Bill Text: DE HCR35 | 2023-2024 | 152nd General Assembly | Draft

Delaware House Concurrent Resolution 35

Draft

Bill Title: Celebrating Demec Day And Recognizing The Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation And The Community-owned Not For Profit Electric Utilities Throughout Delaware.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Engrossed) 2023-04-05 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT [HCR35 Detail]

Download: Delaware-2023-HCR35-Draft.html

SPONSOR:	Rep. Heffernan & Sen. Hansen & Sen. Huxtable
Reps. Briggs King, Gray, Griffith, Osienski, D. Short, K. Williams, Wilson-Anton; Sens. Lawson, Pettyjohn, Richardson, Sokola, Walsh

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 35

CELEBRATING DEMEC DAY AND RECOGNIZING THE DELAWARE MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC CORPORATION AND THE COMMUNITY-OWNED NOT FOR PROFIT ELECTRIC UTILITIES THROUGHOUT DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, DEMEC Day is celebrated every April to recognize the value of public power and advancements made by Delaware’s not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities to benefit their residential and business customers; and

WHEREAS, eight cities and towns throughout Delaware (New Castle, Newark, Middletown, Smyrna, Clayton, Milford, Seaford, and Lewes), in partnership with DEMEC, are engaged in supplying reliable and environmentally responsible electric service , most of them serving their respective communities for over 100 years; and

WHEREAS, in 1978, the Delaware General Assembly enacted legislation authorizing Delaware’s public power communities to form a joint action agency to act as a wholesale electric provider for their collective benefit as a political subdivision of the state; and

WHEREAS, in 1979, the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation (“DEMEC”) was incorporated as a not-for- profit extension of the member communities it serves; and

WHEREAS, public power is built on local decision-making, with customers having a direct say in utility operations and policies as owners of their community electric utility; and

WHEREAS, DEMEC members provide homes, businesses, farms, social service buildings, government agencies, and emergency services with nationally recognized, reliable power; and

WHEREAS, DEMEC and its members are valuable community assets that contribute to the quality of life for residents and businesses through aggregated energy savings programs, local customer service, reduced carbon emissions, economic development, and other community projects; and

WHEREAS, DEMEC’s mission is to deliver excellence in competitive, reliable, sustainable power supply and innovative services to advance the benefits of community-owned utilities; and

WHEREAS, DEMEC has been at the forefront of renewable energy in Delaware, installing over 28.7 megawatts (MW) of in-state solar generation through utility solar facilities in Dover, Milford, Newark, and Smyrna and community solar projects in Seaford, Clayton, and New Castle; and

WHEREAS, DEMEC purchases power and all renewable energy credits (REC) from the 69 MW Laurel Hill Wind Farm, and RECs from the 2 MW wind turbine at the University of Delaware Lewes campus, funding UD Graduate Fellowships for Wind Energy Research; and

WHEREAS, in four years, DEMEC’s Energy Efficiency Program has assisted customers with measured and verified projects expected to save customers $18.4 million and 160,870 MWh over the projects’ lifetime, equal to 22,183 homes’ electric use for one year; and

WHEREAS, DEMEC has reduced its carbon footprint by over 50% since 2005, providing its member communities with energy that is over 90% low to no emissions.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the 152 ^nd General Assembly, the Senate concurring therein, recognizes the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation and community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities throughout Delaware for their dedication to serving their communities with energy saving programs and carbon reduction projects.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in honor of DEMEC’s upcoming 44 ^th anniversary and over 100 years of reliable and safe electric service from Delaware’s local public power utilities, April 5, 2023, is hereby proclaimed as DEMEC Day.

SYNOPSIS

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation and community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities throughout Delaware for their dedication to serving their communities with energy saving programs and carbon reduction projects. This Resolution also celebrates DEMEC’s upcoming 44th anniversary and over 100 years of reliable and safe electric service from Delaware’s local public power utilities by proclaiming April 5, 2023, as DEMEC Day.