Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative is a member owned entity, therefore
the members control the cooperative not the Missouri Public Service Commission.
With this type of local control the board of directors that are elected
by the members can make decisions that are in the best interest of the
members and not someone in another part of the state. Howell-Oregon
does observe many of the Public Service policies such as cold weather disconnects,
call before you dig and other important issues.
Howell-Oregon Electric is one of 39 cooperatives in Missouri. These 39 cooperatives own 6 Generation and Transmission Cooperatives (G&T's). Sho-Me Power Corporation is headquartered in Marshfield, Missouri and is Howell-Oregon's G&T. Howell-Oregon along with 8 other Rural Electric Cooperatives are member/owners of Sho-Me. Sho-Me owns the transmission lines and sub-stations from which Howell-Oregon receives its power.
Associated Electric, with
headquarters
in Springfield, Missouri, was formed in 1962 to generate and coordinate
the power supply of Missouri's distribution cooperatives like
Howell-Oregon.
Associated Electric generates the largest portion of your electricity
from two coal
fired plants operating as base load plants, Thomas Hill and New
Madrid. There are three generating
units at Thomas Hill near Moberly, Missouri, with a combined capacity
of
1150 megawatts. The New Madrid plant has two generating units
with
a combined capacity of 1200 megawatts. Since demand for power is
increasing, construction will begin in 2008 near Norborne, Missouri of
a state-of-the art coal-fired power plant capable of generating 660 megawatts of
addtional power. Associated will soon put in operation a
gas-fired power plant, recently purchased in Dell, Arkansas. The
Dell Power Plant will generate 580 megawatts of electricity. In
addition, two wind farms are soon to be completed in northern Missouri
that will be capable of producing an additional 100 megawatts of
power. 
The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC) located in Jefferson City, the state capital of Missouri, is the statewide trade association of the Missouri distribution rural electric systems. Throughout the years the statewide organization has provided continuing assistance to member systems with their annual meetings, job training and safety programs, joint purchasing, legislative research, public relations service and publication of the monthly RURAL MISSOURI.
The national organization of the rural electric systems is The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The NRECA is located in Arlington, Virginia.