Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) articles from November 2006

Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) archives from November 2006

A look back at public power.(Association News)
November 1, 2006... 50 Years Ago--1956 Coos Curry added about 1,000 kilowatts to its load to serve the U.S. Plywood Corp. plant at Gold Beach, Ore.... Mason PUD No. 3 requested water rights for a 15,000 kilowatt dam on the Hamma Hamma River (Wash.)... Twelve...

Utilities: learn how to handle upcoming workforce shortages.(Association News)
November 1, 2006... The projections are scary. There is a growing shortage of qualified people for all positions. And, by 2010 that number could grow to as many as 10,000,000 more jobs than qualified people to fill them.--The Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003 ...

Nollkamper honored with Lacy Peoples Award at NIC.(Association News)
November 1, 2006... This year's recipient of the Lacy Peoples Award was Roy Nollkamper of Glacier Electric Cooperative, Inc. in Cut Bank, Mont. The award was presented at the 2006 NWPPA Northwest Innovations Conference (NIC), held September 17-20 in Whitefish,...

Credit, Collections, and Customer Service converge in the City of Roses.(Association News)
November 1, 2006... More than 50 utility professionals from the worlds of credit, collections, and customer service met in Portland, Ore., last month for the annual NWPPA Utility 3 Cs Workshop: Credit, Collections, and Customer Service. Over the course of three...

Certificate class highlight: Administrative Professional Certificate Program.(Association News)
November 1, 2006... Who Should Attend--Anyone in an administrative or service-oriented role who wants to become more effective in managing tasks and communicating with others should attend these classes. By completing each of the modules within this program,...

Electric utility best practices: summary of white papers, part 2 of 2.(Association News)
November 1, 2006... Excerpts from SMUD's and Tacoma Power's PCB Voluntary Accelerated Removal (VAR) project white papers were featured last month; this month we feature the remaining three utilities: Bonneville Power Administration, Chelan County PUD #1, and...

January's AMR workshop definitely worth your time.(Association News)
November 1, 2006... If your utility is researching automated meter reading (AMR) systems for a new or upgraded installation, or if your installation is in progress, then you won't want to miss the NWPPA AMR Workshop, scheduled for January 8-9, 2007, in Vancouver,...

Training for December & January, February 2007: early bird discounts are available for most programs.(NWPPA Training Opportunities)(Calendar)
November 1, 2006... See www.nwppa.org for information. BUILD, TRAIN, AND ENFORCE A SAFE W WORK ENVIRONMENT Who Should Attend: Foremen and crew leaders. Overview: This is a one-day class. In every business, building and maintaining a safe work...

Chugach's rain-soaked engineering and operations challenge: crews move third tower threatened by flooding Susitna.(Engineering & Operations)
November 1, 2006... While many people were enjoying time off and good weather during the long Labor Day weekend, engineers and line crews from Chugach Electric Association were living up to the heritage of the holiday by moving a 70-foot transmission tower across...

NWPPA Hazardous Materials Task Force update: the next meeting of the Task Force is on January 23, 2007, in Seattle, Wash. This meeting will be in conjunction with a training course by Mark Pennell and, given the regulatory changes afoot, it is a must attend.(Hazardous Materials Update)
November 1, 2006... The NWPPA Hazardous Materials Task Force semi-annual meeting, in conjunction with the Alaska Power Association (APA), was held on September 18, 2006, in Anchorage, Alaska. This meeting followed the Task Force planning session held on July 11,...

Reliable systems and data for consumer-owned utilities.(Information Technology)
November 1, 2006... In every issue of the Bulletin, NWPPA takes a look back at public power over the past 5, 25, and 50 years. It's amazing to look back at the advancements that have occurred in the consumer-owned utilities industry over the years. When you...

Clallam County PUD Commissioners appoint GM.(Member News)
November 1, 2006... On October 16, 2006, the Clallam County PUD's Board of Commissioners appointed Douglas Nass as general manager. Nass began his new position on November 13, 2006. "The Commission was very fortunate to have several strong general manager...

MECA awards event honors top co-op people.(Member News)
November 1, 2006... At a recent Montana Electric Cooperatives' Association's (MECA) awards breakfast, Missoula Electric Cooperative trustee Harry La Friniere won one of MECA's top awards: the Hog-Tied Award. The Hog-Tied Award is given to a co-op trustee or...

Block of power auctioned by Washington state utility.(Member News)
November 1, 2006... For the second time in as many years, a block of electrical power has been auctioned off at Grant County PUD. The successful bidder, Powerex, will receive 8.86 percent of the output of the utility's Priest Rapids Development on the Columbia...

Benton PUD celebrated 60th anniversary with customer appreciation days.(Member News)
November 1, 2006... Sixty years ago, on September 12, 1946, Benton PUD purchased Pacific Power & Light infrastructure and began providing service to the community. In 1946, Benton PUD served 3,000 customers; today they serve 44,000 customers in the Benton County...

Parkland to experience GM changes in 2007.(Member News)
November 1, 2006... Jim Sherrill, general manger of Parkland Light & Water Company in Tacoma, Wash., has announced that he will be retiring in January 2007. Parkland's Board of Directors has appointed Mark Johnson as his successor. Sherrill has worked as...

Cowlitz PUD names McMaster as new chief operating officer.(Member News)
November 1, 2006... On September 20, Don McMaster started his position as Cowlitz PUD's new chief operating officer (COO). As the COO, McMaster is responsible for the day-to-day business operations of the utility under the direction of General Manager Brian...

NVEC's 67th Annual Meeting of members.(Member News)
November 1, 2006... Nespelem Valley Electric Cooperative's (NVEC) 67th Annual Meeting drew over 200 members and associates to the Nespelem elementary school. NVEC members enjoyed a barbeque dinner and then learned about the electric cooperative's activities during...

Several reasons for Hill County to be proud.(Member News)
November 1, 2006... Congratulations to Hill County Electric Cooperative (HCE) for receiving several awards during the 2006 Montana Electric Cooperatives' Association (MECA) annual meeting in Great Falls last month. MECA recognized HCE and its employees for...

PNGC names Prescott to be CEO and recognizes Ryan.(Member News)
November 1, 2006... Following a search, John Prescott was named president and chief executive officer (CEO) for PNGC Power. The previous CEO, Patrick Reiten, left the company in mid-September to accept the position of president for Pacific Power. "The quality...

Curry elected to Tacoma Board.(Member News)
November 1, 2006... Washington's Tacoma Public Utility Board elected David Curry to be chair for 2006-2007. Curry is the executive director of the Tacoma Rescue Mission. The Board also elected Robert Casey to be vice-chair and Tom Hilyard to be secretary.

Bikes-4-Kids-Utah big success.(Member News)
November 1, 2006... In late September, an event took place in Murray, Utah, that was a golden opportunity for community involvement for Murray City Power. The Bikes-4-Kids-Utah event focused on the distribution of 1,000 free bikes to low-income children from...

Henkels & McCoy, Inc.(Associate Member Profiles)
November 1, 2006... Henkels & McCoy, Inc. P.O. Box 20009 Portland, OR 97294 Phone: (503) 255-5125 Fax: (503) 255-5129 phenkelsjr@henkels.com www.henkels.com Henkels & McCoy, Inc. is one of the largest privately held engineering, network development, and...

Hi-Line Engineering.(Associate Member Profiles)
November 1, 2006... Hi-Line Engineering 1826 Opelika Rd. Auburn, AL 36830 Phone: (334) 887-3297 Fax: (334) 887-3298 rachaelh@gdsassoc.com www.hi-line-engineering.com Hi-Line Engineering, LLC, a GDS Company, specializes in safe, reliable, and efficient system...

Brooks Meter Devices contract makes positive impact with MRDD vendor.(Associate Member News)
November 1, 2006... There are few things better in business than when a decision turns out to have a positive impact on people as well as the bottom line. Since 1999, Brooks Meter Devices has outsourced the assembly of the contact jaws for its test switches to...

FCI announces the line of Clear H-Tap covers: clear design provides simple installation and inspection ease.(Technology Marketplace)
November 1, 2006... FCI, a leading manufacturer and provider of connector solutions to the industrial, energy, application tooling, and automotive industries, announced its new line of Clear H-Tap covers. Made of high quality polycarbonate, this new line of clear...

The West Coast and ocean renewable energy.(Washington D.C. Report)
November 1, 2006... Congress, regulators, and the ocean renewable energy industry have all been ramping up activity over the last 18 months to accommodate increased interest in converting the ocean's energy to renewable power. While ocean technologies have been...

Emerald People's Utility District's high school photovoltaic program: bringing bright light and bright minds together.
November 1, 2006... How does a small rural utility with a lifelong commitment to conservation and environmental stewardship transmit that philosophy to its yet-to-be customers: the students in the District's four high schools? That was the question when the Board...