The cost of coal, environmental enhancements at the generation facilities, fuel for trains, trucks and barges to bring the coal to the plant, and sending power over transmission lines to our distribution system. It’s the cost of power from Buckeye Power, our generation and transmission cooperative. The costs of generation and transmission have gone up consistently over the last several years. The costs not only relate to the maintenance for the power plant, but also to meet the Clean Air Act regulations enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Cardinal Plant, the generation power source for Ohio’s 24 electric cooperatives, has met compliance requirements that lower emissions at the coal-burning power plant. The costs for major construction at the power plant are passed on to the cooperatives and are reflected in the members’ Generation and Transmission rates. The cost of these upgrades were hundreds of millions of dollars. Generation and Transmission rates are expected to stabilize and the increases over the next few years are projected to be at or below inflation. Generation and Transmission rates are greatly influenced by the decisions of state and national legislators and EPA regulations. The rates are wholesale power costs, and because the cooperative is a not-for-profit, you are paying exactly what it costs for us to deliver power to your home.