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York linemen compete in rodeo

The Fourth Annual South Carolina Lineman’s Rodeo, held March 15–16 at Berkeley Electric Cooperative in Monck’s Corner, brought together lineworkers across the state to showcase their skills and expertise.

Each year, this public event seeks to cultivate a sense of community and culture of safety among South Carolina’s electric cooperative lineworkers. It highlights the level of expertise, experience and skill every lineworker acquires in their profession, and it provides the public an opportunity to appreciate the people that continue to deliver reliable electricity across the state.

All linemen from the 18 member cooperatives with The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina (ECSC) are eligible to participate in the competition. Contestants can compete in one of two categories: the apprentice division or the journeyman division. People with less than five years of overall line work experience are considered an apprentice line worker. Additionally, three to four linemen can work together on a journeyman team.

Each division featured four events, with one mystery event in each division. Apprentices competed in the following events: equipotential zone grounding, streetlight replacement and a surprise knot-tying event. Journeyman teams showcased their skills in OH transformer changeouts, pad-mount transformer changeouts and a surprise hurt-man rescue event. All contestants completed a 25-question exam that tested their knowledge of line work and safety standards.

For the 4th consecutive year, employees from York Electric Cooperative participated in the statewide event and made a strong showing at the competition, with 10 apprentices and a four-person journeyman team. To participate in each division, linemen trained for weeks in advance, using event details and specification provided by Berkely Electric Cooperative.

In the apprentice division, Jackson Good secured 3rd place in the streetlight replacement event, while Cameron Jackson and James Grabiec claimed 4th place in the equipotential zone grounding and overall division, respectively. In the journeyman category, York Electric’s debut team, Luke Lucas, Ethan Mitchell, Joey Winters and Jake Propst, finished 5th overall out of 14 teams, an impressive accomplishment. Other linemen in attendance included Chase Edington, Garrett Gilbert, Will Grier, Isaac Westmoreland, Tyler Lark, Evan Upchurch and Marcos Rosales.

However, York Electric’s role extended beyond event contestants. Four linemen—Shannon Littleton, Dustin Victor, Stephen Clinton and Jonathan Doster—served as volunteer judges. Three member service representatives— Hope Boyters, Kim Black and Amy Crocker—served as event volunteers.

York Electric’s participation in the South Carolina Lineman’s Rodeo exemplifies the co-op’s commitment to excellence, safety and collaboration. The annual event is not just an opportunity to win bragging rights, but a chance to strengthen the bonds among our state’s lineworkers.

Photo of a lineman from the rodeo YEC apprentice lineman Isaac Westmoreland races up a pole to set up an equipotential grounding zone. Equipotential grounding is a safety step that helps keep the lineworker safe while working on a pole.
One of the rodeo winners poses YEC apprentice lineman Jackson Good placed 3rd in the streetlight replacement event, where competitors race to replace a security light on a 35- foot pole in less than eight minutes.
A lineman and his family pose for a photo Family support means everything to our linemen who risk their lives each day. YEC journeyman lineman Joey Winters’s wife, Brooke, and their son, Lincoln, were proud to cheer him on at this year’s event.

Annual Meeting recap

York Electric’s 2024 Annual Meeting took place on Wednesday, May 1, 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., Friday, May 3, 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., and Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m. until noon. Our virtual business meeting followed Saturday’s portion of the annual meeting and our co-op leadership shared the official election results and announced this year’s grand prize and door prize winners.

As your co-op, we appreciate the opportunity that every annual meeting provides—our registration and voting process offers members a convenient way to express the value of their membership. We were thrilled that more members attended our 2024 Annual Meeting than ever before, outpacing last year’s previous record. Thank you for joining us in celebrating our 83rd year of serving you. Check out some of our favorite moments!

For the second year, we offered a Fort Mill drive-thru option, located at Catawba Park, to accommodate our growing membership. We were pleased with the results: 1,363 members attended on Wednesday, May 1 to cast their votes for our Board of Directors elections. Above all else, we want to ensure that our annual meeting remains convenient and accessible to you. We will continue to offer a second annual meeting location for our Fort Mill and Lancaster members.

During our three-day drive-thru event, we registered 5,354 members, who voted on two uncontested board seats and two contested board seats. The results, compiled by York County Voter Registration and Elections, are as follows:

Uncontested Director Districts 2024

  • District #1 (3-Year Term) Carolyn Boyd (Incumbent)
  • District #2 (3-Year Term) Tommie Bratton (Incumbent)
  • Election for Director District #2 vacancy Kevin Tolson won with 2,576 votes; Terri Lovelace received 2,249 votes.
  • Election for Director District #3 Richard Roach (incumbent) won with 2,556 votes; Ronald Wylie received 2,282 votes.

After the official election results, please help us welcome Carolyn Boyd, Tommie Bratton and Richard Roach, who will serve three-year terms as YEC trustees. Kevin Tolson will also be welcomed to the board to serve a one-year term to fill the vacant seat in District 2 and will seek reelection at the 2025 annual meeting.

Photograph of Carolyn Boyd District 1: Carolyn Boyd
Photograph of District 2's Tommie Bratton District 2: Tommie Bratton
Photograph of District 3's Richard Roach District 3: Richard Roach
Photograph of District 2's Kevin Tolson District 2 (Vac): Kevin Tolson
Scenes from the 2024 Annual Meeting
Cars are seen going through the drive-thru
YEC employees worked to transform Catawba Park in Tega Cay with tents, cones and tables for efficient registration and voting for members on May 1.
A worker helps out while a member smiles for the camera
Warren Wigfield of Clover, who has been a YEC member for 40 years, is registered by Member Services Representative Bonnie Whetstine.
A member and his dog are seen having fun and joking around
Brett Crosby of Tega Cay and his dog, Zoey, register for the first time.
Snapshot of YEC workers serving up free hot dogs
York School administrators and staff, along with York School District One Education Foundation board members, worked together to serve hot dogs to our members. In exchange for their time and as a show of partnership, YEC donated to the Ag Arena capital campaign.
Two members are photographed filling out their ballots
Rajesh Patle (driver) and Jamgaonkiave Nashvin of Fort Mill took advantage of registering and voting at our Tega Cay location.
Our CEO poses for a picture with 2 linemen
YEC Linemen Ryan Putnam (left) and Stephen Clinton stand with Paul Basha directing traffic at our York annual meeting site.
An employee poses for a photo with two members
Sharon Snearly (left), Gwen Thompson and Chauntel Ingalls all serve on YEC’s Credentials and Elections committee, who oversee the voting and registration process during each annual meeting.
3 co-op workers pose for the camera
Teamwork makes the dream work during annual meeting. Staking Engineer Thomas Wilkerson (left), Energy Services Representative Shane Baker and Electrical Engineer Leah Fleming all work together to register members.
A co-op employee smiles for a photo
Information Services Administrator Brian Scott works to prepare our technology equipment for a smooth registration process for all members.

 

Clearing the path to reliability

Linemen are seen working to clear overgrown trees
A clear right-of-way mitigates outages, promotes safety, and makes it easier and faster to get trucks and linemen to damage caused during a storm or other outage situation. Photo by Erin Nichols

Members depend on York Electric to deliver safe, reliable power to their homes and businesses. An important part of meeting that responsibility is regularly trimming trees in our rights-of-way.

Crews will begin trimming in the Lesslie and Ogden areas of Rock Hill to continue maintaining our five-year right-of-way rotation. You might not realize it, but there are several benefits to regular tree trimming.

Reliability

While many factors can impact power disruptions, many outages can be attributed to overgrown vegetation. This is why you sometimes see York Electric crews or contractors out in the community trimming trees near power lines. Trimming crews have been trained and certified based on the latest industry standards.

In fact, electric utilities are required to trim trees that grow too close to power lines. Scheduled trimming throughout the year keeps lines clear from overgrown or dead limbs that are likely to fall, and we are better able to prepare for severe weather events. It’s also more cost-effective to undertake preventative maintenance than it is to make repairs after the fact.

Overgrown trees are shown
When trees and branches become overgrown, there is a higher probability of them causing a service interruption. An overgrown right-of-way also makes it hard for crews to reach our lines and equipment. Photo by Erin Nichols

Safety

Working near power lines can be dangerous, and we care about your safety and that of our lineworkers. For example, if trees are touching power lines in our members’ yards, they could create a potential hazard to the members or the public.

Any tree or branch that falls across a power line creates a potentially dangerous situation. A proactive approach lessens the chances of fallen trees during severe weather events that make it more complicated and dangerous for lineworkers to restore power.

Affordability

York Electric always tries to keep costs down for our members. If trees and other vegetation are left unchecked, they can become overgrown and expensive to correct. A strategic vegetation management program helps keep costs down for everyone.

You can help

There are ways you can help too. When planting new trees, make sure they’re planted a safe distance from overhead power lines.

  • Medium-height trees (40 feet or smaller) should be planted at least 25 ft. from power lines.
  • Taller trees (over 40 feet) should be planted at least 50 feet from power lines.
  • When planting near pad-mounted transformers, plant shrubs at least 10 feet from the transformer door and 4 feet from the sides.
  • Remember to contact 811 before you begin any project that requires digging.
  • If you spot an overgrown tree or branch that’s dangerously close to overhead lines, please let us know. Take a picture and tell us the location in an email to memberservices@yorkelectric.net or call member services at (803) 684-4248.

S.C. Electric Co-ops Support Lawsuits Challenging EPA Power Plant Regulations

South Carolina’s electric cooperatives are supporting a pair of lawsuits that challenge the legality of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new regulations on fossil fuel power plants.

The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina and Central Electric Power Cooperative on May 9 filed a declaration in support of separate lawsuits by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and a coalition of 23 state attorneys general, including S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson.

“While we share the EPA’s goal of protecting the environment, we can’t support a plan that jeopardizes the reliability of South Carolina’s electric grid while driving up power bills,” said Mike Couick, CEO of the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. “We need a realistic path forward.”

The EPA regulations aim to greatly reduce carbon emissions from existing coal-fired power plants and new natural gas-fired units. The rules would require those power plants to either throttle down their output or capture and store their carbon emissions with a technology that is unproven, unaffordable and commercially unavailable.

These regulations come as demand for electricity soars in South Carolina and across the Southeast due to population growth and economic development, including a parade of clean energy manufacturing projects dedicated to producing electric vehicles and the parts that power them.

“South Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the nation. We urgently need more electricity, not less,” said Central CEO Rob Hochstetler. “These regulations make it harder for electric cooperatives to keep up, threatening our ability to keep the lights on for residents and businesses across our state.”

This declaration follows the S.C. electric cooperatives’ August 2023 and December 2023 comments opposing the proposed EPA regulations as unlawful, unworkable and unrealistic.

S.C. electric cooperative leaders also have testified at the State House and in Congress about these regulations and other threats to the reliability of the Palmetto State’s power grid.

Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina and Central Electric Cooperative logos

Our energy future

Paul Basha smiles for a photo

We all like knowing when folks have our back. It’s nice to solidify support with like- minded people who value the same things you do, but it proves to be even greater when you are open to suggestions and seek to first understand what provides the greatest good for all. This compromise and greater solution provide a sense of accomplishment and validation that you are doing the right thing to help and serve others. This month, we are going to highlight the lawmakers who do just that. They are always on our side and the side of our members seeking to do the right thing for the right reasons.

Creating the laws that govern our state is no small feat. These brave men and woman are elected to stand up for what is right and the voices of those they serve. As a co-op, those same voices are those of our members, and it matters to us that the laws and elected officials in our state look out for the people and their quality of life, which is what we value most. Fortunately, we have an outstanding delegation that aligns with our own personal mission to look out for our members. They understand co-ops are here to do good and serve others. Together, our interests continue to support what is best for our communities and our neighbors.

H.5118 is an example of how our support impacts our members. This legislation, which is called the “South Carolina Energy Security Act,” is co-op supported because it secures our energy future in South Carolina. Not only does it promote things like energy efficiency and renewables, but it also allows for a joint construction project to build a natural gas plant in the lower part of the state. Co-ops aren’t making anything on this bill. It is simply the right thing to do for our economy.

I’d like to say a special thank you to the following members of the South Carolina House of Representatives in our delegation who voted in favor of this bill: Raye Felder, Brandon Guffey, Randy Ligon, Dennis Moss, Mike Neese, Brandon Newton, David O’Neal and Tommy Pope. Similarly, Senators Wes Climer, Mike Fanning, Michael Johnson and Harvey Peeler were instrumental last year in supporting our cooperative and letting the voices of our members be heard at the state level. We continue to be grateful for the consistent support we receive at the State House.

I’d also like to take a moment to wish one of these representatives well as she retires from serving after 12 years. Raye Felder has not only helped the cooperative support the voices of our members, but she’s also been a great friend and neighbor to my family. When we lived in her neighborhood, I fondly remember her Christmas soup parties and was always grateful for the easy access she and her husband graciously granted our kids when they would cut through her yard to see their grandparents. Well done, Raye, and thank you.

Paul Basha signature
PAUL BASHA
President and Chief Executive Officer

YEC Managing Rising Costs

Co-op materials graph
Since 2012, the cost for YEC’s most used overhead transformer increased by 85 percent. The cost for our most used underground pad mount transformer increased by 146 percent while the cost for underground primary wire increased by 73 percent.

It’s no surprise that things cost more since the pandemic. Our grocery bills are higher, fuel prices are higher and even going out to eat is more expensive. In 2012, it cost an average of $1.84 to buy a dozen eggs. Now it costs an average of $2.51. A 36 percent increase adds up each week.

Although your co-op has experienced significant increases in materials for more than a decade, your electric rates have remained stable since 2012. By being mindful of all controllable expenses and because of the continued growth we have seen in our area, we’ve been able to absorb rising costs. However, it is important that you see the costs of our most used construction materials and the significant increase the co-op is incurring to build and maintain the power lines that serve you. In 2023, 80 cents of each dollar we spent went towards the cost of power.

You might wonder what you can expect as prices continue to rise for both materials and power costs. Rest assured, we will continue to operate conservatively with each dollar that comes into your co-op. We’ll continue to look out for you and make sure we keep your power affordable, safe and reliable.

Your board in action

Last month, the board of trustees met with York Electric’s external auditor, who provided your co-op with a clean bill of financial health. Download a PDF of YEC’s audited financials.