“Power to the People” shows the history of rural electric co-ops and their power to shape the clean energy revolution.

New animated short film shows how rural electric cooperatives with over 42 million members can lead the transition to clean energy.

This week, WORC as part of the Rural Power Coalition (RPC) celebrated the launch of a new animated short film “Power to the People: The Story of Rural Electric Cooperatives.” This three and a half-minute animation tells “the empowering story of rural electrification and the transformational opportunity that is now at hand” through rural electric cooperatives.

Rural electric cooperatives or “RECs” are member-owned, nonprofit utilities that serve rural communities in nearly every US state. RECs were first formed in the early twenty-first century, thanks in part to the 1936 Rural Electrification Act that authorized funding for electric distribution systems in rural America. Rural communities organized to secure these funds, and established the cooperative electric utility system that now includes more than 900 RECs and serves more than 42 million people. Today, Rural electric co-ops have a big opportunity to live up to their democratic promise and lead the transition to clean energy.

This is the first of a new series from RPC and The Story of Stuff Project designed to educate the public about the history of rural electrification and the very real opportunities for transformation offered by the $11 billion for new rural clean energy programs included in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.