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Northern Virginia delegate receives Distinguished Friend of Electric Cooperatives Award
Richmond, Va. -- The Hon. Jackson Miller of Manassas, who represents Virginia’s 50th House of Delegates District, was named a Distinguished Friend of Electric Cooperatives by the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC).
This award honors legislators and others in public service who have strongly supported the best interests of electric cooperative consumers. Miller accepted his award at the Association’s winter meeting, held Jan. 23 in Richmond. Presenting the award were Stan Feuerberg, president and CEO of Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC); Larry Howdyshell, chairman of VMDAEC’s Governmental Affairs Committee; and Richard Johnstone, VMDAEC president and CEO. Much of Miller’s 50th House district is in NOVEC’s service territory.
Feuerberg noted that Del. Miller understands why electric cooperatives need to recover costs associated with devices telecommunication companies attach to cooperatives' utility poles and supports the position that cooperative members should not be required to subsidize the telecom industry.
“Jackson was instrumental in the 2012 compromise bill that established a process for resolving pole- attachment contract negotiation impasses before the State Corporation Commission,” Feuerberg said. “In 2015, he helped defeat House Bill 2325, which would have required electric cooperatives to provide broadband service providers access to poles, and in 2016 he helped halt another legislative attempt to set a precedent regarding the use of FCC pole-attachment rates.”
Howdyshell noted, “Since his election to office in 2006, Jackson has sought to maintain a reasonable balance between protecting the environment and maintaining the reliability and affordability of
electricity in the Commonwealth, recognizing the key role energy plays in a thriving economy.”
In 2011, when NOVEC sought critical legislative support for the co-op’s proposed biomass plant in Halifax County, Miller personally testified before the State Corporation Commission to help gain approval for the project. “He was quick to grasp the significance of this project and was forthright and steadfast in his support,” said Feuerberg.
The 2017 Distinguished Friend of Electric Cooperatives Award nomination cites Miller’s long record of public service, including service in the Army Reserve, as a police officer in Arlington and Prince William counties, and as a member of the Manassas City Council. He currently serves on the Prince William Chamber of Commerce and the advisory committee for George Mason University’s Prince William Campus, and is an active volunteer for the Fraternal Order of Police — Battlefield Lodge — and Grace United Methodist Church in Manassas.
About VMDAEC
VMDAEC is the trade association for 15 consumer-owned, not-for-profit, electric-distribution cooperatives in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. The Glen Allen, Virginia-based association provides member cooperatives with employee, director, and safety education and training, government relations and legislative support, and communications services, including Cooperative Living magazine for consumer-members. For more information, visit www.vmdaec.com or www.co-opliving.com.
Delegate Jackson Miller accepts the Distinguished Friend of Electric Cooperatives Award at a Jan. 23 ceremony in Richmond. From left, Larry Howdyshell, VMDAEC chairman; Stan Feuerberg, NOVEC president and CEO); Delegate Jackson Miller; and Richard Johnstone, VMDAEC president and CEO.
About NOVEC
