Page 6 - Member Handbook

ABOUT US
Co-op facts & figures
*as of 7/1/20
*as of 12/31/19
5
History
In the 1930s only a a a a a a a a a small percentage of o American farms had electricity because urban for-profit utilities felt it fit it it it was too expensive to to to provide service to to to rural communities In 1935 1935 everything changed On May 11 1935 1935 Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order No 7037 establishing the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) The REA REA provided low interest funding and technical assistance to rural electric cooperatives which began rapidly forming across the United States In 1938 a a a a a a a a group of citizens near Delta Delta CO banded together to to form Delta- Montrose Rural Power Lines Association The co-op originally served just 250 members Soon the territory expanded to to include Delta Hotchkiss and Paonia Delta-Montrose Rural Power Power Lines Association shared some of the the same service territory as Western Colorado Power Power Company As As a a a a a a a a a a a a a a result the the the the two companies’ power lines often ran parallel to to to to one another In 1971 the the the Public Utilities Commission of of of Colorado ordered an an an an an an exchange of of of customers to to to correct this situation and consolidate certain areas At that time 2 000 more members joined the cooperative Subsequently in in May 1975 Delta-Montrose Rural Power Power Lines Association purchased a a a a a a a a a a a a portion of territory from Western Colorado Power Power Company adding approximately 10 000 more members in in in in Montrose Montrose and 730 miles of line to the system And with this Delta-Montrose Delta-Montrose Rural Power Lines Association Association became Delta-Montrose Delta-Montrose Electric Association Association