Tona Barkley lives in the small town of Owenton in northeastern Kentucky between the cities of Louisville and Cincinnati. Just like her neighbors, she’s one of the more than 42 million rural Americans who are part owners of their electric utility.

First established in the 1930s as part of the New Deal, rural electric cooperatives (RECs) were created to provide electricity to rural America in a way nobody else could or would. The Rural Electrification Act was one of the most successful programs in US history. It rapidly electrified, boosted the quality of life, and expanded the economy in rural areas.

But after 75 years, rural utilities, and the communities they serve, are increasingly coming under serious pressure. Rural electric cooperatives are laden with billions of dollars of debt for outdated fossil fuel infrastructure. In fact, nine out of the top fourteen worst polluting energy utilities are cooperatives.

Read the full article about rural electric cooperatives by Tom Llewellyn at Shareable.