STANDARD MAILU.S. POSTAGE PAIDD

RICHFIELD, UTAHPERMIT NO. 87

1939-2014

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FALL - 2014Volume 57 No.4

HIGHLIGHTS

75th Anniversary Member Appreciation BBQ’s (LtoR) Flint Chynoweth, Scott Grundy, Brad Webb, Klint Chynoweth, barbecuing in Boulder

Members of Garkane Energy Cooperative enjoy a free BBQ, and complimentary gifts as part of the year-long 75th anniversary celebration of Garkane’s service to the area. Member appreciation BBQ’s were held in Big Water, Duck Creek, and Boulder.

Potential Rate Increase Info

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2you pick as your mentor? My mother. She always taught us to look for the good in people and develop the qualities that we admired in others.

What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod? I don’t have an iPod, but I have worn out every Chris Daughtry CD I have.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Someday I would like to learn to play the piano.

What do you miss most about being a kid? Not having to pay bills. What’s the most amazing meal you’ve ever had? Cocunut shrimp with pineap-ple or mango sauce. Hunting, Fishing, Camping, or Hik-ing? Hiking

and children, my husband and I wanted to raise our children in a better environ-ment as things kept changing in the city. We moved to Utah after Kaibab truck drivers kept telling my husband about this beautiful place and plenty of work. With heads spinning, we sold our home and moved to Kanab. The kids are grown and gone and we are still here. We have now lived in Kanab for 35 years. When Kanab City energy needs were purchased by Garkane, I made the move to change jobs. My last ten years of working have been with Garkane. It has been a good move for me, and the benefits have been good. I don’t have any major plans after retirement but I plan on spending more time with my family and friends. I will ask for God’s guidance and hopeful-ly volunteer to help people who need a hand.

What is your favorite quote? What goes around comes aroundWhat’s the #1 most played song on your iPod?Bluegrass Music

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Learn to play the violin

What do you miss most about being a kid? No worries, and Mom’s hugs.

What’s the most amazing meal you’ve ever had? Thanksgiving with family

Hunting, Fishing, Camping, or Hik-ing? I prefer to get a hotel and have someone else make the bed and cook! lol

Robin Campbell- Kanab OfficeKanab - Member Service Rep

Birkette Willis - Kanab OfficeKanab - Member Service Rep

My name is Birkette Willis and I was re-cently hired as a Customer Service Repre-sentative in the Kanab office. I spent my childhood in the Mesa, AZ area. My fam-ily moved to Kanab when I was fourteen and it has been my home since that time. I graduated from Kanab High School and then attended SUU. In 1995 I began work-ing for Bringhurst-Leavitt Insurance Agen-cy. In 1998 I obtained my insurance license for personal lines. I enjoyed my work and the customers I served over the years. I am excited for this new opportunity and look forward to working with the great people at Garkane.I have two boys. Taycen is 12 and Carson is 9. I love to watch them play basketball and baseball. We enjoy hiking in Zions, swim-ming and going for bike rides together.

What is your favorite quote? The best things in life aren’t things.

If you could choose anyone, who would

I grew up in Norfolk, CA on Maidstone Ave., which was a city block full of peo-ple who moved to California looking for jobs and a new life with a bright future. My father was a Nebraska farmer and WWII veteran who wanted to get out of the cold winters. It was a great place to grow up at that time and our street was full of kids of the same age. We were friends for life. After marriage

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Garkane is winding down its 75th anni-versary celebrations for 2014. We are grateful for all the members who came out to all the events throughout the year. Looking back on Garkane’s seventy-five years will reveal employees, direc-tors, and the public who showed tremendous resilience to move forward in the face of un-certainty. In 1938, Bob Middleton, who became the first General Manager of Garkane, set out to bring power to rural southern Utah. Mem-bership to the cooperative cost $5, and as hard as it is to talk people out of their money now, one can imagine how difficult it would’ve been towards the end of the Great Depression. Mid-dleton pushed on in the face of adversity to gain membership and to elect a board. Garkane Ener-gy was born, and the quality of living for rural Utah improved dramatically. This spirit lived on as the decades slowly passed and as Garkane membership grew, so did the need for a reliable power source. Garkane ventured out and took huge risk by building the Boulder Hydro plant. This expansion increased

The Rural Electric Administration was created over much debate on how to effectively bring electricity to rural America. It didn’t make finan-cial sense for investor owned utilities to invest millions of dollars worth of power lines to serve small farms, when the financial payback would never be realized. So rural America stayed in the dark, until the Rural Electrication Act was established by President Roo-sevelt in 1935. Garkane Energy was realized shortly after in 1938, bring-ing power and light to rural Utah and Arizona. Celebrating 75 years of ser-vice, this provides a look back at what life was like before rural America had power.

Garkane’s debt load to $5,100,000. This was a very risky venture, but proved to be an excellent decision that has benefited Garkane for many years. The board set August 22, 1958, as the offi-cial opening for the Boulder Hydro Project. The Boulder Hydro power plant provided cheap, reliable power to Garkane’s members for a while until Garkane needed to look elsewhere for a reliable power source. Deseret Power was formed by six other cooperatives in Utah, Neva-da, and Wyoming. This decision is one of many that have led to the very low rates we now enjoy. Resilience, which can be defined as mak-ing hard decisions amid uncertainty is one attri-bute that has shaped Garkane’s rich history. As we look at the Cooperative’s pioneers and em-ployees, we hope that you can use these examples and stories as a way to shape your future. The current management and board often reflect on the Cooperative’s history for insight in moving forward amidst uncertainty.

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Garkane’s Early Pioneers Leave a Legacy Of Strength, Courage, and Resilience

“Warshing Clothes Recipe” Imagine having a recipe for this!

WARSHING CLOTHES RECIPE

• Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water.• Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is

pert. • Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water. • Sort things, make 3 piles -- 1 pile white, 1 pile

colored, 1 pile work britches and rags. • To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth,

then thin down with boiling water. Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil, then rub colored, don’t boil just wrench and starch.

• Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch. Hang old rags on fence. Spread tea towels on grass.

• Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water. Turn tubs upside down.

• Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea, sit, rock a spell, and count yore blessings.

Years ago, an Alabama grandmother gave a new bride the following recipe exactly as written and found in an old scrapbook with spelling errors and all.

4Garkane Energy Cooperative, Inc.

VOLUME 57 - NO. 4

GARKANE HIGHLIGHTS is published quarterly (January, April, July, and October), by Garkane Energy P.O. Box 465 Loa, Utah 84747 1-800-747-5403

As the official publication of the Cooperative, the purpose of HIGHLIGHTS is to commu-nicate to members information concerning their electric coop-erative, and to offer suggestions and ideas regarding the safe, effi-cient and economical use of elec-tric energy.

BOARD OF DIRECTORSLaDon Torgersen- Koosharem (435) 638-7531Trent Hunt-Loa (435) 836-2165Terry Griffiths-Orderville (435) 648-2591Carl Boyd, Jr.-Tropic-President (435) 679-8418Tracy Potter -Torrey (435) 425-3128Reed Munson-Escalante (435) 826-4422Rodney Ence-Duck Creek Village (435) 682-2526Boudicca Joseph-Big Water (928) 660-1560 Nanell Robinson-Kanab (435) 644-2752Andy Gant-Kanab (435) 689-0348Tyler Barlow-Hildale (435) 467-5636

GENERAL MANAGER/CEODan McClendon

HIGHLIGHTS Neal R. Brown, Editor

Cash In OnHidden Account

NumbersWe have inserted four randomly selected Garkane Account Numbers in the text of various articles in this month’s edition. If your account number is less than 10 digits it will begin with a zero. For example, if your account number was 4444 and was inserted into one of the various articles in this month’s edition, it would will be listed as (0000004444). If you find your account number, call Garkane toll-free at 1-800-747-5403. We’ll credit $25.00 to your account as a lucky winner! Just one more reason to read HIGHLIGHTS.

CalendarOf

events Oct 27, 2014 Board Meeting Hatch, UT

Nov 24, 2014 Board Meeting Hatch, UT

Nov 27, 28 2014 Thanksgiving Holiday Offices Closed

Dec 24, 25 2014 Christmas Holiday Offices ClosedDec 29, 2014 Board Meeting Hatch, UT

POtential

rate

inCreaseCautiously, the Garkane Board and Management are assessing recent no-tification from our wholesale power supplier that our cost for power will increase by about 9% effective Janu-ary 1, 2015. If all of the increase is passed onto the Garkane members, it would result in retail billing increases of about 3% - 4%. We are determining how such an increase may affect our retail rates and we are looking hard at our inter-nal operating costs to make sure Gar-kane’s rates are as low as possible and if we must pass on all or part of the wholesale power increase to our Garkane members. The board has commissioned to do a cost of service study. Because of the increased cost, Garkane won’t be retiring capital credits this year. The Board of Direc-tors will schedule a rate hearing, open to the public to discuss the proposed increase. Garkane will communicate the date and time of this hearing in the newsletter, newspaper, and other media outlets. We would like to encourage our members to stay informed of the micro and macro environment issues facing Garkane, because they have a large impact on your electricity rates. EPA regulations on coal power plants have a direct effect on our local retail rates.

5Hammon Chosen As National Youth Spokesperson In Washington D.C. On June 12th, of this year, 1,644 high school students from across the country descend-ed on the nation’s capital as part of the Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour for a weeklong educational and learning experience. Each year, Garkane Energy selects and sponsors one student from twelve Utah & Arizona high schools with-in their service district to attend the Washington D.C. Youth Tour. Garkane selected Bre Hammon to attend this year’s youth tour and she represent-ed the Cooperative in an exceptional manner. From the group of 1,644 students, one representative from each state is selected to be on the Youth Leadership Council (YLC) and to rep-resent their respective states at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) an-nual meeting in Orlando, Fl. The YLC delegates returned to Wash-ington D.C. in July for a leadership workshop to enhance the delegate’s knowledge of the energy industry, while testing the student’s public speak-

ing skills. The 43 Youth Council delegates were given the opportunity to give a 5-7 minute speech on what inspired them during their Youth Tour experience. A panel of judges then selected one standout student based on the individual’s speech to be the National Spokesperson at the NRECA annual meeting in Orlando, FL. Bre’s excellent public speaking skills, coupled with her superb writing talent won her the coveted spot as the National Youth Spokesperson out of the 1,644 brightest young minds who attended the youth tour in Washington DC. Bre Hammon stated,“Garkane is doing more than providing power to our homes, they are providing empowerment to our youth. I’m glad I could bring this honor home to the Cooperative in return for the amazing ex-perience given to me by Garkane Energy”.

Melinda Torgersen Pivotal to Washington DC Youth Tour Success Melinda Torgersen, a Garkane member from Koosharem, UT has been taking students to the Rural Electric Washington DC Youth Tour for over thirty years. Starting young with just a small group of Utah students, her reputation quickly grew and attracted many other states. She now manages over 90 students from 8 different states. She plans, organizes, and guides students with a behind-the-scenes, inside-look at our Nation’s Capital. Students get a once in a lifetime experi-ence touring the Lincoln Memorial, the Washing-ton Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, National Cathedral, Smithsonian In-stitutes, Arlington Cemetary, and the World War I, II, and Vietnam War Memorials. Melinda has also included a Broadway play, and river cruise up the Potomoc River for an extra memorable ex-perience for rural students. The highlight of the weeklong trip is the opportunity to meet with each individual Con-gressman. Melinda’s reputation and friendship

with Utah’s Congressman has opened up many doors and opportunities for the Youth Tour recip-ients. Because of the friendships she’s developed with our top lawmakers, they provide her stu-dents with an intimate look and access to Utah’s Congressmen. Bre Hammon, one of Melinda’s students from Utah was recently selected to be the Nation-al Youth Spokesperson for the whole country. In the thirty years that Melinda has been chaperon-ing students to DC, Utah has never had anyone selected to be the National Spokesperson. Gar-kane Energy is pleased to have Bre Hammon represent Utah, and the Cooperative. Garkane is also pleased to have Melinda Torgersen provide students with this extremely important learning experience at the feet of our Nations Capital. Thank you Melinda, for all your hard work and time over the years building a new generation of students who leave DC with a new found love of country and for their fellow men.

Bre Hammon pictured in front of the Nations Capitol

Melinda Torgersen starting out as a Washington DC Youth Tour Guide over thirty years ago

6Garkane Students Shine At The UREA Youth Leadership Challenge

Morgan Barney Richard Timpson Lyndsey Bartlett

Right to Left, Brenna Anderson & Lyndsey Bartlett

Ashlee Chynoweth Anthony Decker George Timpson

Brianna Palmer R to L, George Timpson, Lizzie Cawley, Brenna Mooney

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“Know the Way, Go the Way, Show the Way” Over 130 students from five western states assembled for the 33rd annual Utah Rural Elec-tric Association Youth Leadership Challenge. This year’s event, held again at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, featured instruction on elec-trical topics, the cooperative form of business, the legislative process, and a variety of motivational and leadership subjects. Each year, participating students have the opportunity to compete for special recogni-tions. Several Garkane students were singled out for their accom-plishments. Kanab High student, Kelsey Barnes was awarded the opportunity of representing Gar-kane at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)

Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. in June of 2015. Escalante High student, Trace Torgersen, Bryce Valley High student, Ashlee Chynoweth, Richfield High stu-dent, Whitney Lewis, and Wayne High student Madison Davis were selected as this summer’s Outstanding Participants and will each receive a $600 scholar-ship from Garkane Energy. One student from each participating Cooperative is selected to return the following year as a youth di-rector. Jayci Shakespear, from Kanab High School, was selected to receive this honor. This leadership camp is available to all Junior students whose parents have a Garkane account.

Garkane Energy Scholarship recepients at the UREA Leadership ChallengeLeft to Right - Trace Torgersen, Kelsey Barnes, Ashlee Chynoweth,

Whitney Lewis, and Madison Davis

2014 UREA Youth Leadership Challenge

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Garkane Employees Reach Retirement

Rick Ensle retires from Garkane as the IT Spe-cialist. Rick worked for Garkane for over 20 years, playing an integral part in managing the IT infrastructure and Garkane’s SCADA System.

Ronnie Rees retired as a Meter Reader, based out of the Loa office. He worked for Garkane for over 25 years.

Robin Campbell retires from Garkane as one of the Kanab Member Service Representatives. Robin worked for Garkane for over 10 years, she always had a big smile, and always offered a friendly conversation to our members.

Inspiring Story of the Day: Why Was America Not Named After Christopher Columbus? There are varying opinions of how America received its name, but one credi-ble source from the University of Houston sheds light as to why America was named after Amerigo Vespucci and not Christopher Columbus. Vespucci was an Italian merchant born in 1454 in Florence, Italy. He was em-ployed by a ship-outfitting business about the time that Columbus made his first voy-age. Vespucci outfitted in his own voyage and set sail seven years after Columbus first landed in the West Indies. Vespucci explored the Northern parts of now South America to Tierra del Fuego, the sothern most tip of South America. His second voyage is when Vespucci recognized that America was not just the West Indies, attached to Asia, but an entirely new continent. Columbus found the new world, but Vespucci was the man who recognized it was an entirely new conti-nent. Vespucci wrote about his voyages, his

experiences with the indigenous people, and his assumptions that this new world was distinct and separate from the Asian continent. These letters were published all across Europe and translated into different languages, and sold very well, better than Columbus’ writings. Vespucci didn’t name this continent after himself, in fact, it was a German cler-gyman named Waldseemuller, who was working on cosmology that included large maps. He is recorded as saying “I see no reason why anyone should justly object to calling this part...America, after Amerigo Vespucci, its discoverer, a man of great ability.” His maps sold thousands of cop-ies across Europe, and the name stuck.

Information Source: University of Houston sdc-ws.uh.eduPicture source: WikipediaAmerigo Vespucci Statue in Florence, Italy

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9statement Of Utility COnsUmer rights & resPOnsibilities

The Utah Public Service Commission has estab-lished rules about utility consumer / company relationships. These rules cover payment of bills, late charges, security deposits, handling complaints, service disconnections and other matters. These rules assure customers of certain rights and outline customer responsibilities.

CUSTOMER RIGHTS

The utility company will: Provide service if you are a qualified applicant. Offer you at least one 12-month deferred payment plan if you have a financial emergency. Let you pay a security deposit in three installments, if one is required. Follow spe-cific procedures for service disconnection which include providing you notice postmarked at least 10 days before service is disconnected. Offer winter shut-off protection of energy utility service to qualifying rate-payers. Advise you of sources of possible financial assistance in paying your bill. Continue service for a reasonable time if you provide a physician’s statement that a medical emergency exists in your home. Give you written information about Commis-sion rules and your rights and responsibilities as a customer under those rules.

CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES

You, the customer will: Use services safely and pay for them promptly. Contact the utility company when you have a problem with payment, service, safety, billing, or customer service. Noti-fy the utility company about billing or other errors. Contact the utility company when you anticipate a payment problem to attempt to develop a payment plan. Notify the utility company when you are moving to another residence. Noti-fy the utility company about stopping service in your name or about stopping service altogether. Permit access to your property for essential utility company personnel and equip-ment.

To contact the utility company, call the tele-phone number shown on your utility bill.

If you have a problem, call the utility company first. If you cannot resolve the problem, you may obtain an informal review of the dispute by calling the Utah State Division of Public Utilities Complaint Office at the following telephone numbers:

801-530-6652 in Salt Lake City or 1-800-874-0904 Toll Free Statewide.

Residential Customer Utility Service Utility bills can often be one of our biggest house-hold expenses. Utahans have the right to safe, dependable service from utility companies. The Utah Division of Public Utilities in the De-partment of Commerce represents the interests of the gener-al public before the Public Service Commission. The Divi-

sion works to assure that all utility customers have access to safe, reliable service at reasonable prices. Most Utahans receive good utility service, but problems can arise. The Commission rules provide Utah consumers with information on the relationship between the utility and the utility customers. Two of the applica-ble Commission rules are R746-200 and R746-240. Some important aspects of these rules are presented below. This information is not legally binding on any party. It is for in-formation only. The full text in the Utah Code, Utah Ad-ministrative Rules, and utility company tariffs is legally binding.

Deposits Utilities’ deposit policies are related to the appli-cant’s credit history. Using utility services is much like pur-chasing any other commodity. Sellers will usually agree to the use or sale of their products if they have confidence that they will be paid at a certain time. So it is with utility com-panies; they are selling a product - electricity, gas, water or sewer - and must be paid in order to continue providing service. If a utility company feels that a prospective pur-chaser of services may be a credit risk, it may require a de-posit in order to protect its interest. All utilities collecting security deposits must pay interest at a rate approved by the Public Service Commission. The deposit paid, and accrued interest, may be returned to the customer after the customer has paid the bill on time for twelve consecutive months. Utah utilities must submit deposit polices to the Commission for approval. Therefore, the deposit required may differ from one utility company to another A new cus-tomer for utility service will have the right to pay a security deposit in at least three equal monthly installments provided that the first installment is paid at the time of application.

Billing Utilities usually bill customers monthly. The bill may not be due less than 20 days after the billing date. Bills are computed after the use period by reading the meter, or through computer readings. Gas, electric, and water utili-ties use meters to calculate usage. The utility is required to make an actual meter reading at least once in a two-month period and render a bill for the appropriate charge deter-mined from that reading. If a meter reader is unable to gain access to a me-ter, the utility must take appropriate additional measures in an effort to obtain an actual meter reading. These measures include, but are not limited to, scheduling a meter reading at other than normal business hours, making an appointment for meter reading or providing a prepaid postal card with a notice of instruction upon which an account holder may re-cord a meter reading. If after two regular route visits access has not been achieved, the utility will give notice that the customer must make arrangements to have the meter read. If the utility is still unable to make an actual meter reading, it may render an estimated bill or may discontinue service. It’s a good idea to stay current with your payments. Any delinquent bills will be charged interest if they go un-

paid past the due date.

Disputes Sometimes problems can occur or disagreements arise over your bill If there is a problem, contact the compa-ny first. If the utility does not resolve the problem to your satisfaction, you have the right to seek help from the Di-vision of Public Utilities. The procedure in resolving your dispute is straight forward: after receiving your complaint, a Division employee will act as a mediator between you and the utility company. You will not have service terminated for nonpayment of the disputed portion of the bill, as long as you keep up payment on all other services. Normally within five business days, you will be informed of the find-ings and/or solution to your complaint. Utilities are required to resolve complaints within 30 calendar days. If you feel that further action is necessary, you can formally file a petition with the Public Service Commission in order to resolve the dispute. The Commission may then call both you and the utility in for a hearing on the matter. You and the utility will be given the chance to present any arguments supporting your positions. The Commission will then render a decision which is binding on both parties. If either party thinks the decision is still unsatisfactory, they can appeal to the Utah State Supreme Court.

Deferred Payment Agreements Occasionally, there are customers who are un-able to pay the entire account balance at the time it is due. Rather than have service terminated, they may enter into what is known as a Deferred Payment Agreement (DPA). This agreement allows the customer to payoff the past due amount, re-connection fees, and interest in monthly in-stallments, provided that the total amount is paid off in 12 months. The customer must also pay the current month’s charge. The customer has the right to set the amount of the monthly payment, (it must be at least one-twelfth of what is owed, however). The first payment must be received at the utility’s office within 48 hours after the agreement has been reached and can’t be less than that which was agreed upon. If service has been shut off, it will be restored as soon as the customer enters into a Deferred Payment Agreement. If the person defaults on this agreement, the utility may let the customer sign another agreement, reinstate the old one, or refuse to grant another one. Service may also be terminated at the company’s option.

Equal Payment Plan Some utilities have a budget billing or equal pay-ment plan available for customers who want to make equal monthly payments throughout the year. If a customer be-comes delinquent on an equal payment plan, the custom-er has two options for repayment. The customer can enter into a deferred payment agreement or pay a budget billing amount set by the utility plus the monthly deferred payment installment.

Termination of Service (Continued on page 10)

10Service may be terminated for several reasons, including: Nonpayment of a delinquent account; Nonpay-ment of a deposit where required; Failure to comply with the terms of a Deferred Payment Agreement or Commission order; Unauthorized use of or diversion of residential util-ity service or tampering with wires, pipes, meters or other equipment; Concealing information or deliberately furnish-ing false information for the purpose of obtaining utility service; Failure to provide access to your meter during a regular route visit to the premises following proper notifica-tion and opportunity to make arrangements.

The following will not be used as a basis for terminating service: A delinquent account, accrued prior to the com-mencement of a divorce or separate maintenance action in the courts, in the name of a former spouse, can’t be the ba-sis for termination of the current account holder’s service. Cohabitation of a current account holder with a delinquent account holder who was previously terminated for non-payment, unless these two account holders also cohabited during the time the delinquent account holder received the utility’s service. This includes service that was received at the current account holder’s present address or another address.

Special Circumstances Under special circumstances, the utility company will not always terminate residential service for reasons mentioned above. For example, if someone in the home is seriously ill, and a doctor’s statement certifies this condition will be aggravated if a utility service is terminated, services may not be cut off immediately. Service will continue for a month (30 days), or the specified time in the doctor’s state-ment, whichever is less. If needed, the person may petition the Public Service Commission for an extension of time. The utility company should be contacted if anyone on the premises is using an iron lung, dialysis, respirator, or other life-support equipment. A medical condition doesn’t exempt someone from paying utility bills. Rather, it will merely delay termination if the person is unable to make complete payment. The bill will eventually have to be paid.

Termination Without Notice Whenever the company feels that an emergency or serious health or safety hazard exists, service can be termi-nated without notice. They may also shut off a customer if there is unauthorized use of utility service, or tampering with pipes, meters or other equipment.

Termination With Notice A notice of termination by a utility company must include the billing information and information on steps to take to avoid termination including deferred payment agreements, a referral service (agencies or organizations that provide financial assistance) medical extensions, and the procedure for filing a complaint with the Division of Public Utilities. A public utility must give written notice of discon-nection for nonpayment to the account holder. Telephone companies must give 7 days and other utilities must give 10

calendar days notice prior to a proposed termination of res-idential utility service. The notice time period is computed from the date the notice is postmarked. The utility must make good-faith efforts to notify the account holder or an adult member of the household by mail, telephone, or a personal visit to the residence. Tele-phone companies must do this 1 business day prior and other utilities at least 48 hours prior to the time when ter-mination of service is scheduled. If personal notification has not been made either directly by the utility or by a cus-tomer response to a mailed notice, (a non-telephone utility must leave written termination notice at the residence). For non-telephone utilities, personal notification, such as a visit to the residence or telephone conversation with the party being terminated, is required only during winter months (October 1 through March 31). For all other months of the year, the mailed 48-hour notice can be the final notice prior to the termination. In rental property situations where the tenant is not the account holder and that fact is known to the utility, the utility will post a notice of proposed termination of service on the premises in a conspicuous place and will make rea-sonable efforts to give actual notice to the occupants by per-sonal visits or other appropriate means at least five calendar days before the proposed termination of service.

Other Considerations The utility company will make reasonable efforts to provide third-party notification (to clergy, friends or fam-ily) of a delinquent balance if requested by the customer. This provides a third person with notification of the pro-posed termination notice. Bear in mind that this person is not responsible for the payment of any delinquent bill you might owe. If you anticipate being on an extended vacation, it is best to make prior arrangements for paying your bills.Third Party Charges State code Section 54-4-37 governs third-party billing practices. A third party is any person or entity other than the account holder and the utility. The utility could perform billing services for a third party. If payment is not made for the entire bill, the utility is required to apply cus-tomers’ payments to tariff services first and then propor-tionally to other charges unless otherwise directed by the customer. No public utility may disconnect or threaten to disconnect basic utility service for failure to pay third party charges.

Any Questions? If you have any questions regarding utility service, billing, terminations, etc., or wish to make a complaint against a utility company, please contact the Division of Public Utilities. Mailing Address SM Box 146751 Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6751Telephone (801) 530-7622 - General (800) 874-0904 - Toll Free Statewide

Garkane Needs Your help!Help keep your electricity rates low, and tell the EPA

what you think.

Stay InformedThe Easy Way0001605000

11 To “cut back” on potential tree-related problems Garkane Energy operates a vegetation management, tree trimming maintenance pro-gram. Our line crews look for foliage growing under lines, overhanging branches, leaning or other types of “danger” trees that could pull down a power line if they fall. It’s a job that’s never done—by the time crews finish trimming activ-ities along miles of distribution lines, vegetation has started to grow back at the starting point. In working to keep a safe, reliable, and affordable supply of power flowing to your home or busi-ness, we need your help. Let us know if you notice trees or branch-es that might pose a risk to our power lines. Even more important, before planting trees in your yard, think about how tall they may grow and how wide their branches may spread. As a rule of thumb, 25 feet of ground-to-sky clearance should be available on each side of our utility poles to give power lines plenty of space. Choose tree varieties with care and plant with power lines in mind.

Tree limbs that cross electrical wires can lead to blinks, outages and downed wires. Gar-kane relies on its own employees to maintain its right of ways, which is a dangerous process. Our crews systematically inspect our service territo-ry year-round for trees that could pose a prob-lem for the system or the safety of our members. Trees that grow too close to electric lines can create shock and fire hazards as well as power outages. More importantly, children can become victims of electric shock when they climb trees that have grown too close to the power lines. Trees growing into power lines can also create electrical hazards for people who might be trimming branches, hanging lights or other-wise working around them. If a tree poses such a risk, the crews will trim or remove trees on the Garkane right-of-way. A tree that is dead or dy-ing, and in danger of falling into the power lines, must be removed. We also trim back trees when they grow too close to the power lines. Tree maintenance helps ensure safe and reliable electric service to our community and is

provided at no additional cost to members. This is especially true during periods of strong winds, ice and snow. Our goal is to maintain a balance between safe and reliable electric service and the health of your trees. Tree crews are trained in modern tree trimming techniques and safe work practices. Before trimming or removing trees from a homeowner’s property, Garkane crews will attempt to contact the homeowner. If unable to reach a homeowner, they will try to leave notice of their visit at the property. Thanks for your help as we work together to keep electricity reliable. If you notice trees or vegetation growing close to power lines, please contact a Garkane office.

Loa: 435-836-2795Hatch: 435-735-4288Kanab: 435-644-5026

Garkane Energy Will Be Clearing Tree Lines This Winter

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GARKANE ENERGYIS AMAZINGDear Members of Garkane Energy Cooperative,

You are probably aware that in 2014, Garkane Energy Coopera-tive celebrated 75 years serving its South-Central Utah and Northern Arizona members. It has truly been an “amazing” period of time documented by the earlier hard times and sacrifices all the way up to the efforts of modern-day pio-neers who have created the great member service organization that Garkane has become today.

Garkane’s past is really something worth considering….you could definitely say it was “amazing.” Our Garkane Board President, Carl Boyd, recently authored a book that fully documents our rich heritage and history. The book is titled… “Lighting the Plateau, Garkane Energy’s First Seventy Five Years.” We still have a limited number of copies available for our mem-bers so as long as quantities last, you can pick up a copy at one of our local offices.

Using our past as a firm foundation, we now look to the future with hope. Great opportunities for our families and for our communities will come our way as we pitch in to make things even better. Along the way we will en-counter challenges but I have no doubt that our next “seventy five” years will prove to be just as “amazing” as our past.

Did you know that the Garkane Board of Directors and the Employees have

From the CEO’s Deskcreated a “mission” that guides all our efforts? Well, it is true that we have one and here it is:

Garkane’s Mission Statement…

“Garkane Energy is a member-owned cooperative, whose mission is to provide superior, responsive customer service, while cultivating a culture of safety in a manner that builds trust among its members and employees alike. We seek to provide our members with energy services of value at competitive prices, thereby improving their quality of life. Our mission also includes providing professional development opportunities for the organization’s employees and to keep a balance between the needs of the cooperative’s members and employees.”

As the mission states, it is our goal and promise as Employees and Direc-tors to attend to “the needs of the cooperative’s members.” Recently, a couple challenges have come to our attention. Increasing reg-ulation for using coal as the major source of our electricity generation will cause higher prices. It looks like coal will be going “back to the di-nosaurs” within the next twenty years. Recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposals continue to move the nation away from coal gen-eration in favor of promoting greater energy efficiency use and renewable generation. Garkane is working hard to prepare for these changes. Our Board of Directors are considering all options and will incorporate a look into the future in our strategic planning sessions that are scheduled now and in the future. Our challenge is to balance the negative affects of higher power costs with maintaining a viable economy and rural quality of life.

I am confident as we pull together like our Garkane predecessors, we will keep our cooperative area an “amazing” place to live and work.

Garkane Telephonenumbers24-Hour Outage

and Emergency Number(Including Propane)

1-800-747-5403

Loa Office435-836-2795

1-800-747-5403 (toll-free)

Hatch Office435-735-4288

1-888-735-4288 (toll-free)

Kanab Office435-644-5026

1-888-644-5026 (toll-free)

Colorado City/Hildale Office435-874-2810

Loa Office120 West 300 South

Loa, UT 84747

Hatch Office468 South North HWY 89

Hatch, UT 84735

Kanab Office1802 South HWY 89A

Kanab, UT 84741

Colorado City/Hildale Office1185 West Utah Avenue

Hildale, UT 84784

by Dan McClendon

We will keep you informed!Dan McClendon