Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) articles from August 2003

Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) archives from August 2003

A look back at Public Power.(Association News)
August 1, 2003... 50 Years Ago The State of Oregon filed three class action suits to recover some $5 million in steam surcharge collections on grounds of illegality. Attorney Walter Evans said he was seeking to recover nearly $2.7 million from Portland...

Pole Structure Conference mixes electric, cable, phone crews.(Association News)
August 1, 2003... October is the month for the Utility Pole Structures Conference & Trade Show--and this bi-annual conference is long-awaited. The event, co-sponsored by Western Energy Institute and Northwest Public Power Association every two years, is on...

NWPPA seeks members' help with new early registration & event cancellation procedures.(Association News)
August 1, 2003... Early Registration Discount Are you looking for a way to save your utility money on refining costs? NWPPA has just instituted a new early registration discount policy to help encourage members to register early and save money on class...

Get the whole story: load tap changers.
August 1, 2003... Jim McLean knows the whole story about load tap changers--and he'll share the story with anyone who wants to learn more. On October 21-22, McLean will instruct Load Tap Changers: The Whole Story, a course presented by National Utility...

Open House kicks-off N.U.T.S. regional information meetings.(Association News)
August 1, 2003... Hazy skies and hot weather greeted guests for an Open House Aug. 5 at NWPPA's National Utility Training Services (N.U.T.S.) facility in Richland, Wash. The Open House included curricula demonstrations, site tours, a barbecue, and an overview of...

Trainiing Opportunities NWPPA 2003: September & October.
August 1, 2003... Check our Web site for the most current schedules. www.nwppa.org COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE ON BOARD GOVERNANCE & DIRECTOR ROLES: A TRANSITION COURSE TO THE CCD PROGRAM Who Should Attend: Directors of electric cooperatives who have a .500...

Communication Excellence on display.(Executive Director's Report)
August 1, 2003... Dear Members: Each month, the Bulletin is a major part of how we communicate with you. Whether it's news about the Association, your fellow member utilities, vendors, BPA or other industry groups, you know you'll find out about it here....

Sarbanes-Oxley likely to produce more complaints.(Human Resources)
August 1, 2003... Sometimes just a few words paint a vivid picture of what was happening during a specific time in history. Just as the words "Haight Ashbury" bring to mind social upheaval for many, "Sarbanes-Oxley" may in the future conjure up images of all...

Fiber optics provides lifeline for rural community.(Information Technology)
August 1, 2003... Imagine a medical emergency in a small, rural hospital. A severely injured patient, who is being stabilized and about to be transferred to a large, urban medical center; is lying on a stretcher being examined by a physician. This scenario...

PUD buoyed by Inspector General's findings.(Policy Making & Management)
August 1, 2003... Following the release of a Special Inquiry Report from the Office of Inspector General made public on June 27, 2003, Snohomish County PUD continues to question the impartiality of two of the federal energy regulators who judged its case. The...

Who should outsource their energy risk management?(Power Supply & Risk Management)
August 1, 2003... Some of the most difficult decisions companies are faced with involve outsourcing of certain functions to so called "experts." Over the past 10 years there are dozens of examples of failure in this area, which has caused many companies to shy...

Handbook offers valuable advice on ergonomics to distribution line workers.(Safety)
August 1, 2003... Overhead distribution line work is physically strenuous and can expose workers to musculoskeletal disorders, such as low back pain and shoulder tendonitis. In a survey of more than 150 active line workers in the United States, 40 percent of the...

Chugach Electric unveils plans for wind farm.(Member News)
August 1, 2003... Conceptual plans are in the works for Chugach Electric Association's (Anchorage, Alaska) first wind farm, to be located at Bird Point, south of Anchorage. The wind generation facility will be made up of three triple-bladed turbines mounted...

Calendar of upcoming public power meetings.(Member News)(Calendar)
August 1, 2003... September 2003 5--PNUCC Meeting, Portland Airport Sheraton, Portland, Ore. 6--Surprise Valley Electrification Annual Meeting. 9-11--NRECA Region IX Meeting, Spokane, Wash. 9-11--Northwest Power & Conservation Council Meeting,...

Columbia River's Pilon announces retirement.(Member News)
August 1, 2003... Columbia River People's Utility District (St. Helens, Ore.) General Manager Fergus Pilon has announced his plan to retire on December 1, 2003. Pilon has served as general manager since March 1984--five months before the PUD began serving...

Marshall joins Snohomish in key power & transmission role.(Member News)
August 1, 2003... Snohomish County PUD (Everett, Wash.) has appointed Steve Marshall as its assistant general manager of power and transmission services. He started his new role with the utility in June. In this role he will manage the PUD's power portfolio,...

Power council changes its name.(Member News)
August 1, 2003... The Northwest Power Planning Council (Portland, Ore.) has recently implemented a name change. Effective July 17, 2003, the Council will be known as the Northwest Power and Conservation Council to emphasize the conservation aspect of its...

Grays Harbor PUD earns certification for diesel generators.(Member News)
August 1, 2003... In July of 2001, Grays Harbor PUD (Aberdeen, Wash.) purchased five, 2 megawatt diesel generators from Cummins Northwest, Inc. for permanent installation as auxiliary District controlled power resources, not just for use as 90-day emergency...

CMUA challenges California experiment.(Member News)
August 1, 2003... The California Independent System Operator Corp. has decided the state "should risk reliving the electricity service disaster that plagued the state in 2000 and 2001," the California Municipal Utilities Association said. In approving a...

Park Electric deals with forces of nature.(Member News)
August 1, 2003... Nine outages in 14 days caused one heck of a headache for customers and utility personnel at Park Electric Cooperative (Livingston, Mont.) this past spring. Wet weather, combined with lightning, wind, rain and snow caused outages that...

Associate member profiles.(Associate Member News)
August 1, 2003... Wilson Construction Donald Wilson P.O. Box 1190 Canby, OR 97013-1190 Phone: (503) 263-6882 Fax: (503) 263-6946 E-mail: dmwilson@wilsonconst.com Web site: www.wilsonconst.com Wilson Construction Company is a...

Welcome new associate members.(Associate Member News)
August 1, 2003... Please contact these new Associate Members by e-mail or Web site addresses listed under their company name. These companies are also listed in the "Product and Service Guide" on our Web site at: www.nwppa.org/members. BEKAERT CORPORATION...

Waukesha Electric wins multi-million dollar service contract.(Associate Member News)
August 1, 2003... Waukesha Electric Systems' nationwide service organization has been awarded a landmark five-year, multi-million-dollar service and maintenance contract by Dominion, one of the nation's largest producers of energy, headquartered in Richmond, Va....

Appropriations: a race to adjournment.(Washington D.C. Report)
August 1, 2003... The 108th Congress is moving very swiftly to wrap up its Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 appropriations work in time for a targeted October 3 year-end adjournment. This is a priority for the leadership, which wants to avoid a repeat of last year's...

Alert: in astonishing move, Senate adopts last year's energy bill.(Washington D.C. Report)
August 1, 2003... In an unprecedented and dramatic conclusion of the energy debate, on July 31, 2003 the Senate passed, by a vote of 84-14, last year's comprehensive energy legislation (S. 517), which had been crafted when the Senate was under Democratic...

AVEC uses fuel-efficient modules to update plants.(Feature)(Cover Story)
August 1, 2003... Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) is on a course that promises to dramatically improve power production in Alaska's villages, using innovative technology it has helped develop. Working with manufacturing and financing partners, the...