CFC Vice President of Corporate Communications Charlie Gloeckner speaks with NRECA CEO Jim Matheson about the critical partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and electric cooperatives. The conversation spotlights the agency’s historic and ongoing role in disaster recovery for non-profit utilities and emphasizes how its support is vital.
They discuss recent legislative efforts to reform the agency, including bipartisan collaboration in Congress and a reform bill that aims to: expedite FEMA fund disbursement (within 120 days); allow reimbursement of interest incurred from bridge financing; enable rebuilding to modern standards, not just original specifications; and dedicate 20% of pre-disaster mitigation funding to rural and economically distressed areas.
Matheson concludes with a call to action for cooperative members to advocate for legislative support, stressing the importance of collective engagement to ensure robust, resilient infrastructure and seize emerging opportunities in the electric sector.