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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Pedernales Electric Cooperative, the largest |
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electric cooperative in the United States, is marking the 85th |
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anniversary of its incorporation in 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, PEC traces its origins to 1935, when the Rural |
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Electrification Administration was established by the federal |
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government with the purpose of expanding electrical service to |
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rural areas; at the time, rural electrification was a prominent |
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issue in Texas, where only 2.3 percent of farms had power, and after |
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promising to make it a priority for his constituents in the 10th |
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Congressional District, then-Congressman Lyndon Baines Johnson |
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joined with local rancher E. Babe Smith and began discussions with |
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farmers, ranchers, and business leaders about electrifying the Hill |
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Country; and |
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WHEREAS, On May 8, 1938, Pedernales Electric Cooperative, |
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Inc., was formed, and on May 19, Congressman Johnson and |
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representatives from Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Hays, and Llano |
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Counties met in Austin to sign an official document incorporating |
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PEC; on September 27 of that year, the Rural Electrification |
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Administration granted PEC a loan of over $1.3 million to construct |
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around 1,800 miles of line, the single largest allotment ever made |
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by the administration; and |
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WHEREAS, On October 27, 1939, the 1,800 miles of transmission |
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line energized through a substation in Bertram, bringing electrical |
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service to the cooperative's first 422 customers in Burnet County; |
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initially, some 3,300 families signed up for the service, and in |
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1947, PEC was declared to be the largest cooperative in the world; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Today, PEC's service territory spans 8,100 square |
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miles and more than 387,000 connected meters, an area nearly the |
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size of the state of New Jersey; the cooperative is owned and |
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governed by the members it serves, and it benefits from the |
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leadership of an elected board of directors as well as an executive |
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team, which is responsible for managing PEC's day-to-day operations |
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and overseeing its more than 800 employees; and |
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WHEREAS, Pedernales Electric Cooperative has played an |
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essential role in the lives of thousands of Hill Country residents |
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over the past 85 years, and this noteworthy milestone offers a |
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fitting opportunity to recognize the leaders and members of the |
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organization who have been instrumental to its success; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Pedernales Electric Cooperative on the |
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85th anniversary of its incorporation and extend to all those |
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associated with its operations sincere gratitude for their work to |
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"keep the lights on" across Central Texas; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for PEC as an expression of high regard by the Texas House |
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of Representatives. |
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Zwiener |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 2163 was adopted by the House on May |
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25, 2023, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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