Oregon Trail Electric Consumers Cooperative News

Deadline approaching for high-school juniors to apply for OTEC’s one-week Youth Tour to Washington DC

01/16/12

The deadline is fast approaching for high school juniors to apply for a one-week, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the 2012 Rural Electric Youth Tour. The trip will be from June 14 – June 22. The deadline to apply is Friday, January 20, 2012.

· Students who attend the Youth Tour will join 1,500 high school students from across the U.S. to learn about electric cooperatives, American history and the U.S. government.

· Students also visit the historic sights of the nation’s capital, as well as spend time with their congressional delegations on Capitol Hill.

· Youth Tour winners will create podcasts and digital photo projects while learning about issues in renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change legislation that face their communities and the nation.

· This opportunity is an excellent way for students to boost their college applications.

All applications must be RECEIVED on or before January 21, 2012.

Applicants must currently be high school juniors living in a home served by OTEC. For details on the Youth Tour and what you can expect, visit www.youthtour.coop. To download an application, click here.

Students can also pick up applications through their high school guidance counselor or at OTEC district offices.

Oregon Trail Electric is a non-profit electric cooperative serving 22,500 members in Baker, Grant, Harney and Union counties.

Member account numbers to change by one digit

01/10/12

Members will notice on their January electric bill that their account number (known as a “member-sep number”) has changed. In upgrading our billing system, every members’ member-sep number has changed from a two digit member-sep to a three digit member-sep. Be sure to refer to this new account number when speaking with customer service representatives. Also, members who pay their electric bills via OTEC’s on-line bill pay service or through their bank’s on-line bill pay service, should adjust the account reference in their online bill payment system to match the new number.

Some members have asked, “Why call it a “member-sep number” instead of simply calling it an account number?”

The answer is that some members have more than one electric account with OTEC. For example, some members own several businesses or residential properties. The three digits at the end of the member sep number allow OTEC to distinguish among the different meters registered to the same individual. This allows OTEC to make sure that individual members receive the correct amount of capital credits funds at the end of the year.

If you have any questions about the member sep number change, please call your local OTEC office or email customerservice@otecc.com.

Oregon Trail Electric seeks scholarship applicants; reminds deadline is approaching soon

01/10/12

College-bound students still have time to apply for OTEC’s annual scholarship program. OTEC will award a total of 28 scholarships: two linemen scholarships and 26 academic scholarships are available. Each scholarship is $3,000.

In order to be considered for a scholarship, applicants:

Must actively receive or have parents who actively receive electrical service from OTEC
Must be of good character
Must demonstrate a coherent degree plan
Must be planning to attend an accredited vocational school, technical school, college or university. Two of the scholarships are specifically for linemen school. Eight of the 26 academic scholarships are earmarked for returning college students.

To apply for any of the scholarships, visit your high school guidance counselor, stop by your local OTEC office or go to click here to download an application. The application deadline is 5 p.m. on January 13, 2012. Scholarship recipients will be notified mid-April, 2012.