CURE Elects Officers
Former Congressman Leads Rail Reform Effort

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 23, 2007) – Former Congressman Glenn English will continue to lead the effort to pass rail reform legislation as chairman of CURE, a coalition of freight rail customers. English, from Oklahoma, served 10 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and is now CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

Many of the nation’s more than 900 consumer-owned electric cooperatives depend on the railroads to deliver the coal needed to generate power. The railroads failure to deliver coal on time has forced some power companies to import foreign coal and turn to more expensive alternative energy sources, despite the fact that the U.S. has the largest supply of coal in the world.

“The nation’s rail system needs increased competition and federal oversight to meet the economic needs of this country,” English said. ““If the Surface Transportation Board (STB) won’t do it, then Congress must.”

English will be joined in the effort by newly-elected CURE President Donald Kimball, CEO of Arizona Electric Power Cooperative of Benson, AZ. Kimball has been a leading voice in the power industry, serving as chairman of the NRECA Power & Generation Standing Committee; chairman of the Southwest Public Power Resources Group Management Committee; president of the Western Power Producers, Inc.; and a director on ACES Power Marketing Board of Managers.

CURE members also elected Joe Maher, senior vice president and general manager of UPM-Blandin Paper Company in Grand Rapids, MN, as Vice President; and Alan Cramer, an administrative manager for Total Petrochemicals in Houston, as Secretary and Treasurer.

Other Executive Committee members include:

• Ron Harper, CEO, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., of Bismarck, ND
• Tom Heller, CEO, Missouri River Energy Services, of Sioux Falls, SD
• Shelley Sahling-Zart, vice president and assistant counsel, Lincoln Electric System, of Lincoln, NE
• Bill Mohl, vice president, Entergy Services, Inc., of Woodlands, TX
• Joe Hartsoe, managing director, federal policy, American Electric Power of Columbus, OH.
• Chuck Manning, senior vice president and COO, Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia of Atlanta
• Steve Sharp, principal engineer, Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation of Little Rock, AR

Reforms to federal rail policy are expected to be introduced soon in the U.S.
Congress. A recent GAO report, “Freight Railroads: Industry Health Has Improved, but Concerns about Competition and Capacity Should be Addressed,” provided additional evidence of the need for reform.

The proposed legislation would repeal the antiquated antitrust exemptions of the freight rail industry and reform the Surface Transportation Board to ensure rail customer access to competition and reliable rail service for customers at reasonable costs.

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ABOUT CURE:
CURE is a coalition of rail customers seeking changes in federal law to hold the railroads more accountable to the nation and their customers. The group represents a wide variety of rail customers including municipal and investor- owned utilities, rural electric co-ops, chemical, ethanol, cement and other manufacturers, forest and paper companies, and their customers. For more information visit www.railcure.org