88R31272 BK-D
 
  By: Zwiener H.R. No. 2163
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Pedernales Electric Cooperative, the largest
  electric cooperative in the United States, is marking the 85th
  anniversary of its incorporation in 2023; and
         WHEREAS, PEC traces its origins to 1935, when the Rural
  Electrification Administration was established by the federal
  government with the purpose of expanding electrical service to
  rural areas; at the time, rural electrification was a prominent
  issue in Texas, where only 2.3 percent of farms had power, and after
  promising to make it a priority for his constituents in the 10th
  Congressional District, then-Congressman Lyndon Baines Johnson
  joined with local rancher E. Babe Smith and began discussions with
  farmers, ranchers, and business leaders about electrifying the Hill
  Country; and
         WHEREAS, On May 8, 1938, Pedernales Electric Cooperative,
  Inc., was formed, and on May 19, Congressman Johnson and
  representatives from Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Hays, and Llano
  Counties met in Austin to sign an official document incorporating
  PEC; on September 27 of that year, the Rural Electrification
  Administration granted PEC a loan of over $1.3 million to construct
  around 1,800 miles of line, the single largest allotment ever made
  by the administration; and
         WHEREAS, On October 27, 1939, the 1,800 miles of transmission
  line energized through a substation in Bertram, bringing electrical
  service to the cooperative's first 422 customers in Burnet County;
  initially, some 3,300 families signed up for the service, and in
  1947, PEC was declared to be the largest cooperative in the world;
  and
         WHEREAS, Today, PEC's service territory spans 8,100 square
  miles and more than 387,000 connected meters, an area nearly the
  size of the state of New Jersey; the cooperative is owned and
  governed by the members it serves, and it benefits from the
  leadership of an elected board of directors as well as an executive
  team, which is responsible for managing PEC's day-to-day operations
  and overseeing its more than 800 employees; and
         WHEREAS, Pedernales Electric Cooperative has played an
  essential role in the lives of thousands of Hill Country residents
  over the past 85 years, and this noteworthy milestone offers a
  fitting opportunity to recognize the leaders and members of the
  organization who have been instrumental to its success; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
  Legislature hereby honor Pedernales Electric Cooperative on the
  85th anniversary of its incorporation and extend to all those
  associated with its operations sincere gratitude for their work to
  "keep the lights on" across Central Texas; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for PEC as an expression of high regard by the Texas House
  of Representatives.