88R31272 BK-D
By: Zwiener H.R. No. 2163
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Pedernales Electric Cooperative, the largest
electric cooperative in the United States, is marking the 85th
anniversary of its incorporation in 2023; and
WHEREAS, PEC traces its origins to 1935, when the Rural
Electrification Administration was established by the federal
government with the purpose of expanding electrical service to
rural areas; at the time, rural electrification was a prominent
issue in Texas, where only 2.3 percent of farms had power, and after
promising to make it a priority for his constituents in the 10th
Congressional District, then-Congressman Lyndon Baines Johnson
joined with local rancher E. Babe Smith and began discussions with
farmers, ranchers, and business leaders about electrifying the Hill
Country; and
WHEREAS, On May 8, 1938, Pedernales Electric Cooperative,
Inc., was formed, and on May 19, Congressman Johnson and
representatives from Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Hays, and Llano
Counties met in Austin to sign an official document incorporating
PEC; on September 27 of that year, the Rural Electrification
Administration granted PEC a loan of over $1.3 million to construct
around 1,800 miles of line, the single largest allotment ever made
by the administration; and
WHEREAS, On October 27, 1939, the 1,800 miles of transmission
line energized through a substation in Bertram, bringing electrical
service to the cooperative's first 422 customers in Burnet County;
initially, some 3,300 families signed up for the service, and in
1947, PEC was declared to be the largest cooperative in the world;
and
WHEREAS, Today, PEC's service territory spans 8,100 square
miles and more than 387,000 connected meters, an area nearly the
size of the state of New Jersey; the cooperative is owned and
governed by the members it serves, and it benefits from the
leadership of an elected board of directors as well as an executive
team, which is responsible for managing PEC's day-to-day operations
and overseeing its more than 800 employees; and
WHEREAS, Pedernales Electric Cooperative has played an
essential role in the lives of thousands of Hill Country residents
over the past 85 years, and this noteworthy milestone offers a
fitting opportunity to recognize the leaders and members of the
organization who have been instrumental to its success; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Pedernales Electric Cooperative on the
85th anniversary of its incorporation and extend to all those
associated with its operations sincere gratitude for their work to
"keep the lights on" across Central Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for PEC as an expression of high regard by the Texas House
of Representatives.