The final version of the New York State Climate Action Scoping Plan will be made available January 1, 2023. In its statement on this topic in this paper last week, Otsego Electric Cooperative (OEC) made very clear the shortcomings of present versions of this plan, particularly as regards the needs of the population served by OEC. I am grateful for OEC’s thoughtful analysis, which illuminates the true costs of keeping the lights on in New York City, not to mention of keeping on our own lights. Let’s hope the final Scoping Plan addresses some of these issues.
New York’s Climate Action Council is finalizing its Scoping Plan for meeting the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals. The Climate Action Plan needs to achieve an affordable, dependable, and safe electric grid but we are not certain that the CAP will achieve this.
OEC is a distribution utility. We do not generate our power supply. OEC has been a green energy utility since the early 1960s. OEC currently buys about 85 percent of our power from hydro and other zero emission sources; our goal is 100 percent zero emissions. The Climate Action Plan presents challenges for OEC and the New York electric grid. If vehicles, businesses and households are going to become electric, we will need to increase energy supplies rapidly.
CHERRY VALLEY – John Robert Oakley, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother who worked for many years as a logger and then a loom operator and technician for Thistle Hill Weavers, passed Friday night, December 17, 2021, at his home on Chestnut Ridge Road surrounded by his family. He was 76.
Born July 20, 1945, in Muncie, Indiana, John was a son of William Marion Oakley and Ruth (Dunn) Oakley.
For many years he was employed by Otsego Electric Cooperative, Inc. as a foreman for the line clearance crew. In recent years he joined with his wife, Rabbit Goody in operating Thistle Hill Weavers in Cherry Valley. John was especially adept at maintaining and repairing the complex looms and machinery involved with the day-to-day operations at Thistle Hill Weavers, and was greatly appreciated for his expertise and engineering skills.
Customer as well as CEO, Tim Johnson, with wife Vicki, enjoy Broadband at their rural Edmeston home. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
Hickling’s Fish Farm Inc. is exactly what Otsego Electric President/CEO Tim Johnson is talking about.
In tanks inside four sizeable modern buildings on Pitts Road near here, the Hicklings are growing 65-70,000 trout yearlings annually, and another 20-30,000 pounds of 2-year-old bass, which – a delicacy in Thai and other cultures – are sold to Asian markets in Boston and other East Coast cities.
“The big money we’re spending now is in technology,” said Darren Hickling, a civil engineer who operates the business with his parents, Vincent and Linda, a nephew and one of the nephew’s high-school buddies.
With the county’s outmigration, Hickling said he can’t expand his workforce even if he wanted to: There’s no one to hire.
“It” – Broadband – “was an economic-development initiative for us,” said Johnson, who had been outside legal counsel to Otsego Electric for 25 years before becoming the top executive in 2015.
As a 501(c)(12), Otsego Electric – a cooperative founded during the Depression, owned by members to serve members – Otsego Electric is prohibited from making profits.
SUNDAY SPEAKER – 3 p.m. ‘The Struggle to Bring Broadband to Rural America’ presented by Tim Johnson, CEO of Otsego Electric Cooperative and OEConnect. Free, registration required. 607-547-8344 or visit www.eventbrite.com/o/friends-of-the-village-library-23034666815
SEMINAR – 8:30 – 11 a.m. Learn about the progress in bringing Broadband internet to Otsego County from Otsego Electric Cooperative CEO Tim Johnson. Free, registration required. Presented by The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce. 607-432-4500 or visit otsegocc.com
HARTWICK – Finally, more broadband is coming to Otsego County.
This March, Otsego Electric Cooperative’s plans to bring the high-powered Internet to most of the western part of the county will begin with fiber broadband access in Laurens.
“Be patient, we’re coming,” said Tim Johnson, CEO, Otsego Electric Cooperative. “We’re making rapid progress and we’ll get there.”
Separately, by fall the Otsego Now hopes to launch its downtown Cooperstown WiFi Hotspot project through MIDTEL, Middleburgh Telephone Co.
SCHUYLER LAKE – Nicholas Charles Kelly, 64, for 17 years a lineman with Otsego Electric Cooperative, died Monday afternoon, July 31, 2017, at his home surrounded by his loving family.
Nick was born Jan. 30, 1953, at Bassett Hospital, first born and only son of Charles W. and Dorothy P. (Oblak) Kelly. Nick grew up on the family farm where he worked alongside his father and grandfather “JW”. He graduated from Richfield Springs Central School, where he excelled in basketball and baseball.
Following graduation, he worked with his Dad drilling wells and cutting logs before joining Otsego Electric Cooperative in Hartwick at a lineman. In the fall of 2000, a disability led to Nick’s early retirement.
Based in Hartwick, Otsego Electric Cooperative has been serving customers since 1941.
HARTWICK – Otsego Electric Cooperative will be receiving $3.9 million from New York State to build a fiber-to-the-home project to provide 1,750 co-op members access to a state-of-the-art network, the company announced today.
Service will be available at speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second with no data limits sometime in the latter part of 2017. The co-op will offer Internet access and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service initially. This will be beneficial to local businesses because a small business voip can help improve communication and customer outreach.
HARTWICK – Timothy R. Johnson of Edmeston, former legal counsel to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, has joined Otsego Electric Cooperative as chief executive officer.
A lifelong Otsego County resident and OEC attorney for almost 30 years, the new CEO succeeds Steve Rinell, who resigned.
A backload bucket full of icey water is poured down on Otsego Electric Cooperative President Steve Rinell and his crew this afternoon, part of the ALS Challenge. (Jim Kevlin/allotsego.com)
But it was all in fun, as the laughing participants attest, and for a good cause.
HARTWICK – Otsego Electric Cooperative President Steve Rinell asked his employees to participate in the ALS “Ice Bucket” Challenge that has raised $93 million so far to help fight Lou Gehrig Disease. At 4 p.m. today, then took him up on it.
The coop crew filled a backhoe bucket with water and ice and, with Steve sitting in their midst, underwent an icy dousing.
For the privilege of doing so, each paid $10. Steve matched them $10 each, raising $240 for the ALS Foundation. Plus, he donated $100, and challenged his counterpart at the Steuben Electric Cooperative, Wayne Sherwood, to do the same.
Crew members undergoing a dousing included, from Oneonta, Dan Hamilton, Jim Foote, Cody Allen and Brad Alger. Also, Steve Rind and Kevin Rottingen, Cooperstown; Lee Rumovicz, Maryland; Tom Fish, Milford, and Trevor LeFever, Unadilla.
