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Contact:
Tracy Warren
Phone: 703-907-5746
Mobile: 703-517-3411

George Lyons receives the Paul Revere Award from NRECA president F.E. “Wally” Wolski Photo Credit: Michael Lynch

Atlanta, Georgia, February 15, 2010 -- The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) today awards George Lyons, general manager of Polk County Rural Public Power District the Paul Revere Award for an outstanding grassroots effort on behalf of the Our Energy, Our Future® campaign. The public power district (PPD) general manager received the award at NRECA’s 2010 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

Despite the small size of the PPD – 3,700 consumer members – more than a third of the membership participated in the Our Energy, Our Future campaign, sending 5,500 emails to elected officials. Lyons and his staff reached out in many ways, sending bill stuffers, magazine inserts, advertisements, as well as manager columns and editorials. The diverse communications hammered home a single theme: PPD consumers want affordable and reliable power.

George Lyons’ success builds on his efforts to generate support for ACRE; Polk County RPPD has repeatedly won recognition for 100 percent participation of its board members and employees in the ACRE program.

“Like the ACRE program, the Our Energy, Our Future program can only succeed when the person at the top is committed to making participation a high priority,” said F.E. “Wally” Wolski, president of NRECA’s Board of Directors.“George Lyons’ commitment to this campaign resulted in an impressive 30 percent participation by the PPD’s members.”

The Our Energy, Our Future grassroots campaign seeks to challenge the U.S. Congress to meet our climate change goals while maintaining affordable electricity.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million people in 47 states.

More than 9,000 representatives from cooperative electric utilities across the nation are attending the NRECA Annual Meeting, February 15-18, at the Atlanta Convention Center, during which they will set NRECA’s legislative and organizational agenda for 2009. In addition to considering and acting upon policy resolutions, delegates receive reports from NRECA officials, hear addresses by key public figures and business experts, and attend panel sessions on major issues affecting electric cooperatives and their consumer owners.

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