Kansas cooperatives get coronavirus relief

Six Kansas electric cooperatives are receiving $20 million in loans as part of the COVID-19 relief funding. Because the cooperatives are non-profit, their ability to withstand lost revenue is hindered

By

State News

July 17, 2020 - 2:20 PM

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Fearing what the coronavirus might do to the power industry, six electric cooperatives in Kansas applied and received up to $20 million total in loans as part of the federal Paycheck Protection Program.

“It looked pretty bleak,” said Doug Jackson, the general manager of Rolling Hills Electric Coop based in Beloit. It received $1.19 million to help sustain 42 full-time employees.

Electric cooperatives are nonprofit organizations that provide power to rural Kansas and are run by their members. That is to say, they aren’t usually flush with cash. The money that comes in from customer bills each month is enough to pay the cost of operating, the Kansas News Service reports.

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