Whenever my husband asks me if I want the good news first, or the bad news, I always respond, “bad news.” My preference is to take the hit and move on, rather than overlooking the good stuff and dwelling on the negative (sometimes much easier said than done, I will admit). So I am taking that approach today and sharing with you that the Northwest Rural Investment Strategy (NWRIS) has been dissolved, and future Summits along with it. Now for some good news…
NWRIS was a catalyst that brought about several positive outcomes for rural communities in Washington and Oregon. In Washington, NWRIS spawned our first cohort of what we now refer to as our ROAR (Rural Opportunity, Advancement and Resilience) communities. The introductions made at the NWRIS Summits have facilitated countless connections and partnerships among participants that will continue to produce great ideas and collaborations. It was also the impetus for the formation of our task force on private investment options for rural water and wastewater projects, an initiative that is rapidly gaining momentum as we look for alternative infrastructure financing solutions. These are but a few examples of the NWRIS legacy. And in Washington, we will continue to build connections and find solutions for rural communities as we look forward to convening a rural summit starting in 2026.
We are also delighted to share the “Save our Schools a $100 Million” campaign, the brainchild of our tireless colleagues at Zero Emissions Northwest (ZEN). Our Community Solar partnership with ZEN is proving very popular with school districts, and we are at $12 million in calculated savings and robustly climbing! This is money that will be used to help each school’s students and community for the next ten years. Funding Friday childcare in districts that have cut back to a four-day school week, creating a fund that can be used to help students in need, and covering the cost of offering a STEM summer camp are just a few of the ways participating schools are using their energy savings generated by the Community Solar program – for a minimum of ten years. THIS is just one of the reasons why we love what we do at PRWA.
There are lots of good things happening.
Take care,
Jody
