trees are a great way to add to your landscape or add natural shade to keep you home
cool in the summer, but they can interfere with the reliability of our system, and must be
trimmed away from power lines.
Proactive tree trimming is a critical part of our fire mitigation efforts as well. As crews
rotate throughout the service territory, they look for branches near power lines and
branches that could fall through lines. They work on trees determined to be a possible
threat—usually those planted directly below the lines. It is sometimes necessary to trim
branches from trees outside rights-of-way that are too close.
If you plan to prune or trim your trees, check for overhead power lines. Safety should
be your main concern. If you see lines in or near the tree you are planning to work on,
contact Ohop Mutual.
Let’s work together to keep everyone safe, reduce maintenance hassles and reduce tree-related power outages.

General Manager

Kenneth Klotz

Understanding Factors That Impact Your Energy Bills

February often brings some of the coldest weather of the year, causing home heating
systems to work harder—and leading to higher energy bills. When you receive your bill
from Ohop Mutual Light Co., you’ll notice a summary of your energy use during the
billing cycle, including spikes in use on especially chilly days or during visits from guests. However, beyond energy consumption, several external factors can affect electricity costs.

Extreme Weather
Cold snaps or heat waves can drive up electricity use, which in turn can increase your bill. Seasonal fluctuations are common causes of high electric bills, with peak heating and cooling costs coming at the peak of summer and winter.

Energy Policies and Regulations
Federal energy policies and regulations significantly influence electricity costs. With
United States power consumption expected to double by 2050, electric cooperatives are working with Congress to advocate for policies that balance reliability and affordability.

You Have Control
While external factors may affect electricity prices, you can manage energy use at home to save money.
Heating and cooling account for a major portion of energy use, so set your thermostat
to the lowest comfortable setting and schedule annual maintenance for your HVAC
system. Replace dirty filters and seal air leaks around windows and doors to reduce strain on your system.
Consider scheduling energy-intensive chores during off-peak periods—such as early
mornings or evenings—when demand is lower. These small changes can add up to big
savings.
At Ohop Mutual, we are committed to providing safe, affordable and reliable power. By
understanding the factors that influence your energy bills and making simple adjustments, you can take control of your energy costs. Stay warm this winter and know we’re here to help every step of the way.

GENERAL MANAGER
Kenneth Klotz

Dry Season is Fire Season

Summer is in full swing and our vegetable gardens are beginning to bless us with their bounties. Unfortunately, watering our gardens and plants has become a daily chore due to the hot, dry weather.

With dry weather, comes greater fire danger. If you are planning to be outside enjoying the warm weather, camping or having a campfire, please be sure to check for any burn restrictions. Call 1-800-323-BURN for information for the area you are in or traveling to.

Know before you go. The following are campfire safety tips to help you enjoy your activities and protect our natural resources:

• Keep campfires small.
• Build your campfire in an approved pit only.
• Build campfires away from overhanging branches, steep slopes, dry grass, logs and rotten stumps.
• Never take burning material outside the fire ring.
• Never leave any fire unattended.
• Have a bucket of water and shovel handy.
• Drown and stir the fire with water until dead out. Remember just because there is no smoke, the fire is not necessarily out.

Fuel Mix
RCW 19.29A requires electric utilities in Washington State to report to their consumers
the generating sources of power used to provide the electricity that serves their local
loads.

Since Ohop Mutual receives all of its power from the Bonneville Power Administration, Ohop’s fuel mix is the same as BPA’s.

• Large Hydro, 84%; Small Hydro, 1%; Other, 3%; Nuclear, 11%, Wind, 1%.
  
  

If you should have any questions about the fuel mix, please call our office. Stay safe and have a wonderful summer.

Ken Klotz
General Manager

When People Speak, Congress Still Listens

Politics have become so polarized it can be tough for Democrats and Republicans to come together to tackle big challenges. But that’s exactly what happened recently in Washington, D.C., thanks to dedicated lawmakers, including five from Washington.

Reps. Susan DelBene (D-2), Dan Newhouse (R-4), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-5), Derek Kilmer (D-6) and Denny Heck (D-10) listened to thousands of electric cooperative stakeholders as they fought tirelessly to add important legislation to the 2020 federal government spending bill. The bill was signed into law in December, and included a provision known as the Revitalizing Underdeveloped Rural Areas and Lands—or RURAL Act—which solved an existential issue for electric co-ops and America’s rural communities.

Electric co-ops work to secure government grants to help pay for numerous activities that benefit the communities they serve. These include grants for storm recovery, broadband deployment, renewable energy and economic development.

To maintain their tax-exempt status, co-ops can receive no more than 15% of their income from nonmember sources. Historically, government grants to co-ops were counted as contributions to capital. But due to a glitch in the 2017 tax law, government grants were reclassified as income, pushing some co-ops beyond the 15% threshold and jeopardizing their tax-exempt status.

The tax problem left co-ops with an unfair choice: Do they take the money they need to turn the lights back on for their members as quickly as possible after a disaster? Do they accept the broadband grants to help close the digital divide between rural and urban America? Or do they turn down those grants so they don’t have to spend their members’ money paying taxes rather than improving service?

Thanks to Congress, electric co-ops across Washington don’t have to make those trade-offs. This is good news for both co-ops and their members, because some co-ops would have had to raise their electric rates to pay new taxes.

The electric cooperatives in Washington are extremely grateful to the members of the Washington State Congressional Delegation for their support of the RURAL Act. In standing up for Washington’s local communities, they proved that Congress still works for the people. Notably, the legislation drew the bipartisan support of more than 300 lawmakers in the House and more than half of the Senate before it was passed. That’s a rarity these days.

In today’s fast-paced society, pausing to give thanks is done with increasing rarity. That is unfortunate.

Thank you, Reps. DelBene, Newhouse, Rodgers, Kilmer and Heck for looking out for rural communities across Washington. And thank you for working with us to solve this problem.

Kent Lopez
General Manager
Washington Rural Electric Cooperative Association