By Emily Compton
The Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric (PSREC) Board of Directors held its 88th annual meeting of members. This year’s meeting was hybrid; members could attend in person or virtually.
The meeting was on Thursday, September 4, at the Sierra Valley Grange Hall in Vinton and was livestreamed via YouTube. The recording can be viewed by searching Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative on YouTube and selecting the Live tab.
Members cast their ballots by mail or electronically and were invited to submit questions before the meeting.
Emily Compton, member and energy services manager at PSREC, started the meeting by thanking the volunteers and announcing the winners of the PSREC Annual Meeting Photo Contest. She then announced the winners of the PSREC and Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications (PST) Citizen Scholar scholarships.
Emily was followed by PSREC Board President Fred Nelson, who introduced Reverend Jesse Hodson and asked him to hold a prayer. The speakers and audience stood for the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem.
Fred introduced the board and general counsel, who were present on stage. From there, PSREC General Manager Bob Marshall continued introducing special guests to the audience.
Bob then presented the PST report for 2025. Following the report, Bob introduced NCPA Assistant General Manager – Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Jane Cirrincione, who spoke about the state of the electric industry and grid reliability in California and the effects on public power utilities, including PS REC. The next speaker up to the podium was Michelle Williams, the new senior vice president and Sierra Nevada regional manager of Western Area Power Administration. Michelle brought to light WAPA’s power-revenue requirement changes due to new transmission projects and changes in some markets that help keep power rates low and affordable to PSREC and other utilities. She also touched on a handful of new hydropower projects within California and their positive impacts. Jessica Nelson, general manager of Golden State Power Cooperative, provided updates on the electric industry during the meeting, as well as the importance of the national organization for electric cooperatives, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).
Board President Fred Nelson reviewed accomplishments for the year, including the progress that has been made on Plumas-Sierra’s Fort Sage transmission project. The project is partially funded by a Defense Community Infrastructure Grant that the cooperative received. PSREC anticipates the project to be completed by the end of 2027. Finally, he discussed the 12 telecommunication grants the cooperative is working on. Due to these grants, over 1,000 electric poles will be replaced at no cost to the membership.
Fred handed the microphone back to Bob, who expressed his gratitude to PSREC employees for their hard work keeping the lights and internet service on for members. He further discussed the importance of the Fort Sage Project and the overall state of the electric industry in California. Bob also discussed PST’s background and how it has developed over the years. He also talked about PST’s efforts in applying for and implementing state and federal grant money and how they affect our member-owners and local communities. This was a common theme throughout the evening.
Bob later answered questions that members had submitted during a Q&A session. Topics covered included fiber-optic service availability, electric vehicles, and storage. The issue of rates came up, and there are no current plans for an increase at this time. PSREC will monitor precipitation in California this winter and determine whether or not a Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment (WPCA) in early Spring is needed.
Alyson Ackerman, PSREC’s legal counsel, directed the business meeting. Members reelected District 2 Director Dick Short and District 5 Director David Hansen.
PSREC appreciates all members who attended PSREC/PST in person or joined us virtually via our livestream. We know members are busy, so the cooperative staff and board thank all who participated. We hope to see you in person or virtually for next year’s annual meeting.