Youth Tour Celebrates America’s 250 Years in D.C.
Fourteen youth delegates from eleven electric cooperatives joined peers from across the country in Washington, D.C., for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth Tour this year, in the days leading up to the nation’s 250th birthday.
From June 14-20, attendees enjoyed a jam-packed week including tours of national museums, visits to historic monuments, and meetings with elected officials at their Capitol offices.
Youth Tour delegates kicked things off with visits to the National Archives, Air Force Memorial, Pentagon, and reflected at the Pentagon Memorial. Additional stops included the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. They participated in the FBI Experience, where they explored topics such as counterterrorism, cybercrime, and organized crime. They also visited the National Mall, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, and Arlington National Cemetery, where they participated in a wreath-laying ceremony.
Co-op educational opportunities included a Co-ops 101 class and a visit to the National Cooperative Bank to learn about the power and impact of cooperatives and a series of engaging “Co-op Snapshots” from industry leaders.
Additionally, they visited Capitol Hill, where they sat in the gallery and witnessed the legislative process in action. Wisconsin’s Federated Youth Foundation, a co-op-sponsored, independent charitable organization, provides significant financial support for Youth Tour participation through the proceeds from investments financed by unclaimed co-op patronage credits.
2026 Youth Tour attendees included:
Front row—Aliya Cox (Oconto Electric Cooperative), Olivia Huber (Rock Energy Cooperative), Kelby Schneider (Rock Energy Cooperative), Sienna Steines (Barron Electric Cooperative), Paige Spors (Jackson Electric Cooperative), Jacob Schmidt (Clark Electric Cooperative), and David Oft (Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative).
Back row—Hannah Tubbs (Jackson Electric Cooperative), Franklin Eldred (Barron Electric Cooperative), Archer Utke (Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative), Elijah Argetsinger (Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative), Braxtyn Marx (Vernon Electric Cooperative), Laura Wegerer (Taylor Electric Cooperative), Max Klussendorf (Taylor Electric Cooperative).
Youth Leadership Conference a Success at UW–Stout
Sixty-five high school students sponsored by 20 Wisconsin electric cooperatives participated in this year’s Youth Leadership Conference at UW–Stout in July.
The three-day conference developed the cooperative leaders of tomorrow through engaging sessions, including leadership, inspirational, and motivational speakers. Youth also learned about upcoming digital technology, safe driving, and even took part in an etiquette dinner.
The conference closed out with an entertaining evening with a hypnotist and the election of the youth board, which will oversee the development of next year’s conference.
Marx Named Wisconsin 2026 Youth Rep
Vernon Electric Cooperative youth Braxtyn Marx has been selected to serve as the next WECA State Representative. Marx will attend the 2027 NRECA PowerXchange along with other state cooperative youth leaders.
Marx is a member of the Youth Board and attended the NRECA Youth Tour in Washington, D.C.
Marx is entering his senior year at Westby Area High School.
PSC Launches Next Round of Grant Program
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) has officially launched the second round of the Wisconsin Grid Resilience Formula Grant program and is now accepting comments on design and budget.
In the first round of the program, all 14 applications submitted by 12 Wisconsin electric co-ops to the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program were approved by the PSC and subsequently approved by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Total funding available in this round is $7.19 million, plus the potential for additional funds made available in years four and five of the federal grant program, which is funded by the Infrastructure, Investments, and Jobs Act (IIJA) and geared toward projects that improve the reliability of the grid.
Realta Fusion Hits Energy Milestone
Wisconsin-based Realta Fusion has achieved another milestone in its effort to develop commercial fusion energy, demonstrating that it can directly capture electricity from a fusion plasma rather than relying solely on conventional steam turbines.
During a recent test of its Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM) demonstration reactor, the company generated enough electricity to power several lightbulbs using a prototype direct energy converter, the first time a private fusion company has been able to publicly demonstrate the technology.