Hear What Our Stakeholders Are Saying About BEL

“I appreciate all the resources BEL was able to provide us during our PACE application.  They provided many helpful resources, including webinars and sample documents.  Their staff was also incredibly helpful, offering assistance through one-on-one conversations as well as providing information and reviewing application documents.  I really appreciate all the help they provided,” said Jayson Bishop, General Manager at Midwest Electric in Nebraska where BEL helped secure a nearly $17 million PACE award to finance solar renewable energy resource facilities and energy storage systems for communities in Wallace, Grant, Paxton and Lakeview.

“BEL helped our community apply for and win Tribal Electrification funding allowing the upgrade and electrification of Tribal homes allowing so they can receive additional allocations of free clean energy. This wouldn’t have been possible without BEL assistance and it’s a win-win-win for our community,” said Kevin Short, General Manager at Anza Electric Cooperative in California. The Cahuilla Band of Santa Rosa Indians in Anza Electric Cooperative territory received 250,000 dollars of BIA funding.

The Pennsylvania Electric Cooperatives expressed their gratitude for the technical assistance provided by the Appalachian Regional Commission via the planning grant to the Beneficial Electrification League. “We appreciate BEL’s support on behalf of our member systems,” said PREA/Allegheny President & CEO Steve Brame. “Electric cooperatives pride themselves on service reliability. The partnership with BEL on these infrastructure projects will help fortify the grid for cooperative communities in this region.” BEL helped secure over $13.7M in grid resiliency grants for rural Pennsylvania.

“The hard work that BEL’s staff put into this application is how Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative was able to secure this funding,” said Nick Berger, Senior Director / VP of Engineering and Operations at Claverack REC, where BEL helped secure over $2.1M in grid resiliency grants. 

John Lykens, CEO at Sullivan County REC in Pennsylvania echoed the sentiment, “Sullivan County REC appreciates BEL assistance with this grant process.” BEL helped secure $3.3M in grid resiliency grants for this rural Pennsylvania Electric Cooperative.

"The Beneficial Electrification League was instrumental in our success to secure electrification funds. We are grateful for their support and guidance and could not have done it without them!" said Nick Lawler, General Manager at Littleton Electric Light and Water Departments, where BEL helped secure a $500,000 Energy Futures Grant and $300,000 Energy Efficiency Conservation Block grant program with over a two dozen municipal utilities from Massachusetts, Vermont, and Delaware.

"Thanks to the BEL Team for all their support. They were very helpful and insightful into the opportunities, and as a sounding board for ideas and strategy," said Robert DeMelo, Director of Transmission and Project Services at Seminole Electric Cooperative who worked with BEL while securing several hundred millions of dollars in USDA New ERA funding in Florida.

“Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative appreciates the technical assistance, partnership and guidance provided by BEL to help develop and support our application,” said Michael Hanawalt, Director of Economic Development and Member Engagement at Tri-County REC in Pennsylvania, where BEL’s support secured over $900,000 in federal funding.

“These upgrades are key to addressing aging infrastructure and improving reliability and positioning ourselves for future growth, said Dennis McFee CEO/General Manager of Yazoo City Public Service Commission, Mississippi. "As a small team with limited resources addressing these needs has been challenging. Support from the BEL has made this possible."

“Electric infrastructure is the backbone of economic development in our local community," said Mark Morrison, General Manager and CEO, New Enterprise REC, Pennsylvania. "The investments we are working with BEL to secure will be an upgrade to our electric system that will have impact for decades.”

“The work that BEL was able to provide to assist with this grant process was very helpful, and Somerset REC appreciates the support,” said Rus Ogburn, General Manager at Somerset REC in Pennsylvania, where BEL helped secure $1.5M.

"We appreciate the help provided by the Beneficial Electrification League. Their assistance was critical in successfully securing clean energy funding for our small utility members" said Colin Hansen CEO and General Manager at KPP Energy, who worked with BEL to secure $35M of USDA PACE funding for solar in 9 small cities in Kansas.

“BEL provided incredible support in helping Madison Electric envision a strategy and approach to apply for state resilience funding, including navigating the application process and sorting through the myriads of documents and requirements, we couldn’t have done this without BEL!”, said Martin Berry, Superintendent at Madison Electric, who was awarded $500,000 through their 40101(d) grid resilience program from DOE via the State of Maine.

“BEL support was invaluable in applying for the state’s grid resilience program. BEL helped us craft a successful strategy and identify opportunities for us to succeed in our application process for an electric infrastructure project that will benefit our rural communities in South Central Indiana,” said Gregg Hopsicker, Vice President, Distribution Services at South Central Indiana Rural Electric Membership Cooperative, who was awarded 2.2M dollars in resilience funding to help rural communities in Indiana.

“We are thrilled to see GEFA and DOE invest in the reliability and resilience of our member cities. For communities like Monroe and Elberton, this funding enables crucial upgrades that reduce outages and improve service quality. These improvements are a vital step toward a more resilient future, and we are grateful to have partners like GEFA and the Beneficial Electrification League to assist our communities,” said Jon McBrayer, Community Development Manager for ECG Economic & Community Development, Electric Cities of Georgia.

“BEL was consistently helpful and responsive during our application processes. BEL provided critical third-party EV and heat pump electrification calculations for our federal funding application. Our association with the organization bolsters our political and industry clout,” said Rob Taylor, Funding and Grants Coordinator at Rushmore Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. in South Dakota.

“BEL was an amazing partner and supported our application at every step, helping us draft documents and bring issues to the agency as they arose. Thanks to their efforts, our small, rural utility secured a substantial grant that will provide funding for construction of a new micro-hydro generation project, rooftop solar, and small-scale energy storage to support our emergency operations center,” said Jackie Pratt, General Manager at Stowe Electric Department in Vermont, who secured millions of dollars in federal electric infrastructure funding with support of BEL.

"BEL’s guidance was essential in helping us shape complex protective device upgrades into a strong, fundable DOE proposal. Their team helped us translate our technical needs into a compelling application that reflects the true impact of this project for our members," said Miller Dendy, CFO at Natchez Trace Electric Power Association who worked with BEL while securing $1 million worth of DOE grid resilience funding in Mississippi.