This month, Indiana Electric Cooperatives (IEC) — the statewide organization
that publishes Indiana Connection — is celebrating its 90th anniversary.

On March 9, 1935, Governor Paul V. McNutt signed the Indiana REMC Act into
law. The bill, authored by I. Harvey Hull and Frederick Barrows, was the first of
its kind in the country, allowing for the formation of rural electric membership
cooperatives. The electric power industry would not extend lines to rural areas because they did not find it profitable.

According to “Power to the People,” a book written by former Indiana Connection Editor Emily Schilling, Hull was inspired to create rural co-ops after a trip to Scandinavia in 1933. He was impressed by the high standard of living in the farm communities and their access to electricity. He learned that 65% of rural Norway and Sweden were electrified, which was possible because the consumers owned the electric lines.

Two months after the Indiana law was enacted, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation establishing the Rural Electrification Administration as a relief agency. This enabled Congress to allocate $1 million for rural electrification projects. As a result, Indiana had the funds needed to create the rural electric co-ops.

The Indiana REMC Act enabled the formation of the Indiana Statewide Rural Electric Membership Corporation, which was officially founded in July 1935 to help develop co-ops throughout the state.

IEC has evolved significantly over the past nine decades. Still, the organization continues its original goal of promoting and supporting Indiana’s electric co-ops, enabling them to serve their members effectively. Today, IEC assists the co-ops through government relations, safety training and compliance, culture and career development, and communications.

I’m proud to play a small role in helping Indiana’s electric co-ops serve their members. Here’s to 90 more years of continued success.