House Concurrent Resolution 113

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING SINGING RIVER ELECTRIC POWER ASSOCIATION UPON ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY.

WHEREAS, Singing River Electric Power Association, a private, not-for-profit organization, is being honored upon the special occasion of celebrating its 75th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, organized on August 31, 1938, by a group of neighbors, who gathered at the George County Courthouse, made the choice to provide their own electricity through a cooperative form of business and as a result they formed Singing River Electric, which is named for the Pascagoula River; and

WHEREAS, after the cooperative was organized, the first board of directors was elected and they were as follows: from George County, N.G. Fairley (Lucedale), Hardy D. Vise (Lucedale) and Alex Woodard (Lucedale); from Jackson County, Axel C. Pedersen (Hurley) and Henry Cochran (Escatawpa) and from Greene County, Ben M. DeShazo (McLain) and Lige Hillman (Leakesville); and

WHEREAS, on December 5, 1939, Singing River Electric energized its first section of line and from those humble beginnings of only 50 meters using 691 kilowatt hours in that first month of business to 1.37 billion kilowatt hours being distributed to 71,208 meters in 2012; and

WHEREAS, notably, Singing River Electric, as a leader in using advanced technology, is currently the 47th largest of the 849 electric cooperatives in the United States, and in Mississippi, they serve customers in the following seven counties: Jackson, George, Greene, Perry, Stone, Wayne and Harrison, and they also serve two counties in Alabama; and

WHEREAS, Singing River Electric embodies the cooperative spirit of community involvement and serves local civic and service clubs such as Rotary and Kiwanis and walks for causes such as the March of Dimes and the American Cancer Society as well as nonprofits such as United Way; and

WHEREAS, in addition to providing electric service to their members, Singing River Electric offers energy-efficiency programs that help reduce their energy costs as well as promotes daily the importance of electrical safety; and

WHEREAS, Singing River Electric obtained $7.8 million in USDA Rural Development Loans for projects within the counties they service, which has improved the economy and created jobs for the local communities; and

WHEREAS, also, as a member-owned form of business, Singing River Electric has returned more than $2.7 million in capital credits to members in 2011 and 2012 alone; and

WHEREAS, with a workforce of 185 dedicated, hard-working, full-time employees at three offices in Lucedale, Gautier and Sand Hill, Singing River is a driving economic force in those areas;

and

WHEREAS, Singing River Electric's emergency crews constantly receive well-deserved praise and recognition for their restoration of electric service, which speaks volumes of the overall caliber of the employees of the superb electric cooperative; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature, to honor outstanding entities such as Singing River Electric whose distribution of electric energy provides service that improves the quality of life of the members as well as the communities they serve:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby congratulate Singing River Electric Power Association upon the special occasion of its 75th year anniversary and wish continued success in all of its future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Singing River Electric Power Association and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.