P.O. Box 390, Fredonia, KS 66736
620-378-2161
www.radiantec.coop
Radiant
E l ectr i c coo p er at i v e
Radiant Electric
Cooperative, Inc.
Board of Trustees
Don Songer
President
Loren Dickens
Vice President
Larry Felts
Secretary-Treasurer
Tom Ayers
Trustee
Lee Bracken
Trustee
Daryl Donohue
Trustee
David Engelman
Trustee
Staff
Leah M. Tindle
Administrative Manager
Dennis Duft
Operations Manager
April Engstrom
Ann Fitzmorris
Deborah Foster
Jacob Gillum
Cindy Holinsworth
Ryan Huser
Larry McVey
Steve Odell
Jeff Reed
Glen Seiler
Frankie Shay
Benny Stephens
Brian Sumner
Kerry Swinney
Tracy Tindle
Contact Us
9346 Jewell Rd, P.O. Box 390
Fredonia, KS 66736
620-378-2161
www.radiantec.coop
Office Hours
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Community Spotlight
Hi-Lites
New Beginnings Offers DocuShread Services
When the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
of 1996 (HIPAA)
came into effect, it not only
changed the way
businesses handle
confidential information about
employees, but
it also affected
hospitals’ and
doctors’ treatment of sensitive
patient information. With the increase in personal Joe O'Rourke, New Beginnings Enterprises president and CEO, points to shredded paper that is ready to be bound.
identity theft,
it is critical that sensitive documents
Businesses with regular pickups
are destroyed properly. Joe O’Rourke, are supplied with locked document
president and CEO of New Beginnings consoles to protect sensitive docuEnterprises, Inc., saw an opportunity.
ments prior to disposal. The consoles
New Beginnings is dedicated to
are placed throughout the company
offering viable and secure document
for a convenience cost of $135 per box
shredding. New Beginnings provides
or $15 per monthly rental charge.
Radiant Electric with all its shredding
When picked up in the
needs.
DocuShred vehicle, documents are
“Our off-site document destructransported directly to their secure
tion program is the most convenient
shredding site until they are proand confidential way to shred no
cessed. After processing has taken
longer needed business or individual
place, a Certificate of Destruction will
documents,” O’Rourke said.
be sent to the business.
“We also offer a personal shredNew Beginnings’ rates are very
competitive for local businesses at
ding program,” O’Rourke said. “Like
just $0.20 per pound, including pickup, businesses, everyone has piles of junk
Continued on page 16-C
paper handling, sorting and shredding.
August 2012 Kansas Country LivinG
16-A
Ready for Higher Electric Rates &
If you think your
electric rates are
high now, you
need to watch the
news. Government
agencies, under
the current
administration,
have already and
are currently in the
process of enacting
regulations that
will dramatically
affect your electric
rates AND may
also lead to rolling
blackouts. If you
think it will only
happen on the
coasts, you have
been misled.
With less than two hours remaining
before the rule would have taken effect,
the United States Court of Appeals for
the D.C. Circuit issued a stay on the
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)
Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR).
The status of the stay will be
decided in September of this year, as a
decision by the court is expected at that
time. Had the stay not been granted, the
major Kansas power generation companies would have been forced to reduce
their emissions in a manner to be in
compliance with the new regulation.
To achieve compliance, utilities
would likely have had to enact rolling
blackouts in various parts of the state,
which would have started in April 2012.
The companies would implement the
rolling blackouts in order to keep from
exceeding emission compliance levels,
thereby avoiding hefty fines imposed by
the EPA.
Under the rule, companies would
face a penalty with a calculation based
on an entire year if they were found out
of compliance for even one day during that year. This would translate into
potentially billions in fines for the generation companies in Kansas alone.
Would utilities take a chance at even
coming close to going over the emissions
cap? No, they would turn off power. If it
wasn’t for the D.C. Court of Appeals, we
may have already been experiencing rolling blackouts right here in Kansas.
You might ask, “Why would it come
to that?” Congress enacted the Clean Air
Act decades ago, which is a comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources.
It is the EPA’s responsibility to administer
the Clean Air Act, on which the last major changes were made in 1990.
Kansas was added to CSAPR in July
2011. CSAPR was to have taken effect on
January 1, 2012. That gave the generation
companies here in Kansas six months to
bring their equipment into compliance. It
takes years, not months, to retrofit generating units with emission control equipment. (Companies on the West Coast
have had 5 years.) The earliest the major
generation companies in Kansas could
have brought their plants into compliance under the regulations proposed by
CSAPR is 2015.
So, how much do you think all of
this would cost to bring power generation plants into compliance in such a
hurry? The answer is a lot–enough to
make your bills go up substantially.
If that isn’t enough, the EPA on April
13, 2012, published a New Source Performance Standard, which will require any
new fossil fueled electric generating unit
Head off Blackouts & Brownouts by Reducing Your Energy Use
With all of today’s technologies, computers, printers, air conditioners,
TVs, VCRs and microwaves, consumers are more “plugged in” than
ever before. Nonetheless, the Alliance to Save Energy predicts that
these growing power demands could lead to power blackouts and
brownouts in years to come.
They urge businesses and consumers to be part of the solution.
Below are some tips you can follow to easily and comfortably lighten
the power load in your home–and cut energy bills, too:
ff
Listen to your mother. Turn off everything not in use, such as
lights, TVs, printers and computers and unplug cell phone and battery chargers.
ff
Reduce utility bills by as much as 30 percent. Look for the Energy
16-B
Kansas Country Living August 2012
Star label–the symbol for energy efficiency–when shopping for
major appliances, lighting, windows, and home electronics. Find
retailers near you at www.energystar.gov.
ff
Shift energy-intensive tasks, laundry and dishwashing, to off-peak
energy demand hours nights and weekends, and remember to do
full loads.
ff
Install CFLs. Replacing four 75-watt incandescent bulbs with 23watt fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) that use about two-thirds less energy
and last up to 10 times longer saves $190 over the life of the bulbs.
ff
Switch to cold water washing of laundry in top-loading washing
machines to save energy and up to $63 a year. Detergents for cold
water get clothes just as clean.
& Rolling Blackouts?
Continued from page 16-A
b y M e l i n d a T hom a s
to emit no more than 1,000 pounds
of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour
of electricity produced. This rule, if
enacted in its current form, will effectively ban the building of new coal
plants.
The EPA has also vowed to set
carbon dioxide emission limits on
both existing and retrofitted plants as
well. Coal currently accounts for about
40 percent of the nation’s generated
electricity. In Kansas, it accounts for
around 70 percent of our electric generation. The current administration has
made no secret that they plan to drive
affordable coal out of the electricity
market, even if it means bypassing
Congress–where the public still has a
voice in the matter.
What Can You Do?
What is scary is that your electric
company has no direct way to prevent
any of this from happening. Your cooperative is doing everything we can
through the courts and talking to the
politicians involved, but we need your
help. You, our members, can voice
your concerns to your Congressional
leaders.
One of the best things we can do
as Kansans is to encourage our representatives to review the Clean Air Act,
which has not had a major amendment since 1990. During the EPA public
comment period, tens of thousands
of electric co-op leaders and advocates sent their message to the EPA
opposing this misguided regulation.
To add your voice, visit www.ourenergy.coop and click “Take Action” to
compose a printed letter or e-mail to
your representative. The hope is that if
Congress makes a major update to the
act, the EPA will see that public pressure is directing them in a modified
direction from where they are trying
to take things now.
Radiant Electric encourages you
to get out there and research the
facts. We do promote a greener,
healthier environment. Radiant’s
generation is diverse, and 50 percent
comes from renewable resources. We
promote energy savings through lower
rates and rebates for energy-efficient
heat pumps and water heaters. We
are constantly looking into the latest
technological innovations that can
help lower greenhouse gas emissions,
and work toward implementing them
under a reasonable timeline.
It takes time and money to
retro-fit existing plants to meet new
regulations, to build new, “non” coalfired power plants, and to build new
transmission lines to distribute the
electricity from the new power plants.
We understand the importance of caring for the environment, but we also
understand what our members can
and cannot handle in electric costs
and potential losses of power.
We are trying to ensure that you,
our members, are being considered
when these rules are being enacted.
Those making the rules need to hear
from those of us being affected by
the rules. Help us help you by getting out there and talking with your
politicians. If too many of us think
that politics does not play much of
a role when it comes to your electric
bill, we are all going to be groaning
when our rates become unaffordable,
our lights are being turned off, small
portable generators are sold out, burglaries/theft start to rise and more.
In this case, “ignorance will not
be bliss.” Without action, these effects will be unavoidable. There is a
saying that if you try to put a frog in
a pot of boiling water, it will immediately jump out. But if you put that
same frog in a pot of cold water and
heat it to a boil slowly, it will stay in
the pot and cook. It doesn’t realize
that the water is hot until it’s too
late. Please don’t be “the frog that
gets cooked.”
The DocuShred truck transports documents to a secure shredding site for just
$0.20 per pound.
mail, newspapers, magazines, bank
statements, legal documents and
credit card bills.”
For a fixed cost of $25 a year, anyone can drop off confidential items as
needed at their location 1001 Wilson
St. in Neodesha. They also have locations in Eureka and Moline.
Helping the community even
more, New Beginnings provides employment to adults with intellectual
and developmental disabilities, and
Radiant is proud to use their services.
“We have 40 full-time employees and one part-time employee,”
O’Rourke said. “In the DocuShred department, we serve 28 adult individuals that are involved with the process
of shredding.”
Employees separate the paper by
type and grade with a watchful eye
looking for the color Goldenrod. This
color is used every day in offices and
schools. Goldenrod is the one color
they have to be sure doesn’t get into
the shredder with the everyday office
paper used. It feels the same as other
paper, but if it is shredded and baled
into the incorrect 1000 lb. bale, it will
be spotted by the company New
Beginnings sells it to. They will cut the
binder straps and remove the Goldenrod at the expense of New Beginnings.
For more information, please call
620-325-3333, it’s a convenient way
for you to do your part in preserving
the environment and supporting the
community.
August 2012 Kansas Country LivinG
16-C
Local Event
Calendar
Help Local Students Fight Hunger with
CANEY
August 14 –Appreciation Breakfast for
Staff and Teachers of USD 436: Hosted
by Caney Chamber of Commerce begins
at 7:30 a.m. The public is invited to make a
reservation by calling 620-879-5131.
CHANUTE
August 11 –Music in the Park: 6:30 p.m.
at Santa Fe Park.
August 18 –Chanute Area Chamber of
Commerce Golf Tournament: 8 a.m. at
Quarry Stone.
August 18 –2nd Annual Journey
Through the Jungle Sprint Triathlon:
7 a.m. at Maring Aquatic Center. This event
consists of a 200-meter swim, a 13-mile bike
and a 5k run. Entry fees for individual are $40
due by August 10.
August 24 –Annual Jesse Jackson
Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast: at 7 a.m.
COFFEYVILLE
August 10-18 –Coffeyville Inter-State
Fair and Rodeo: Three nights of PRCA
Rodeo, demolition derby, carnival rides, view
the wares, food stands and listen to music.
Held at Walter Johnson Park. Visit www.
fairandrodeo.com for more information.
INDEPENDENCE
Every Saturday in August –Farmers
Market: 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.
August 3 –Independence Block
Party: 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m in downtown
Independence where there will be food,
music, dancing and kids activities. Vending the
event will be provided by Chickhoovenswine
BBQ catering and vending from Spring Hill.
August 3-5 –Montomery County
Theatre presents Nunsence II.
August 4 –Merchants’ End of Summer
Sidewalk Sale: Located downtown.
August 14-September 3 –The Mid
Continent Band performs: Every Tuesday
through Labor Day the band performs at the
band shell at Riverside Park. Performance
begins at 8 p.m.
August 17 –All Wheels Nite: Located
at 205 Penn downtown Independence from
6 to 8 p.m. Anyone with an old refurbished
car, motorcycle, tricycle or anything on
wheels can bring it downtown and show it
off and also enjoy the free music. Dine at the
American Soda Fountain and have a chance
at free door prizes. Bring your ride and your
lawn chair and show your stuff!
16-D
Kansas Country Living August 2012
With the start of school in the Radiant Electric service area, it is time to
remind our members of the QuarterQuest Program that was started in
September 2009.
The program provides weekend
food for school aged children who
might otherwise go hungry when
furnished meals from school and
childcare end on Fridays.
QuarterQuest asks each Radiant
member to voluntarily authorize the
addition of a tax-deductible 25 cents
(or more) to their monthly electric
bill. The donations are then sent each
month to the Kansas Food Bank for
the purpose of buying supplies to
fill the backpacks for children in our
service area with the most risk of
present and future problems stemming from childhood hunger.
This will be the third year that
Radiant has sponsored this program
and a good portion of our members
support it as well.
If you are interested in the
QuarterQuest Program and are an
e-bill payee, send an e-mail to kerry@
radiantec.coop and she will set up
your account to include the taxdeductible donation you would like
to contribute each month.
You can also indicate your
contribution on the space provided
on your billing statement. Be sure
to indicate the amount you are
donating and if this is a one-time
donation or an automatic donation
each month.
Because of our members and
employees, we are taking care of our
own–one quarter at a time.
Please Notify Radiant Electric if a Member is Deceased
From time-to-time the cooperative becomes aware that an electric
account is still active in a deceased
person’s name, even several months
after a death.
We understand that it may take
several weeks to make the proper
arrangements following the death of
a loved one. However, we urge you
to have the electric billings changed
over as soon as possible so that you
and/or other heirs can receive the
capital credit payments you may be
due.
School Starts in August
Please make sure to remember
to drive carefully and watch for
school buses stopped for children
on the roadway!
Our bylaws state that at its discretion the board of trustees shall
have the power at any time upon
the death of any patron, if the legal
representatives of his estate shall
request in writing that the capital
credited to the patron, be retired
prior to the time such capital would
otherwise be retired.
To complete this procedure,
call Radiant Electric at 620-3782161 ext. 139. After answering a few
questions we will mail the necessary
paperwork to you.