Whereas Beat the Peak is an electric cooperative voluntary energy reduction program that saves participants money and encourages reduced energy usage by notifying participants of periods of peak energy consumption; Whereas participants in electric cooperative voluntary energy reduction programs such as Beat the Peak — (1) receive alerts during periods of peak energy usage when the price for energy is expected to be high; and (2) have the opportunity to decrease power usage when demand and price are at the highest level; Whereas participation in electric cooperative voluntary energy reduction programs reduces energy costs for all cooperative members; Whereas electric cooperatives are nonprofit utilities that transfer cost savings directly to cooperative members; Whereas the 4 hottest summers on record have occurred during the 5-year period preceding the date of enactment of this resolution; Whereas extreme temperatures produce sustained peak energy prices in competitive wholesale electricity markets; Whereas electric cooperatives work to provide rural areas in the United States with safe, reliable, and affordable electricity; Whereas electric cooperatives operate 833 electric distribution centers and 62 electric generation and transmission facilities; Whereas electric cooperatives provide power to 42,000,000 people in the United States and cover 56 percent of the landmass of the United States; Whereas Delaware Electric Cooperative, the first electric cooperative to create a Beat the Peak program, has saved members $27,000,000 over the 10-year period preceding the date of enactment of this resolution and is on track to save members $2,300,000 in 2018; Whereas over 90 electric cooperatives across the United States offer Beat the Peak demand response programs; and Whereas increased awareness of electric cooperative voluntary energy reduction programs may result in many more electric cooperatives adopting and offering those programs: Now, therefore, be it