Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) articles from February 2007

Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) archives from February 2007

Spokane preparing for conference and membership meeting.(Association News)
February 1, 2007... This year's NWPPA Annual Conference and Membership Meeting will be held May 20-24 at the spacious DoubleTree Hotel Spokane City Center in Spokane, Wash. Set back from the road in the heart of downtown Spokane, the hotel offers great views of...

Past presidents address need for power graduates.(Association News)
February 1, 2007... A group of NWPPA past presidents--Ron Benfield, Terry Holzer, Bob Speckman, Jim Hubenthal, Mary Wright, and Larry Weis--are busy contacting NWPPA member utilities to determine their interest in sponsoring a power engineering intern during the...

Two revised 2007 resolutions for GRC consideration.(Association News)
February 1, 2007... During the upcoming Government Relations Committee (GRC) meeting on March 8, the Committee will consider two revised resolutions for 2007. Both resolutions were previously archived, but at the request of the membership, they have been...

Welcome new members!(Association News)
February 1, 2007... NWPPA welcomed two utilities to the Association membership in early 2007: The City of Wrangell, Alaska, joined as a new member and West Oregon Electric Cooperative in Vernonia, Ore., has rejoined. These two utilities join 148 other utility...

A look back at public power.(Association News)
February 1, 2007... 50 years ago--1957 During calendar year 1956, the Rural Electrification Administration made $218 million in loans, including $18.8 million for the Pacific Northwest... Wahkiakum County PUD received a 36-month preliminary permit to build...

BPA and tribes agree on river operations.(Fish Issues)
February 1, 2007... Hopes are higher for a greater collaborative environment among river stakeholders after the federal government and lower river tribes came to an agreement on how the federal hydrosystem should be operated in 2007. This is the first time...

Performance evaluations: what's the point?(Human Resources)
February 1, 2007... The most important purpose of the performance evaluation is to improve employee job performance. Most of the time employees find themselves working in the dark: wondering or worrying how well they are performing, if they are meeting...

Grounding for the protection of employees.(Safety)
February 1, 2007... When working on temporarily de-energized and grounded overhead conductors (conductors grounded by means of using the traditional methods of placing grounds on both sides, or between the work site and source), there still remains a very real...

New PUD commissioners take office.(Member News)
February 1, 2007... At the beginning of the new year, two new commissioners were sworn into office at Chelan County PUD and one new commissioner took his oath of office across the Columbia River at Douglas County PUD. Dennis Bolz and Randy Smith are the new...

Sun River's Fifield retires.(Member News)
February 1, 2007... After 26 years with Sun River Electric Cooperative (SREC) in Fairfield, Mont., Vonda Fifield retired this January. When Fifield began at SREC, she was setting up new accounts and working with the front desk, capital credits, accounts...

Oscarson fills new position at VEA.(Member News)
February 1, 2007... Valley Electric Association (VEA) recently created a new position, key accounts coordinator, and has hired Rebecca Oscarson to fill that position. In her new role, Oscarson will be working with large commercial loads in VEA's service area...

Hill County employee excels.(Member News)
February 1, 2007... Hill County Electric Cooperative (HCE) employee Matt Sims received journeyman lineman status on December 9, 2006. Sims successfully completed the comprehensive apprenticeship program including On-The-Job Training, Merchant Job Training, and...

REU participates in governor's Green Dream Event.(Member News)
February 1, 2007... The California Energy Commission (CEC) invited Redding Electric Utility (REU) to participate in the Governor's Leading the Green Dream Inaugural Celebration in early January. Out of the state's 36 public electric utilities, REU was the only one...

Sapp resigns from KEA, relocates to Valdez.(Member News)
February 1, 2007... Director Walter Sapp, opening a new chapter in his life's story, has accepted a position as the finance director for the City of Valdez, Alaska. His resignation from the Kodiak Electric Association (KEA) Board of Directors was effective January...

United's Miller retires exactly 47 years after starting.(Member News)
February 1, 2007... On January 11, 1960, Darrell Miller reported for his first day of work as an apprentice lineman for Rural Electric Cooperative in Rupert, Idaho. Forty-seven years later, to the day, he celebrated his last day of serving the members of the same...

SnoPUD's Vaughn named to APPA council.(Member News)
February 1, 2007... Snohomish County Public Utility District Commissioner Kathleen Vaughn has been named to the Policy Makers Council of the American Public Power Association (APPA). Vaughn will represent the region for a one-year term. The council is...

Port Angeles goes smart.(Member News)
February 1, 2007... On January 15, the City of Port Angeles adopted a smart metering policy and time-based rates for all of its customers. For Port Angeles, 56 percent of its electric utility costs are for wholesale power purchases, and 96 percent of its...

ML&P Marks 75th anniversary.(Member News)
February 1, 2007... Anchorage was a small tent city in the wilderness when a federal agency introduced electric service in 1916. Five years later, the City began operating the electrical distribution system under a lease agreement. In 1932, the City bought the...

Showalter to lead power in the public interest.(Member News)
February 1, 2007... At the end of January, electric utilities serving consumers across the United States announced the formation of Power in the Public Interest (PPI), a new coalition dedicated to influencing the debate over state and federal electricity policies....

Falcon Promoted at EES Consulting.(Associate Member News)
February 1, 2007... EES Consulting has promoted Anne Falcon to managing director of rates and economic analysis. Falcon has over 15 years of experience including project management and technical support for all types of economic studies. She has managed projects...

Alliance program manages inventory costs, deliveries.(Associate Member News)
February 1, 2007... Brooks Utility Products Group's Consolidated Purchasing Alliance program controls inventory and supply expenses while improving product development and delivery for utilities. Since the Alliance program was established in 1995, more than a...

Christy Concrete Products.(Associate Member Profiles)
February 1, 2007... Christy Concrete Products 44100 Christy St. Fremont, CA 94538 Phone: (800) 486-7070 Fax: (800) 486-6804 ken.hazleton@oldcastleprecast.com Manufacturer of concrete and non-concrete underground utility boxes....

ETG, Inc.(Associate Member Profiles)
February 1, 2007... ETG, Inc. 7304 W. 130th St., Ste. 200 Overland Park, KS 66213-2638 Phone: (913) 851-4492 Fax: (913) 851-8357 mmccullough@etg-sadi.com www.etg-sadi.com ETG is a provider of Scale Accurate Digital Imagery for...

Climate change: is Congress ready?(Washington D.C. Report)
February 1, 2007... In the short time that the 110th Congress has been in session, there has been a lot of activity and discussion about the need for Congress to act soon to address global warming. Recognizing that the American public is increasingly concerned...

Linemen Forever.(Cover story)
February 1, 2007... Linemen Forever From Washington State, to the Golden Gate, All the way to Northern Maine, Everywhere he goes, he knows His work is still the same. Powers a flowing, lights are a glowing, His life is on the line,...