About Contact News Annual Reports Careers Outages Safety Find Your Cooperative Economic Development Community Government Affairs Our History Our History The Cooperative Difference Generation Facilities Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. Executive Bios In 1940, 112,050 people in Arkansas had electricity while the population of the state stood at 1.95 million. The majority of Arkansans with electricity lived in cities and large towns. The rural areas of the state had no electricity and most had no indoor water. Homes in rural Arkansas were not easily accessible and were also somewhat isolated. The state of Arkansas had several power-generating facilities. The obstacle was the problem of distribution. How could we get the much-needed electricity to the homes in rural areas? The economy during this time was also an obstacle. The mostly rural state was unable to supply the miles and miles of utility lines and poles needed to connect the rural areas, and for-profit electric companies could not justify the investment. In 1932, President Franklin Roosevelt created the New Deal program in the hopes of jump-starting the post-Depression economy. Within the New Deal program, President Roosevelt included funding for rural electrification, paving the way for Arkansas Gov. Carl E. Bailey to sign legislation allowing the incorporation of electric cooperatives in Arkansas. In 1937, the first electric cooperative utility pole was erected in Arkansas by First Electric Cooperative in Jacksonville, marking the development of a system that now covers 60 percent of the state’s land area. In 1942, the electric cooperatives pooled their resources to form a statewide association, Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., (AECI). The distribution cooperatives formed a generation and transmission cooperative, Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. (AECC), in 1949 AECC and AECI, along with the state’s 17 electric distribution cooperatives, are known collectively as the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. 1 Cooperative Way / Little Rock, AR 72209 (501) 570-2200 communications@aecc.com Give Your Career Some Energy About Us Our History The Cooperative Difference Generation Facilities Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. Executive Bios Distribution Cooperatives Economic Development Community Arkansas FFA and 4H STEM Education Programs Youth Tour Farm Family of the Year Philanthropic School Programs Government Affairs ACRE Legislative Directory Legislative Issues Hydroelectric, Wind and Solar Resources Hydroelectric Solar Wind Energy Efficiency Building Guidelines Energy Cost Adjustments Heat Pump Water Heaters LED Holiday Lights Old Appliances Standby Power Your Energy Dollars Contact Careers Safety Outages Terms and Conditions Accessibility © 2018 Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, All Rights Reserved