Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) articles from December 2005

Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) archives from December 2005

A look back at public power.(Association News)
December 1, 2005... 50 Years Ago--1955 Benton-Lincoln Electric Cooperative changed its name to Consumers Power, Inc. (Ore.)... The British Columbia Power Commission (B.C.) has connected its 60,000th consumer... Lee Wooden was re-elected president of the...

Haz Mat Task Force meeting & PCB training coming to Seattle.(Association News)
December 1, 2005... If you have employees who are involved with environmental regulatory compliance or the management and handling of hazardous materials, mark January 23-25, 2006 on your calendar. First, on January 23, come and participate in the Hazardous...

NWPPA debuts new utility accounting certificate program.(Association News)
December 1, 2005... The training department at Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA) is pleased to announce the creation of a new Utility Accounting Certificate Program. Intended to enhance and ultimately certify the skills of accounting and finance...

Regional dialogues update: as part of the People Power grassroots network, we will be communicating with utilities regularly about this issue and might ask you to contact your elected officials to represent your positions.(Association News)
December 1, 2005... Most public power utilities purchase all or some of their power from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). BPA has three main customer groups: public utilities, private utilities and the region's heavy industry companies, called Direct...

Training for January, February & March 2006.(NWPPA Training Opportunities)(Calendar)
December 1, 2005... For a detailed list of all upcoming courses and conferences go to www.nwppa.org FRONTLINE LEADERSHIP SESSION #3: PERSONALITIES AND ATTITUDES IN THE WORKPLACE Who Should Attend: Frontline supervisors and managers, and those front line...

EPA finalizes all appropriate inquiries rule governing environmental due diligence.(Environmental)
December 1, 2005... On November 1, 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule on what constitutes the "all appropriate inquiries" (AAI) standard under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)....

Transfer of knowledge increasingly important.(Executive Director's Column)
December 1, 2005... Dear Members: Over Thanksgiving week, I had an unexpected stay in the hospital. I am doing fine now and don't expect any future problems. The reason I am bringing up my visit to the hospital is because the service I received there reflects...

Northwest Utilities Salary, Wage and Benefit Survey summary and trends.(Human Resources)
December 1, 2005... The Northwest Utilities Salary, Wage and Benefit Survey was instigated nearly 15 years ago by a consortium of public utility districts in Oregon and Washington interested in sharing and benchmarking compensation levels for specific utility...

The right tool for the right job: choosing the best tactic for your communication objective.(Marketing & Communication)
December 1, 2005... The work of communicating on behalf of a public utility calls for such an unusual combination of routine projects with the occasional emergency response thrown in that it's easy to fall into habits. It's common for my office to get a phone...

New energy future needed for Montana.(Policymaking & Management)
December 1, 2005... In September, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer asked for a probe into fuel prices, telling Montana oil refinery executives to "stop gouging Montanans" and that he was not convinced by their arguments that they were simply responding to market...

Lincoln Electric Cooperative demonstrates the ins and outs of net metering.(Member News)
December 1, 2005... As the manager of Member Services for Lincoln Electric Cooperative (LEC), Tim Engleson is a one-man public relations department. After 18 years with LEC he has learned that being proactive can often be the key to setting his co-op apart from...

Clallam PUD Commissioners appoint general manager.(Member News)
December 1, 2005... The Clallam County PUD Board of Commissioners recently appointed Shelley Burgett as the utility's general manager. "The Commission was very fortunate to have a couple of strong candidates among the PUD staff," said PUD Commissioner Will Purser....

Seattle City Light celebrates 100 years.(Member News)
December 1, 2005... Created by the citizens of Seattle in 1902, Seattle City Light delivered its first electricity to customers in 1905. Seattle City Light continues to provide affordable, reliable, environmentally sound electric power to Seattle and neighboring...

Wayne Wright named interim PUD manager.(Member News)
December 1, 2005... With a unanimous vote, Chelan County PUD commissioners have named Wayne Wright, a 26-year employee of the District, as interim general manager effective Nov. 28, 2005. Wright, Customer and Environmental Services assistant general manager,...

Snohomish PUD's general manager to retire in 2006.(Member News)
December 1, 2005... The Snohomish County PUD Board of Commissioners recently announced they will be seeking a replacement for General Manager Ed Hansen who intends to retire from the PUD at the end of June 2006. Hansen's decision to remain at the District until...

McCollom to serve as APA interim executive director.(Member News)
December 1, 2005... Eric Yould recently resigned from his position as Executive Director of Alaska Power Association (APA) and Executive Vice President of ARECA Insurance Management (AIM), Inc. Craig McCollom has agreed to fill these positions for APA and AIM...

Steve Walter named manager at Tanner Electric Co-op.(Member News)
December 1, 2005... Steve Walter has been selected as the new manager of Tanner Electric Cooperative. Walter will take over the duties of Elmer Sams upon his retirement on January 15, 2006. Walter is in the Snoqualmie Valley Rotary and is a volunteer for his...

Koss promoted at CRPUD.(Member News)
December 1, 2005... Valarie Koss has been promoted to Manager of Community and Government Relations, Administration and Risk for Columbia River People's Utility District (CRPUD). Koss' primary responsibilities will include managing local, regional and federal...

Upcoming public power meetings.(Member News)(Calendar)
December 1, 2005... January 2006 17-19--NW Power & Conservation Council Meeting, Vancouver, Wash. 17-18--Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) Board Meeting 18-20--WPUDA Association Meetings, Best...

Associate member profiles.(Associate Member News)
December 1, 2005... Okonite Co. James Becket One Annabel Lane, #212 San Ramon, CA 94583 Phone: (925) 830-0801 Fax: (925) 830-0954 becker@okonite.com www.okonite.com Manufacturer of premium grade insulated wire and cable for...

Power Supply executive to join PNGC Power team: PNGC Power adds significant hydro expertise.(Associate Member News)
December 1, 2005... PNGC Power, a Portland-based power services cooperative, has named John Prescott to be senior vice president of Power Supply. In this role, Prescott will be responsible for overseeing activity related to meeting electricity loads for PNGC...

JBR Environmental Consultants celebrates 20 years in business.(Associate Member News)
December 1, 2005... In 1985, five scientists and engineers founded JBR Environmental Consultants, Inc. (JBR) in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two of the five founding principals, Robert Bayer and Brian Buck, remain active in the business and are major shareholders, an...

Energy Northwest named Renewable Energy Innovator of the Year.(Associate Member News)
December 1, 2005... Energy Northwest has been awarded the prestigious 2005 Environmental Innovator of the Year award by the Association of Washington Business. Karl Pennock, Environmental Scientist; and Laura Schinnell, Licensing Project Manager; received the...

Congress gearing up for rewrite of telecommunications law.(Washington D.C. Report)
December 1, 2005... Though less than a decade has passed since passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, there is growing sentiment in Congress that the law is out-dated and inadequate to meet the needs of the Nation's rapidly changing telecommunications...

Mobile computing in the field.(Cover Story)
December 1, 2005... Mobile computing is now mainstream. From handheld games and children's toys to personal digital assistants (PDAs) and automobile navigation systems, mobile computing has moved from Star Trek theory to everyday reality. As with many new...