Brighton, CO – United Power executed a letter of commitment with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Services today for the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. In September, the cooperative was announced as an awardee for $261.6 million in grant funding to offset the cost of new generation for its transition to a strategic portfolio of clean energy that includes power purchase agreements that will provide more than 760 megawatts of renewable resources to its members by 2030. USDA staff is currently working with the cooperative to complete underwriting to fully fund the award.

The New ERA funding requires submission of a comprehensive Community Benefit Plan (CBP). United Power’s CBP was submitted and accepted in November, allowing the cooperative to move to the next step in the New ERA process.

“These grant funds will be used to offset a portion of the costs United Power has and will incur for seven different power purchase agreements,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and CEO. “The projects represent new, clean energy sources that have already significantly reduced our greenhouse gas emissions since the exit from our former wholesale power supplier on May 1. Additionally, the projects are bringing tax dollars and jobs to each of the areas where the systems are located.”

United Power’s CBP expands assistance to the communities it serves, with a commitment to invest an additional $1 million into a variety of community projects and programs. The goal of the CBP is to enhance life for members and communities through support of targeted programs, providing dollars for a wide range of needs. Assisting members on fixed incomes, investing in beneficial electrification efforts, supporting farmers and ranchers, and directing funding to communities where New ERA project facilities are located are all included in the extensive list of CBP initiatives.

The first initiative funded under the CBP is the award of four lineworker scholarships of $7,500 each. There is a critical need for trained lineworkers, and the scholarships will help to boost opportunities for students working toward certification at local colleges in Colorado.

“Receiving this scholarship means a lot to me,” said Kate Killinen, one of the United Power lineworker scholarship recipients. “It means that I can go through the Mesa Lineworker Program without going into any school debt and focus more on my studies rather than how to get the money I need to get through it. Receiving this scholarship will help my long-term career goals of working for an electric cooperative by helping me get through an amazing program that is the foundation to my whole career.” 

The CBP commitments will be distributed throughout the 10 years of the planned grant period and represent a substantial increase over the dollars already earmarked by the cooperative for its numerous annual community support efforts. 

“As a cooperative, supporting our communities and investing in education have always been key directives in our annual planning,” said Gabriel. “We have been awarding scholarships, supporting education in our industry, and providing leadership and investment dollars to assistance organizations that serve our members for decades. Now we will be able to do even more.”

To learn more about United Power’s industry leading energy transition outlined in its long-term vision for the future, read Our Cooperative Roadmap.

About United Power

United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, delivering electricity to homes, farms, and businesses throughout Colorado’s northern front range. The cooperative is one of the fastest-growing electric co-ops in the nation, serving more than 113,000 meters. Its 900-square mile service territory extends from the mountains of Coal Creek and Golden Gate Canyon, along the I-25 corridor and Carbon Valley region, to the farmlands of Brighton, Hudson, and Keenesburg. United Power is also a founding member of the NextGen Cooperative Alliance, which is dedicated to expanding the power supply and procurement options available to distribution co-ops and reforming the traditional generation and transmission business model. For more information about United Power, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow the cooperative on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

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Members Select Nonprofits to Receive Cooperative Grants

Adams County Food Bank

The Adams County Food Bank helps relieve food insecurity among families, seniors, and children in Commerce City, Thornton, Westminster, and across 34 zip codes throughout the county. It is the largest organization in Adams County working to alleviate hunger.

Crescent Park Community Fire Protection Association

The association’s mission is to protect people, properties, animals, and the environment from wildfires through outreach, education, and fire mitigation, and creating defensible space and emergency evacuation plans.

Community Uplift Partnership (CUP)

Young adults are some of the most vibrant people in our communities. Community Uplift Partnership (CUP) reminds them they have value beyond a paycheck, strengthens them to conquer barriers to employment opportunities that provide sustainable wages, and equips them to make better decisions for their futures.

Happiness Through Horses

Happiness Through Horses enriches the lives of individuals of all ages, with a special emphasis on youth, through meaningful interactions with horses and sanctuary animals. They offer programs promoting mental health, personal growth, and educational development.

Sparkling Kindness

Sparkling Kindness is a small nonprofit operating out of Commerce City. It provides support to the local community by distributing basic hygiene kits, feminine hygiene kits, and “comfort” kits (consisting of fleece blankets, socks, stuffed animals, coloring books, crayons, and chapstick).

Stand & Fight

Stand & Fight seeks to encourage children enduring life-threatening illnesses by awakening their warrior within. They take a stand for dignity and positivity during medical treatment while recognizing the courage needed to fight. Stand & Fight offers recognition as well as port and picc-line adaptive apparel, in addition to other items.

United Power's Community Support Demonstrates it is "Here for Good"

United Power has undergone significant change over the past year, including its wholesale energy contract exit, as it moved to become an independent electric utility on May 1. The cooperative has announced new power purchase agreements and innovative energy projects to ensure continued reliability and system resiliency, but it has also maintained a close relationship with the diverse communities it serves across the Colorado Front Range.

As a co-op, United Power regularly demonstrates its commitment to communities — one of its core guiding principles — through supporting local fairs and festivals, service organizations, business expansion, educational partnerships, and student opportunities. Sometimes the co-op’s support even extends beyond its own service territory to enrich the lives of disadvantaged communities in other parts of the country. This was another active year for the cooperative in its communities. 

Giving Life to Fairs and Festivals

Local community events bring value to families living in the communities across United Power’s service territory. The cooperative is proud to be an active participant and supporter at many of these events. It continued its long-standing role as presenting sponsor of the Adams County Fair in August, which annually brings out thousands of local residents and visitors and is recognized as one of the largest county fairs in the country. The co-op also provided support for fairs in Southeast Weld and Gilpin Counties, community heritage celebrations like the Tomato Festival & Market at Trapper Days in Fort Lupton and Miners Day in Frederick, and other events that recognize each city or town’s unique and rich history. 

Now that the holiday season has begun and busy main street roads are shining with bright lights and elaborate decorations, cities are preparing for local holiday celebrations. Look for United Power in your community’s local festivities. The cooperative’s famous Rudolph the Red-Nosed Bucket Truck can frequently be found rolling in parades adorned in thousands of colorful lights and decorations. 

“Here for Good” Employee Service Projects

Another vital component of our communities are the nonprofits that provide critical services to local residents. Dozens of organizations are helping meet a variety of needs for cooperative members, including mental health therapy, housing and food security, outdoor recreation, and more. More than 80 United Power employees volunteered for service projects with eight organizations across the cooperative’s service territory in October. 

Some of the projects that employees completed included staining wooden structures for protection from winter weather at Barr Lake State Park and the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center; painting and updating community areas at Graceful Oaks Youth Ranch; removing old flooring for renovations at the Carbon Valley Help Center; and mud mitigation at Allegiance Ranch. Employees also sorted and organized food for redistribution at Pastor’s Pantry in Coal Creek Canyon, the Fort Lupton Food and Clothing Bank, and Food For Hope in Thornton. 

United Power presented each organization with a $500 donation in addition to the volunteer hours as a thank you for the contributions they make to our communities.

Powering Families of the Navajo Nation

Lineworkers traveled to New Mexico for a week in July and again in October to build electrical infrastructure and provide power to members of the Navajo Nation. The mutual aid initiative, Light Up Navajo, is aimed at providing access to electricity for families living in remote parts of the Navajo Nation for the very first time.

The ambitious, years-long initiative has provided electricity to nearly 8,000 homes, but thousands more still do not have access. United Power provided trucks, equipment, and experienced lineworkers for both projects. Working long hours, and often in extreme heat, they placed poles and strung line to power local homes. 

Supporting Local Youth

Students in our local schools are also the future leaders of our communities. United Power recognizes the importance of supporting local education, and has annually provided thousands of dollars in scholarship awards and leadership training opportunities to outstanding high school students in its service territory. 

The cooperative is also an active partner in the classroom, such as Mead’s Energy Academy. Will Thomas, Energy Systems Specialist, presented on the future of battery storage technology for Energy Academy students in September. Students also later participated in a high voltage safety demonstration and toured one of the co-op’s battery storage facilities. 

United Power also hosted students from 27J’s Career and Technical Education program for a “Day in the Boots” event in October. Students were able to move through stations and learn the day-to-day responsibilities of the cooperative’s operations team. The cooperative also supports career fairs for students of all ages.

Although much of the service territory is becoming suburban, the co-op still serves large agricultural areas. Each year, United Power supports local youth in agriculture through livestock sales at county fairs. 

United Power supports the local community in all these ways and many more, including charity events that benefit nonprofits or educational foundations. It is why we exist, and it is why we will remain...Here for Good.

Employees Volunteered at Eight “Here for Good” Service Projects in October

United Power is proud to support the service organizations that add value to the communities in its territory. Dozens of nonprofits and not-for-profits are helping meet a variety of needs for cooperative members, including mental health therapy, housing and food security, outdoor recreation, and more.

The cooperative recognized National Co-op Month in October and celebrated its commitment to communities by collaborating with eight of these organizations on employee service projects. More than 80 United Power employees participated. 

“These organizations are the heart of our communities, and we are proud of the participation we received from employees,” said Julie Stewart, United Power’s Community Outreach Specialist. “The response from our employees was tremendous — they were excited to roll up their sleeves and get to work.”

United Power employees completed several beautification and facility improvement projects that freed the organizations’ staff and volunteers to focus on more important tasks like programming and planning to support the clients they serve. 

Some of  the projects included staining wooden structures for protection from winter weather at Barr Lake and the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center; painting and updating community areas at Graceful Oaks Youth Ranch; removing old flooring for renovations at the Carbon Valley Help Center; and mud mitigation at Allegiance Ranch. Employees also sorted and organized food for redistribution at Pastor’s Pantry, the Fort Lupton Food & Clothing Bank, and Food for Hope. 

“It was a lot of fun representing United Power in the community,” said Member Services Representative Julie Vogel. “I am really thankful we were able to do this.” 

These organizations are a reminder that the cooperative serves thriving communities thanks to our members’ spirits of service and commitment to giving back. Residents recognized an important need in their community and found a way to meet it, which resembles the very way electric cooperatives were formed more than 85 years ago. They are Here for Good, and so is United Power.