Manager’s Message

Northern Lights Annual Meeting

Spring is just around the corner, and that means it’s time for our annual tradition, the Northern Lights Annual Meeting. The meeting takes place on the evening of Monday, April 3, in the north parking lot at NLI’s Sagle headquarters, 421 Chevy St. in Sagle, Idaho.

The annual meeting provides an opportunity for members to connect in fellowship with one another, meet the NLI Board of Directors and employees, and get an update on the financial condition of the cooperative. Members will also be informed on current and upcoming projects designed to keep up with the demands of the growth in our area and ensure our system remains reliable and in good working order.

We will have an electrical safety demonstration, goody bags, and hot dogs, chips and cookies for all to enjoy.

Each member who attends will receive a $25 energy credit, with a limit of one credit per membership. Watch for an official postcard invitation in your mailbox soon.

One of the greatest values of being a member of a cooperative is your right to vote. This year, 3 districts are up for election. Those seats are currently held by Mike Dolan, District 1; Kennon McClintock, District 5; and Jim Woodward, District 7. The incumbents in District 1 and 5 are uncontested, so the candidates will be elected to serve another term. District 7 is contested, so there is an election for this district. Ballots will be mailed to members who live in that district in March.

I look forward to seeing the faces of our cooperative. None of this would be possible without our members.

I hope to see you there!

Annie Terracciano
General Manager 

We ask for your Vigilance

In early December, 2 substations in North Carolina were intentionally damaged, knocking out power to 45,000 people. Closer to home, 2 substations were attacked in Washington state and 2 in Oregon in November. On Christmas day, 4 more substations were attacked in Washington state. These attacks highlight a growing concern for our electric power grids.

After these attacks, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ordered the North American Electric Reliability Corporation—which sets and enforces reliability standards for most of the electric system in the U.S.—to review existing physical security rules for the power grid.

The order requires North America Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to provide a report within 120 days on whether any improvements are necessary to ensure the protection of the system. Any new substation requirements, either preventative or corrective, will be expensive. Not to mention, any damage that is done is costly to the utility. Both costs would ultimately be passed along to our members, which could cause rate increases in the future.

The question of what can be done to protect the electric grid is not an easy one to answer. For example, a person with a high-powered rifle could shoot from a great distance into facilities, causing major effects on equipment, all while going unseen.

How can we protect against that? The entire U.S. electric grid is vulnerable. Even with remote surveillance cameras and physical barriers, preventing criminal activity is often relegated to after-the-fact investigations.

Northern Lights has safeguards in place to protect unauthorized individuals from entering substations or interfering with our electric equipment, but nothing is foolproof.

The greatest resource we have to combat these attacks is one another. Many of our members drive by Northern Lights, Inc. (NLI) substations and facilities multiple times a day. If you see something that doesn’t look right or witness suspicious activity, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (208) 263-5141 or call law enforcement, if needed, as soon as you safely can. We can never be too careful when it comes to keeping our infrastructure safe from vandalism.

Thank you for being vigilant!

Annie Terracciano
General Manager

No Rate Increase for 2023

Happy New Year! Now that winter is in full swing, I hope you are doing your best to enjoy what our area has to offer for winter activities. Whether it’s skiing, ice fishing, sledding or just playing in the snow with your children, I hope you take pleasure in this winter season.

I am pleased to report that there will NOT be an electric rate increase for 2023.

The Northern Lights Board and employees have worked diligently to create a 2023 budget that will not require an increase in rates. Like all industries, NLI has faced increased costs related to inflation in almost all aspects of our business, but with prudent planning and budgeting, we have maintained a healthy financial standing.

As we move forward in this era of increasing energy costs, we remain determined to keep your rates stable, while maintaining our financial strength. Northern Lights is committed to providing safe, reliable service at an affordable price.

I wish you all the best in the new year!

Annie Terracciano
General Manager 

Capital Credit Checks Are Headed to Your Mailbox

Happy Holidays from all of us at Northern Lights!

I am happy to announce that this year the board of directors authorized a total of $1,715,000 of capital credits from 1997 and 1998 to be returned to our members. This means that if you were a member of Northern Lights in those years, you will receive a check in the mail this December. Your credit is determined by the amount of energy you used during those years.

We work hard to serve our members by providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity. When revenues exceed the cost of providing service, these margins are returned to our member-owners in the form of capital credits. Capital credits are not immediately paid out the year they were earned. These funds are used by NLI for electric lines, trucks and equipment needed to serve our members. This offsets our need to borrow money, which would in turn cause higher rates.

Capital credits from years past that go unclaimed are held by the cooperative. A list of all members with unclaimed capital credit distributions is available on our website. If your name is on the list, please call us at (208) 263-5141.

As another option, you can always donate your capital credit checks to the Northern Lights Community Trust, which distributes funds to local charities in our service area. Please see the insert enclosed with your check for instructions on how to do this. Feel free to contact our office if you have any questions.

All of us at NLI wish you a safe and happy holiday. We hope you enjoy the time with family and cherish the holiday spirit.

Annie Terracciano
General Manager

Honor and Reflection

November provides us with 2 significant opportunities to reflect: Thanksgiving and Veterans Day.

On November 24, Thanksgiving Day, many of us will pause and give thanks with loved ones. We will take time to enjoy food with family, friends and even strangers. Some of us will gather to give our time to serve others. Thanksgiving provides many opportunities to spend a day with one another in an intentional way.

Another opportunity each year to reflect and give thanks is November 11. Our country would not have the freedom it does without the sacrifice of our veterans. My priority is to pause and say thank you to each of our members who has given their time to serve and sacrifice for our country. At Northern Lights, we appreciate your patriotism, love of our country, and the sacrifice you made—or make—for the common good.

We also appreciate the sacrifice of each family that has a loved one who has served, or is serving, in our armed forces. You also are making a huge sacrifice with the absence of your loved one. We know many will celebrate both holidays while service members are away.

I am proud of our Northern Lights family members who have provided service to our country. I want to thank Northern Lights’ Director Jill Vandegrift and Northern Lights’ Linemen Ryan Streeter and Cody Bradshaw for their service. In closing, while you take the time to think about the things you are thankful for, I want to thank you, our members, who support public power.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving season!

Annie Terracciano
General Manager 

Celebrating National Co-op Month

October is the month to celebrate the benefits cooperatives bring to our communities. Whether the cooperative’s focus is food, child care, insurance, electricity or some other service, we exist to help serve a need in the communities we live in.

Cooperatives are unique because we are not-for-profit, democratically controlled and member owned. The cooperative business model is about meeting the needs of the people, not about maximizing profits. In the United States, more than 900 electric co-ops serve an estimated 42 million people. At Northern Lights Inc. (NLI), we have almost 19,000 members and more than 2,900 miles of distribution lines serving members in Northern Idaho, Eastern Washington and Western Montana.

NLI is overseen by a seven-member board of directors, each elected by the members of the district they represent. Our power comes from the Bonneville Power Administration and our own dam on a tributary of the Kootenai River. NLI distributes that power to each of its members’ homes and businesses.

One way NLI serves its community is through Operation Roundup, where members can choose to round up their monthly energy bill to the nearest dollar to help families in need. Members can also choose to donate to the Helping Hand program—specifically designed to help struggling members with their power bills—or Project Share, which provides home heating assistance. If you would like to participate in any of these programs, please contact us to sign up.

Summer has come to an end. The leaves are changing, and autumn is upon us. Before we know it, those princesses, superheroes, ghosts and goblins will be knocking on our doors hoping for a treat.

Happy Halloween!

Annie Terracciano
General Manager 

Thank Your Laborers

Labor Day is Monday, September 5. While we typically relax with family and friends and have parties and backyard barbecues, the holiday’s history was not so relaxing.

The recognition of our nation’s workforce was created by the labor movement in the 19th century. Labor Day became a federal holiday when signed into law by President Grover Cleveland on June 28, 1894. The purpose of the holiday is to pay tribute to the achievements of American workers and their contribution to the success of our great nation.

This year has been incredibly busy for the Northern Lights employees. With so many people moving to our beautiful area, requests for construction of new services have doubled. I want to thank the Northern Lights workforce for its hard work and contribution to the success of your rural electric cooperative. Northern Lights employees, and many of you, will be taking this day off work to celebrate this important holiday.

For business owners, giving your workers a day off is a nice way to show your appreciation and acknowledge the hard work they put in every day. Of course, the entire American workforce can’t take the day off. So, whether you and your crews are still working, or if your power goes out and our lineworkers must restore it, or even if you just need to run to the grocery store for another bag of buns, let’s make sure to say thank you and honor worker dedication. This Labor Day, let’s go the extra mile to ensure American workers know how vital they are to the community and the country as a whole.

Remember, Labor Day isn’t just another day off—it is a deeply rooted historical holiday honoring the American worker and everything they have done to make our lives what they are today.

Thank you to all the American workers out there working hard to build our structures, fix our problems and make our lives livable. Happy Labor Day!

Annie Terracciano
General Manager

Wildfire Mitigation Efforts

Summer is in full swing, bringing sunny days at the lake, outdoor activities, backyard barbecues and, unfortunately, wildfires.

In recent years, wildfires have emerged as a growing public safety concern throughout the West. Wildfires have many causes—from lightning to unattended campfire sparks. Electric utilities are doing their part to help keep communities safe.

Due to the extreme fire danger in our region, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)—which provides our power—has changed how it operates during times of red-flag weather warnings. When specific weather conditions exists—such as high winds, high temperatures, and low humidity—BPA may choose to temporarily shut off power to reduce the chance of the power lines starting fires.

If BPA does enact Public Safety Power Shutoffs in our area, Norther Lights, Inc. (NLI) members in the Priest River and Priest Lake areas will be affected. Other areas may briefly be affected during switching operations. Members will be notified, if possible. We will do everything we can to restore power as quickly as possible.

With our dry conditions, keeping vegetation away from power lines continues to be a top priority for NLI. We are constantly trimming trees and removing vegetation in utility easements to remove fuel for fires and keep trees and limbs from coming into contact with our lines to reduce fire risk.

NLI continues to work closely with BPA to monitor weather conditions and ensure we are taking all possible precautions to avoid a wildfire while maintaining our commitment to provide reliable electricity.

Enjoy the August weather and be safe. When we work together, we can keep the lights on and reduce our fire danger.

Annie Terracciano
General Manager

Stop the Spread of Invasive Mussels

Summer is finally here! It is my favorite season and time to get out on the lake to fish, water ski or just enjoy a leisurely boat ride in the sun. If you take your boat out of the state, be careful before returning. Invasive quagga and zebra mussels are looking to hitchhike a ride to our pristine Idaho and Montana waterways.

These invasive mussels wreak havoc wherever they call home. They deplete nutrients in the water and upset the ecosystem. They also colonize on hulls of boats, recreational equipment, irrigation equipment and hydroelectric power plant equipment. Once they move in, they are pretty much a permanent houseguest.

How do you go about keeping those pesky creatures from moving in? Clean. Drain. Dry. Clean any visible mud, plants or animals from your boat. Drain all water from the motor, bilge, livewell, and other water-containing devices. Dry all areas of your boat and equipment.

If you are commercially hauling watercraft to Washington, Oregon, Idaho or Montana, you need to “Call Before You Haul,” (844) 311-4873, to provide your hauling information to avoid costly delivery delays. This also ensures you are not violating state or federal laws pertaining to the unlawful transport of invasive species.

To protect our waterways, the state has set up a watercraft inspection station program focused on inspecting boats from affected states as they come across the state line. Inspections are free, but the cost of mussels is not. According to the Idaho Department of Agriculture, the estimated cost to Idaho alone would be $100 million annually if attempts fail to prevent an infestation. Inspection stations in Idaho have already intercepted 23 boats in 2022 carrying invasive mussels.

I hope you are enjoying your summer in the beautiful Inland Northwest! And remember: Clean. Drain. Dry.

Annie Terracciano
General Manager

Northern Lights Annual Meeting

Spring is in full swing and that means it’s time for our annual tradition, the Northern Lights Annual Meeting. This will be our first in-person meeting in two years! While we typically hold our meeting in May, we decided this year to push it out a month in hopes of better weather. The meeting will be held outdoors. It will take place the evening of Monday, June 20, in the north parking lot at NLI’s Sagle headquarters, 421 Chevy St. in Sagle, Idaho.

The annual meeting provides an opportunity for members to fellowship with one another, meet the board of directors and NLI employees, and be updated on the cooperative’s financial condition. Members will also be informed on current and upcoming projects to keep up with the demands of the growth in our area and ensure our system remains reliable and in good working order. We will have an electrical safety demonstration, goody bags, hot dogs, chips and ice cream for all to enjoy. Each member who attends will receive a $25 energy credit (limit one credit per membership). Watch for an official postcard invitation in your mailbox soon.

This year, there are no directors up for election. I look forward to seeing you there and meeting the faces of our cooperative. None of this would be possible without our members.

New District 4 Director

The NLI Board of Directors has appointed Steve Klatt as the new District 4 Director. Steve was appointed to this role after the early retirement of David Pemberton who served as the District Director for ten years. Steve is a local, who was raised in Sagle, Idaho. Steve is joining the NLI Board with extensive business and board experience. His knowledge and skill set make him an excellent addition to the board.

I hope to see you at the Annual Meeting!

Annie Terracciano
General Manager