Recent Co-op News
Fish Facts
If you stay current with regional news you have heard many opinions about the future of Northwest salmon and steelhead. Currently, twenty 28 West Coast salmon and steelhead populations are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Many claim the federal hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers are solely...
Kids! Enter the Safety Poster Contest
Benton REA is once again sponsoring its Safety Poster Contest for all elementary schoolchildren whose parents or guardians are Benton REA members with active electrical accounts. Prizes will be distributed at the annual meeting July 13 at Enterprise Middle School in West Richland. Age Categories: Kindergartners and 1st graders2nd and...
Manager’s Message – May 2019
42 Million Strong Dear Members, Benton REA is a member of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), a national trade organization representing more than 900 electric cooperatives. You’re not only a member of Benton REA, you’re part of a 42-million-strong network of co-op members. We may seem like a...
Avoid the Big Green Box
While overhead power lines and transformers are mounted on utility poles and substations are protected by security fences, pad-mounted transformers, switch boxes and pedestals are at ground level. These "big green boxes" are utility property and may need to be accessed at any time without notice. “We have about 3,260...
The Dedication of an Electric Lineworker
April 18 is Lineworker Appreciation Day National studies consistently rank power-line installers and repairers among the most dangerous jobs in the country, and for good reason. Laboring high in the air, wearing heavy equipment and working directly with high voltage electricity creates the perfect storm of a dangerous and unforgiving...
Prepare for Summer and Winter With a Ductless Heat Pump
During an average year, more than 60 percent of a home’s energy use is caused by heating and cooling. During shoulder months like April, May, September and October, your energy use is often lower because heating and cooling systems only occasionally run to maintain a comfortable temperature. Before the summer...
Stop by for a Cookie on Our Birthday
On Friday, April 19, any member who visits the Prosser or West Richland Benton REA office can enjoy cookies and coffee as we celebrate 82 years of member-owned cooperative service. On April 19, 1937, Benton REA was born. Our original mission was to bring affordable, reliable electricity to the rural...
Manager’s Message – April 2019
Celebrate These April Dates Dear Members, April typically isn’t a month full of holidays. But at Benton REA, April is a month worth celebrating. Every day I am thankful for Benton REA’s employees, but on April 18, I especially appreciate our lineworkers. Lineworker Appreciation Day celebrates the men and women...
Former General Manager Wins International Award
Retired Benton REA General Manager Chuck Dawsey was the 2018 recipient of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International Award. “We are joined together with a common goal to help others, to improve lives, to strengthen communities and to find a better way through electrification,” Chuck said as he received...
Benton REA Sends Students to Washington, D.C.
Two Hanford High sophomores will visit the nation's capital in June on the National Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour Nathan Shibley and Michelle Bolling will represent Benton REA on the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Electric Cooperative Youth Tour June 13-20, 2019. The Hanford high school sophomores were selected by...
Landscape for Savings and Safety
A well-designed landscape not only adds beauty to your home, but can reduce your heating and cooling costs. Trees and other plants on the east, south and west sides of your home help shade it, helping reduce cooling costs in the summer and cold winds in the winter. Deciduous trees...
Manager’s Message – March 2019
BPA, States and Nez Perce Agree on Spill Dear Members, Last summer, I asked for your help in fighting to protect affordable electricity by supporting the eight Snake and Columbia River dams and stopping additional spill over the dams in 2019. Many of you reached out to your Washington state...
