Our Commitment

Our future energy solutions

Our mission is to “provide members with reliable energy at competitive rates in harmony with a sustainable environment.”

What does this mean?

This means that we are stepping forward to act on the evidence that climate change is real. We are responding with energy resource solutions that support a sustainable environment.

Our five-point commitment to sustainable energy resource solutions

1. Commitment to 25 percent renewable energy standard

We are committed to deriving 25 percent of our electric energy from renewable resources by the year 2025. At a time when it is in the national interest to secure greater energy independence, the federal government is providing a production tax incentive to renewable energy developers, and we have the opportunity to enhance our regional economy with more renewable energy development, we will move ahead aggressively with our commitment to 25 percent renewable energy by 2025. It’s the right thing to do.

2. Commitment to reduce CO2 emissions below 2000 levels by 2020

There is no question that in the near term, much of our additional generation – the other 75 percent -- must come from traditional resources such as coal. We, however, are making a commitment to mitigate the environmental impact of the “other 75 percent” to the maximum extent we can. This means that when making that decision, we also will make the right environmental choice within the parameters of what is technologically and financially possible. This commitment is a core operating principle within our business culture that will guide how business questions are decided on an ongoing basis. One key component of this commitment is to reduce our CO₂ emissions below 2000 levels by 2020. We expect to accomplish this even though our system load growth is among the fastest in the Upper Midwest.

3. Commitment to conservation and energy efficiency as generation resources

Energy conservation and energy efficiency will be elevated within our cooperative as a core business strategy to help us deliver competitively priced reliable electric service while meeting our own environmental stewardship standards. Conservation and efficiency will be viewed on equal footing with other generation resources. We will continue to use demand response programs to help reduce the current rate of growth of energy demand within the areas we serve. Plus, we are committed to expanding our conservation and energy efficiency programs to reduce consumers’ energy consumption.

4. Commitment to employ research to find sustainable energy resource solutions

We seek to reduce our CO₂ emissions by means that may include capturing and sequestering the CO₂ emissions. However, sustainable energy resource goals, such as those that we want to accomplish are not currently achievable because the technology does not yet exist, it is cost prohibitive, or both. Promising research has begun in universities, private research labs, government agencies and other venues on reducing the environmental impacts of energy generation, improving energy efficiency and refining new technologies. We are committed to devoting more of our resources and to seeking additional research dollars. We will strive to spark a greater sense of urgency in government and elsewhere to fund and carry out research to find and refine the answers to our most pressing energy concerns.

5. Commitment to creative coalitions to solve energy and environmental challenges

No single company, state government, environmental group or other stakeholder can solve our country’s energy challenges on its own. We are making a major corporate commitment to work in partnerships and coalitions whenever they have the potential to achieve success greater than what we can accomplish on our own. In some cases, we may lead the coalition. In others, we may organize the coalition or act as one of many participants. Our commitment to more renewables, reduction of CO₂ emissions, an increased emphasis on conservation and efficiency, and the opportunity to accelerate research will be substantially enhanced by developing creative coalitions. In addition, we will look to business partnerships that allow us to finance new energy investments consistent with our “triple bottom line” of competitive rates, reliable service and environmental stewardship. Finally, we are committed to developing deeper partnerships with our employees, our co-op member-owners and the communities we serve.