Phil Carson (left) a board director for Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Mount Vernon, was elected secretary-treasurer of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) at the organization’s annual meeting on Feb. 20, 2013 in New Orleans. Carson joins newly elected NRECA officers Mel Coleman, NRECA board vice-president and CEO of North Arkansas Electric Cooperative; Curtis Nolan, [...]

Sarah Hempen of Columbia rep­resented Monroe Electric Co-Operative in Washington, D.C., during the annual “Youth to Washington” Tour, June 15-22. She and other Illinois students met with Congressman Jerry Costello and were among 75 rural Illinois youth leaders selected for the trip. During the trip, Hempen was chosen by her peers to represent Illinois on [...]

The U.S. wind energy industry had its strongest year ever in 2012, the American Wind Energy Association announced today, ­installing a record 13,124 megawatts (MW) of electric generating capacity, ­leveraging $25 billion in private investment and achieving over 60,000 MW of ­cumulative wind capacity. That’s enough wind power to power the ­equivalent of almost 15 [...]

The U.S. biodiesel industry broke the billion-gallon mark in 2012 for the second consecutive year, according to year-end production figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) noted that the total volume of nearly 1.1 billion gallons exceeded the 2011 production by 6 million gallons. December production totaled just 59 [...]

You can now make reservations for campsites and shelters for many Illinois Department of Natural Resources sites for 2013. Reservations can be made online through the ReserveAmerica website at www.reserveamerica.com using a Visa or MasterCard. For more information, check the IDNR website at http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/Landmgt/Programs/Camping/ Illinois fishing and hunting licenses for 2013 are also available online. [...]

A federal appeals court will not reopen a decision that struck down the Environmental Protection Agency’s sweeping Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. In a two-sentence order released Jan. 24, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied EPA’s request for reconsideration by the full court. A three-judge panel of the circuit court [...]

Almost exactly a year after ­visiting with Illinois electric cooperative ­leaders and then days later suffering a serious stroke, Illinois Republican Senator Mark Kirk returned to work. Kirk battled back through what he describes as “some of the darkest hours of my life.” “In an instant my world changed and I faced the prospect of never [...]

This spring volunteers will be joining Shawnee National Forest employees in stewardship efforts at several locations on the Hidden Springs and Mississippi Bluff Ranger Districts. Each workday will encompass fun, hands-on teamwork with a backdrop of budding trees, ­blooming wildflowers and much more. The workdays are scheduled in March, April and May. Call the Shawnee [...]

Ameren Corp. operates five coal-fired and three gas-fired generating plants in Illinois, but it recently announced its intentions to exit the merchant generation business because of weak power prices and the increasing cost of environmental compliance. The merchant generation business is operated by the Ameren Energy Resources subsidiary, which was formed in 2000 with Illinois’ [...]

Today in a bold move that was surprising for many, the Postal Service announced its intent to shift to a five-day mail and six-day package delivery schedule starting the week of August 5, 2013. The new schedule would consist of mail delivery Monday through Friday, and package delivery Monday through Saturday. Further, mail addressed to [...]