(Submitted by City of Bowling Green)
Bowling Green is celebrating Public Power Week (#PublicPowerWeek), Oct. 6-12, along with more than 2,000 other community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities that collectively provide electricity to 49 million Americans.
“Public power puts the people of Bowling Green first, and Public Power Week gives us the chance to emphasize the advantages of locally grown, locally owned power to our citizens,” said Brian O’Connell, utilities director.
“Our service is reliable and safe and we take pride in serving our friends and neighbors,” said O’Connell.
Since the 1940s, Bowling Green has owned and operated the electric distribution and transmission system in and around the city. As a public power community, decisions are governed by the local Board of Public Utilities and City Council.
Also, the work to maintain the electric system, from the interconnection to the power grid down to the meter that serves the customer, is performed by city employees.
As a member of American Municipal Power (AMP), Bowling Green is one of 135 municipal members who have partnered together to expand our ability to provide a reliable, sustainable, and cost competitive electric system for the benefit of our customers.
For many years, Bowling Green has had a seat on the AMP Board of Trustees. This membership has allowed Bowling Green to build renewable energy projects and provide the Efficiency Smart program and the EcoSmart Choice program.
The Bowling Green community has supported these efforts for clean energy and environmental stewardship. In a typical year, every Bowling Green electric customer can expect to receive up to 40% of their electric energy from renewable resources which exceeds the state and national averages.
Today Bowling Green Municipal Utilities serves 12,797 residential customers, and 1,870 commercial and industrial customers.
Public Power Week is an annual national event coordinated by the American Public Power Association in Washington, D.C. The American Public Power Association is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide.
The Association represents public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 49 million people that public power utilities serve, and the 93,000 people they employ. It advocates and advises on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations. Its members strengthen their communities by providing superior service, engaging citizens, and instilling pride in community-owned power. More at www.PublicPower.org.
