Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) articles from July 2008

Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) archives from July 2008

2008 NIC comes to Lake Tahoe.(Association News)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Utility professionals working in the areas of marketing, communications, and energy services are making plans to gather in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., this September for the 2008 NWPPA Northwest Innovations Conference,...

Q&A with NWPPA's new president, John DiStasio.(Association News)(Interview)
July 1, 2008... On May 20, 2008, at NWPPA's 68th Annual Conference and Membership Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, the Board of Trustees elected John DiStasio to be the 2008-2009 NWPPA Board of Trustees president. DiStasio will serve a one-year term as Board...

2008 annual award winners announced.(Association News)
July 1, 2008... NWPPA honored the following individuals at its 68th Annual Conference and Membership Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, in May: Life Membership Awards NWPPA honors retired policymakers and managers from member utilities for work performed...

Northwest public power' milestones (1968-1978).(Association News)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * 1968--The Joint Power Planning Council announces its $15 billion, 20-year "Hydrothermal" program to build a series of large, mostly nuclear power plants. Both public and private utilities are involved with the...

Demand surges for energy education in the Northwest.(Conservation & Renewables)
July 1, 2008... As our society shifts from the cheap-and-plentiful energy model to the new reality that sees increasing demand and diminishing supplies of energy of all kinds, it is clear that energy education, focused on energy efficiency, conservation, and...

Sen. Baucus challenges industry to help propose energy legislation that makes sense for America.(Executive Director's Column)
July 1, 2008... Dear Members: The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the American Public Power Association have held their 2008 annual meetings; many statewide associations are holding, of will be holding, their summer and annual...

Idaho Falls Power's incident management system replaces cumbersome sticky-note process.(Information Technology)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 2006, Idaho Falls Power began looking at options to help us better respond to our customers during widespread power outages. Despite the increased capability of a new phone system, we found that we still could not...

Negotiating prepaid electricity purchases.(Legal Column)
July 1, 2008... In 2003, the United States Treasury Department released new regulations implementing Section 141(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that enable consumer-owned utilities to enter into prepaid contracts for electricity financed through the...

Utility board election highlights.(Member News)
July 1, 2008... Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) held its 39th Annual Meeting on March 25 in Anchorage, Alaska. Incumbents Robert Beans, Sr., formerly from Mt. Village, and Charlie Curtis of Kiana were elected to fill three-year terms on the board of...

National honor awarded to Benton.(Member News)
July 1, 2008... Benton PUD (Kennewick, Wash.) received the Expanding Excellence Award for "Innovation in Customer Service" from the CS Week organization and Electric Light & Power magazine. The award is given to organizations that have developed an innovative...

Tacoma Power helps food retailers.(Member News)
July 1, 2008... Food retailers trying to keep their businesses afloat in a tough economy can get some relief in the form of substantial cuts to their utility bills. Tacoma Power s (Tacoma, Wash.) new EnergySmart program offers incentives to help owners of...

GVEA's Newton earns doctorate.(Member News)
July 1, 2008... On May 18, Brian Newton, president and CEO of Golden Valley Electric Association in Fairbanks, Alaska, received his doctorate in management from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. ...

Vera century of power.(Member News)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Vera Water and Power's (Spokane Valley, Wash.) Centennial Celebration was held on April 25 with several events planned, including the dedication of a new water feature, a display of vintage 1906-1907 Cadillacs, a...

U.S. House hears Grant's Culbertson.(Member News)
July 1, 2008... On June 12, Grant County (Ephrata, Wash.) General Manager Tim Culbertson addressed members of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of hydropower as the emissions-free energy solution for the nation. Culbertson spoke before the...

DiStasio succeeds Schori at SMUD.(Member News)
July 1, 2008... On June 20, John DiStasio assumed his I new position as general manager of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in California, succeeding Jan Schori who recently retired. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DiStasio, a 27-year SMUD...

WRECA names new officers.(Member News)
July 1, 2008... During the association's recent Annual Meeting, the Washington Rural Electric Cooperative Association (WRECA) elected Chris Thomerson to be president for the 2008-2009 term. Thomerson is the president of the Orcas Power & Light Cooperative...

KEC team receives awards.(Member News)
July 1, 2008... Kootenai Electric Cooperative's (Hayden, Idaho) Larry Bryant, marketing manager, and Erika Neff, communications coordinator, were awarded two Spotlight on Excellence Awards (in recognition of outstanding achievement in cooperative...

OTECC's new employees.(Members News)
July 1, 2008... Oregon Trail Electric Consumers Cooperative (OTECC) in Baker City, Ore., is pleased to announce the hiring of Debby Ray as manager of human resources and Jim Putman as manager of operations. Ray began work at OTECC on June 9. She brings...

NVEC will save $85k with AMR.(Members News)
July 1, 2008... At the beginning of 2008, Washington State's Nespelem Valley Electric Cooperative (NVEC) began the first phase of implementing an automated meter reading (AMR) system that will improve efficiency and reduce labor and vehicle expenses for the...

SMUD awarded for internship program.(Members News)
July 1, 2008... The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in California has been awarded the Best Employer Partner Award for its internship program with Luther Burbank High School. Presented by Linking Education and Economic Development (LEED), the...

Plane crashes into KEC building.(Members News)
July 1, 2008... On May 12, a small plane crashed into a parking/storage area at Kootenai Electric Cooperative (KEC) in Hayden, Idaho. The pilot, a flight instructor, and his student were slightly injured. They had been performing touch-and-go maneuvers before...

We remember.(Member News)
July 1, 2008... Former Ravalli County Electric Cooperative director, L. Dean Hyatt, passed away on May 23, 2008, in St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Mont. He was 81 years old. Hyatt and his twin sister Jean were born March 5, 1927, to Roy and Ireta...

S&C's Roberts named to DOE committee.(Associate Member News)
July 1, 2008... On April 17, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the members of its newly established Electricity Advisory Committee. The 30 inaugural members include some of the nation's top public and private sector leaders in electricity policy,...

Markl, O'Bryant join Novinium Board.(Associate Member News)
July 1, 2008... Novinium, Inc., the global leader in cable life extension technology for the utility market, announced the appointment of Thomas Markl and Allan O'Bryant to the Novinium Board of Directors. Markl and O'Bryant join Whitney Rockley from Nomura,...

PCS adopts an ESOP.(Associate Member News)
July 1, 2008... In May, Professional Computer Systems, Co. (PCS) adopted an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Over the last several years, PCS has had a goal to develop a succession plan to provide the assurance to its clients and employees that the...

Acquisition enhances POWER's abilities.(Associate Member News)
July 1, 2008... POWER Engineers has acquired Visual Genesis, a leading visualization technology firm in Boise, Idaho. Visual Genesis specializes in providing original visual solutions and is dedicated to the understanding, analysis, and public education of...

Facing up to the C[O.sub.2] challenge.(Washington D.C. Report)
July 1, 2008... Utilities are facing "our biggest challenge ever--C[O.sub.2,"] said Maude Grantham-Richards, electric utility director, Farmington, N.M., Electric Utility System, as she took office as the 2008-09 chair of APPA's board of directors. APPA...

Party with a purpose: Springfield Utility Board hosts Project Share events.(Cover story)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Like many utilities, Springfield Utility Board (Springfield, Ore.) has tried several ways to raise money for its energy assistance program over the years. From bake sales to parking lot sales, employees volunteered...