My name is Ryan Heater, and I appreciate the opportunity to introduce myself as the new vice president of government relations for Indiana Electric Cooperatives (IEC).

I was born and raised in rural Indiana, grew up on a farm, and lived on a co-op line. I’m thankful for the important role that REMCs have in their local communities. I consider it an honor to be working on behalf of — and as a strong advocate for — all our cooperative members from across Indiana.

IEC is currently focused on the Indiana General Assembly’s 2024 session. This “short” session kicked off Jan. 8 and has a deadline of March 14, so it will move at a quick pace. We are focused on energy and broadband-related legislation that we expect to move during this session. We’ll be watching closely for any legislation that may have an impact on our members’ day-to-day operations.

We’re also engaging our federal delegation on a myriad of issues including infrastructure and broadband funding, decreased bureaucracy, and appropriate policies that ensure reliability for our members.

When it comes to our government relations efforts, I strongly believe in integrity and responsiveness.

These two words summarize everything it takes to be successful when it comes to working on state and federal issues. We work hard to ensure we are seen as high-character individuals who respond quickly and communicate honestly and effectively.

We will continue to work on state and federal issues with a keen eye on member engagement. We want our members to be aware of what’s going on at both levels and to have the tools needed to work with their elected officials. IEC is actively working with member cooperative leadership to engage with policymakers to ensure our interests are known and impacted in a positive way.

Indiana Electric Cooperatives is the statewide trade association that represents Indiana’s 38 electric distribution cooperatives.