The Power of Connections

CHAPTER TWO

A SEASON OF GROWTH AND INNOVATION

I n 1998, Titanic dominated the box office, a quirky company called Google made its debut, and St. Louis Cardinal first baseman Mark McGwire shattered baseball’s single-season home run record. The year also welcomed an era of steady growth, strategic expansion opportunities, and technological advances for Missouri’s largest electric cooperative. Across the United States, efforts to deregulate the electric power industry led to several states on the East and West Coasts enacting legislation that allowed consumers to choose their electric suppliers. The primary goal was to reduce electric rates and expand service offerings by creating a competitive marketplace for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power. While lawmakers considered similar deregulation legislation in Missouri, the state’s long history of stable, affordable electric rates did not provide a compelling case for changing the prevailing regulatory environment. But the shift toward deregulation in

With the possibility of deregulation on the horizon, in 1998, CREC entered a partnership with MFA Oil, based out of Columbia, Missouri, to offer propane gas service to CREC members. Though mildly successful IURP D ²QDQFLDO SHUVSHFWLYH DIWHU D FRPSUHKHQVLYH study of the partnership, CREC made the strategic decision to end Cuivre River Propane in 2009.

14 Cuivre River Electric Cooperative