U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton was in Marshfield Oct. 23 and the veteran congressman took time from his schedule to have lunch and speak to the board of Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative. In turn, the board used the occasion to honor Skelton with a bronze statue of a lineman for his strong support of the rural electrical program.

"We had a good visit," said Gary Fulks, manager of the Marshfield-based transmission cooperative. "We shared our concerns about the nation's energy future and he thanked us for our support on all the issues facing rural Missourians."

The meeting was a great opportunity for electric cooperative leaders to visit with Skelton about the "perfect storm" they see coming for member-owners of the cooperatives. At the same time electric cooperatives need to add more generation to meet rising demand for electricity, Congress is considering legislation to address climate change.

"We have nothing but strong support from Rep. Skelton on this and other issues important to rural people," Fulks says. "We really appreciated the opportunity to visit with him on behalf of the thousands of co-op members we serve. I know he was grateful for the input too as he works on these weighty decisions."

This summer, electric cooperatives launched the "Our Energy, Our Future" campaign to start a dialogue between members and their elected officials. Consumers can join the effort by logging on to http://www.ourenergy.coop/ or by contacting their local electric cooperative.