Next month, the American people will take to the polls to choose the next president of the United States, members of Congress, and in many cases, state legislators and local officials.

As electric cooperatives strive to meet our present and future energy needs, we are asking lawmakers of all stripes what they’ll do to ensure that consumers continue to enjoy safe, reliable and affordable electric power.

Today, many policymakers and elected officials believe renewable energy, such as wind, solar and biomass (tree trimmings, farm by-products, animal waste and landfill gas) provide the solution to addressing climate change and establishing energy independence. But to keep the lights on and electric rates affordable, electric cooperatives will need to make use of all available generation resources, including renewables, nuclear power and fossil fuels like coal and natural gas that use the latest environmental technology.

Our nation’s electric system, commonly referred to as “the grid,” relies on a network of power plants, transmission lines, and distribution facilities woven together in an intricate web to provide us with electricity. When a piece of this puzzle doesn’t fit or goes missing, brownouts and blackouts can occur – as many folks in the Northeast remember from August 2003, or those in the West recall happened twice during the summer of 1996.

Over the next 22 years, demand for electricity is predicted to increase by 30 percent, and our country has used up the excess power capacity it once had available. This means we will need to build new power plants, all at a time when costs for construction materials such as steel, copper and concrete, and fossil fuels like natural gas and coal are skyrocketing. The challenges we face are immense. This is true even here in Michigan, where new uses for electricity will take up the slack created by the current downturn in the economy.

As a result, electric cooperatives are urging lawmakers to invest in technology that will allow us to help all households become more energy efficient, fast-track plans for building new transmission lines that connect rural regions where renewable electricity is generated to the population centers where it’s consumed, cut through the red tape that prevents construction of new nuclear power plants (which emit only clean water vapor), and capture and permanently store carbon from coal-fired power plants (as a way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions blamed for contributing to global climate change).

These steps will not only strengthen our nation’s electric infrastructure and head off an impending electric power crisis, but significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. Even better, they will help ensure that any climate change goals ultimately adopted remain politically and economically sustainable over the decades necessary to make a difference.

Last month, Michigan took a big step forward when legislators passed, and the governor signed, legislation that will increase the likelihood that we will have ample and cleaner electricity in the future.

But we also need to make our voices heard on a national level. In addition to casting your vote on Nov. 4, you can help educate and inform lawmakers about our energy concerns. Electric cooperatives are currently engaged in a grassroots campaign called “Our Energy, Our Future: A Dialogue With America.” More than a half-million letters and emails have already been sent to Congress by your fellow consumers from all across the United States, each asking critical energy questions. To join this effort, visit ourenergy.coop or complete and mail the card below.

In partnership with the federal government, electric cooperatives met the greatest engineering challenge of the 20th century—spreading the benefits of electric power to the most remote corners of our nation. The time has come once again for Congress to step up to the plate and make certain we continue to enjoy the electric service we’ve come to expect at a price we can afford.