Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) articles from October 2003

Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) archives from October 2003

A look back at public power.(Association News)
October 1, 2003... 50 Years Ago Pend Oreille PUD (Newport, Wash.) had announced the completion of financing arrangements for the acquisition of the distribution system of Washington Water Power Company in Pend Oreille County. The sale was to be consummated...

Mining for success, NIC participants strike gold.(Association News)
October 1, 2003... The 2003 Northwest Innovations & Communication Conference not only provided NWPPA member marketers, communicators, energy services staff, and member services staff an opportunity for networking, learning and professional growth--it also...

The Bayne Company's complete pole-top protection system.
October 1, 2003... The Bayne Co. has been providing solutions to the problem of wood pole top failures for over 20 years. The top of the wood pole is as critical to successful field performance as proper ground line preservation. Prior to the 1982 introduction of...

Excellence recognized in communication competition.(Association News)
October 1, 2003... EXCELLENT! More than 150 awards were handed out on October 16, as the most excellent communication efforts of 2002 were recognized at the 2003 NWPPA Excellence in Communication Competition gala luncheon. The popular luncheon was held...

Clark public utilities wins Tom Hougan award.(Association News)
October 1, 2003... Clark Public Utilities (Vancouver, Wash.) has been named the 2003 winner of NWPPA's Tom Hougan Award for Overall Excellence in Communication. Corporate Communication Manager Mick Shutt accepted the award on behalf of his utility at the...

Clearwater's Pierce named Lacy Peoples winner.(Associations News)
October 1, 2003... Robert Pierce of Clearwater Power Company (Lewiston, Idaho) has been named the 2003 winner of the Northwest Public Power Association's annual Lacy Peoples Award. Pierce accepted his award at the Association's annual Excellence in...

People power fights back.
October 1, 2003... When Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) announced a proposed 30 percent wholesale power rate increase for the fall, People Power fought back. An alert was issued to the 107 utilities participating in the program and their grassroots networks...

Retirement? No way!
October 1, 2003... While it does not diminish the fact that many NWPPA members may have a significant number of employees eligible for retirement and it certainly does not negate the pressing need for succession planning, it is more likely that the work force...

Support for public power.(Association News)
October 1, 2003... Salem Electric is a member of six associations that support public power through training, legislative contacts, and information. Each is seen as having a value to the cooperative's members and to the continuation of people having local control...

Training Opportunities 2003: November & December.(Training Opportunities)
October 1, 2003... Check our Web site for the most current schedules. www.nwppa.org ETHICS AND CORPORATE LEADERSHIP: APPLIED ETHICS, SARBANES-OXLEY, AND MORE Who Should Attend: This course is targeted toward all general managers/CEO's, directors,...

Current telecom sector job slide could be reversed by 2008.(Human Resources)
October 1, 2003... As many as 1.2 million new jobs could result over the next decade from widespread adoption of existing and advanced broadband technologies, according to a study released today by the New Millennium Research Council. The new report from...

Walking the high wire act of broadband over power lines.(Information Technology)
October 1, 2003... The "last mile" has confounded telecommunication providers and consumers for years. Telecommunication providers collectively refer to the "last mile" as the figurative distance from the telecommunication provider's switch to a residential...

Public finance 101: how can my utility use tax-exempt bonds?(Legal Column)
October 1, 2003... Tax-exempt bonds can be a useful tool to finance power projects--and one of the most confusing. Tax rules allow only certain entities to issue bonds and only for particular purposes. While we cannot make you a bond expert in three minutes, we...

Device stores off-peak energy to meet peak loads.(Power Supply & Risk Management)
October 1, 2003... Last summer's massive power outage has again triggered attention on system reliability. Yet here in the Northwest system reliability has become more uncertain. One of the causes of this uncertainty is that the Northwest energy infrastructure is...

Fitch sees "increased need" for liquidity.(Pricing, Rates & Economics)
October 1, 2003... In a statement released earlier this year; Fitch Ratings said public power utilities, including public utility districts, municipals and cooperatives, need to make sure they've got liquid assets. "Fitch Ratings strongly believes there is an...

Benton PUD names Walsh human resources manager.(Member News)
October 1, 2003... Allison Walsh has been named human resources manager at Benton PUD (Kennewick, Wash.). Walsh, who comes to the utility from Canam Steel (Sunnyside, Wash.), will manage all human resource areas of employment and labor relations. She replaces Bob...

We remember.
October 1, 2003... Traverse Skallman, a former Life Member of NWPPA, passed away on May 24, 2003. He spent his career at City of Blaine (Wash.) Electric Utility, where he served 27 years as superintendent of utilities, after having started as light...

Murray City's Employee of the Year a popular program.(Member News)
October 1, 2003... One of the most popular programs at Murray City (Utah) Power doesn't involve direct connections with the utility's customers. It is for the employees. The annual competition for the Employee of the Year Award is very popular among those...

Energy Northwest begins construction on phase two of wind project.(Member News)
October 1, 2003... Contractors have begun work on the installation of 12 wind turbines at Energy Northwest's Nine Canyon Wind Project (Kennewick, Wash.). The 12 new wind turbines make up Phase II of the project, which was dedicated a year ago. It brings the...

Hearing resigns from West Oregon co-op.(Member News)
October 1, 2003... For the first time since 1968, members in one of West Oregon Electric Cooperative's (Vernonia, Ore.) districts have elected a new director to the utility's board, as Sam Hearing decided to not run for re-election to the board after serving 35...

Associate member profiles.(Associate Member News)
October 1, 2003... Cable Constructors, Inc. Bruce Clark 105 Kent Street Iron Mountain, MI 49801 Phone: (906) 774-6621 Fax: (906) 774-9120 E-mail: bruce.clark@cciinc.us www.cableconstructors.com CCI is a 100 percent employee-owned...

EES consulting continues its growth.(Associate Member News)
October 1, 2003... Due to a growing clientele in the Southwestern United States, EES Consulting has opened a new office in Indio, Calif. The company says all of its consulting services--from engineering design to litigation support--will be offered to the...

New wire option now available for Twist-Tite Wire Seal.(Technology Marketplace)
October 1, 2003... Inner-Tite Corp., manufacturers of security devices for utilities, announces the addition of a Single Strand Stainless Steel Wire as an option for the Twist-Tite Wire Seal. The wire option has been added to address concerns with multiple strand...

Integrated Windows based financial solutions for utilities.(Technology Marketplace)
October 1, 2003... Professional Computer Systems, Co. (PCS) of Denison, Iowa recently released their innovative, state of the art Windows based financial accounting package called Utilit-e Insight. Utilit-e Insight is comprised of 13 highly integrated modules...

Washington Senator addresses concerns about energy bill.(Washington D.C. Report)
October 1, 2003... Within weeks (or even days), Senate and House conferees are expected to announce agreement on comprehensive energy legislation. I thus appreciate NWPPA's offer to give me this opportunity to reflect on where we've been and where we're headed...

Underground cable fault locating using the arc reflection method.(Feature)
October 1, 2003... The electric utility industry is facing end-of-life for much of the underground cable installed in the 1960's and early 1970's. As failures have occurred, the methods used to locate faults may have accelerated the end of useful cable life. This...