Educating members on their rights and responsibilities of belonging to a co-op has been the primary goal of REC. Many of the 14,000 co-op members do not know what it means to be a co-op member. The predominantly white board of trustees lacks transparency and refuses to hold public elections, distribute dividends to members or operate democratically in a region that is majority African-American. BWEMC member-owners face exorbitantly high electricity bills, ranging from $300-$1200 for two bedroom homes or trailers, while many households live below the poverty line. The issues plaguing the cooperative are extensive. A key part of their campaign is to make data more visible through mapping. REC Democracy Project is a grassroots organizing campaign educating and mobilizing BWEMC member-owners to take back control of their co-op. However, BWEMC’s board of trustees have been operating the company as a private monopoly rather than a democratic consumer co-op that prioritizes the needs of its member-owners. ![]() Every household that receives energy from BWEMC is technically a co-op member-owner. ![]() ![]() REC Democracy Project, a grassroots organizing campaign, uses mapping as a tool to democratize Black Warrior EMC, a rural electric cooperative.īlack Warrior EMC is an electric cooperative serving 12 counties in Western Alabama. Democratizing Energy Cooperatives in Rural Alabama Alabama, USA By Emily Sloss cooperatives, energy, democracy
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