The Illinois Municipal Utilities Association (IMUA), in partnership with City Water, Light and Power, and other IMUA-member utilities, is offering four $2,500 scholarships to high school seniors this spring! This scholarship recognizes students for their essay writing skills and understanding of electric and water utility issues while promoting the benefits of municipally owned utilities.
Eligibility and Guidelines For Applying Are As Follows:
- Only high school seniors whose parents or legal guardians are residential customers of CWLP or another IMUA member utility
- Students must complete the application and submit an essay of 500 words or less, typewritten and double-spaced.
- The essay should NOT mention the student’s hometown or hometown utility.
Essays MUST address one of the following five issues/questions:
Climate Change
Q. Climate change can affect our health, our ability to grow food, our housing, our work and even our overall safety. Conditions such as warmer temperatures, flooding, sea-level rises and saltwater intrusion have advanced to the point where entire communities have had to rebuild entirely or relocate. Protracted droughts are putting many people at risk of famine. What are some lifestyle changes you can make now to help mitigate the impact of climate change?
Water
Q. Our nation’s water supplies are under constant duress from threats such as climate change and overuse to contamination, pollution, drought and other factors. Examples of such water sources and supplies include lakes, rivers, streams, seas and aquifers. What actions and preventative measures can be taken to help ensure the long-term viability and integrity of these water sources as clean, adequate and reliable sources of water supply?
Benefits of Public Power
Q. Public power has many distinct characteristics (compared to investor-owned utilities (IOUs), rural electric cooperatives and private energy companies) that directly and indirectly benefit consumers and contribute to community progress, economic development and growth. What are some of these many benefits and how do you see them contributing to your own community’s betterment, including its quality of life? Please cite specific examples.
Artificial Intelligence
Q. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used across a wide spectrum of industries, uses and applications, including computer research, learning systems and similar learning. Do you foresee AI playing a larger role in the utility and energy industries and if so, how? Please explain and use specific examples.
Other Industry Challenges
Q. What do you see as being the biggest challenges facing the electric utility and energy industries today? What actions, strategies and measures do you recommend to meet these challenges, and why?
Sources of information regarding municipal utilities and utility-related issues can be found in the reference section of a library, periodicals, the Internet, or individuals employed by your local municipal utility. Search phrases include municipal utility, local ownership, municipalization, public power, public gas system, utility deregulation, Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA), public interest, and municipal utility rates.
There are many other sources as well. The following websites and sources may also be useful obtaining information helpful in writing your essay:
• American Public Power Association (www.publicpower.org)
• American Public Gas Association (www.apga.org)
• Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (www.imea.org)
• Illinois Municipal Utilities Association (www.imea.org, then click on the IMUA link)
• Illinois Public Energy Agency (www.imea.org, then click on the “IPEA link)
• Energy Information Administration (www.eia.gov) • Your local municipal utility superintendent • American Water Works Association (AWWA) (www.awwa.org)
• Illinois Rural Water Association (ILRWA) (www.ilrwa)
The deadline for submitting written essays is Friday, March 14, 2025.
The IMUA Scholarship Committee will choose four finalists. Each finalist will receive a finalist certificate and a $2,500 award from IMUA. Winners will be announced in April 2025.