Carmel, IN – The Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA) and our 61 member utilities are celebrating Public Power Week, October 1-7, along with the American Public Power Association and more than 2,000 other community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities that collectively provide electricity to 49 million Americans. The dedicated staff members of these municipally-owned utilities work tirelessly to keep the power flowing and public power communities up and running each and every day.

Indiana has a rich history in public power, with the community of Wabash, Indiana, being the first to ever establish a community-owned electric utility in 1880. Currently, 72 communities own and operate their local electric utility. IMPA is proud to have served 60 of these towns and cities, as well as one community in western Ohio, with a low-cost, reliable, and environmentally power supply since 1983.

IMPA is marking Public Power Week by remembering why public power is crucial to so many communities across the country:
 

• Public power’s long history of reliability remains a prime benefit of these utilities because their first goal is to supply efficient, reliable service to the customers in their communities.
• The local control provided by public power utilities means that community citizens have a direct voice in utility decisions through their local council or utility board.
• Public power’s historically lower rates are the result of the low-cost structure central to its business model, supported by its not-for-profit status, access to tax-exempt financing, higher credit ratings, and its ability to contract for low-cost power supplies.
• Utilities like IMPA have a strong focus on environmental responsibility, using a diverse power supply portfolio, including renewables, to generate electricity.
• Community investment remains a high priority for public power utilities, as they provide hometown jobs and typically support a range of community programs including charitable, educational, and beautification programs.

Help IMPA celebrate this year’s Public Power Week by learning more at www.impa.com/publicpower!