Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) articles from September 2004

Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association) archives from September 2004

50 years ago--1954.(A Look Back at Public Power)
September 1, 2004... Chelan PUD refinanced $8,186,000 of its distribution system revenue bonds at an effective interest rate of 2.65 percent as compared with the previous 3.42 percent. After paying a call premium and other costs, the net savings to the District...

25 years ago--1979.(A Look Back at Public Power)
September 1, 2004... The U.S. Senate's Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act was approved on August 3 by the full Senate after its unanimous earlier approval in committee... Bill Nordeen was named manager of Northern Lights, Inc.... The...

5 years ago--1999.(A Look Back at Public Power)
September 1, 2004... Snohomish County PUD (Everett, Wash.) celebrated its 50th Anniversary, taking an opportunity to look back on a long string of accomplishments while also looking forward to the challenges of the future... Columbia River PUD (St. Helens, Ore.)...

Credit, collections & customer service colleagues to gather.(Association News)
September 1, 2004... The second annual Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA) Three C's Workshop: Credit, Collections and Customer Service is not far away. The event is scheduled for October 20-22 at the Embassy Suites Seattle-Tacoma Airport in Tukwila, Wash.,...

Wage & Hour Annual Meeting to bring members current.
September 1, 2004... The Northwest Wage & Hour Annual Meeting is set for October 5-8 at the Alderbrook Resort & Spa in Union, Wash., and plenty of valuable programming is scheduled. Perhaps the hottest session is the Service Continuation Planning--Strike...

Bouchard joins NWPPA staff.(Association News)
September 1, 2004... Dave Bouchard has officially started work with Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA), as of August 16. Bouchard is the Association's member relations manager. In addition to his tasks in new membership development, he will be paying...

Utility marketing roundtable set for November in Tacoma.(Association News)
September 1, 2004... Northwest Public Power Association's Regional Marketing Roundtable is scheduled for November 18 at the Sheraton Tacoma Hotel, and all utility managers and marketing personnel are encouraged to attend. Others who would find the roundtable...

NWPPA/NRECA Fast Track courses scheduled for 2004.(Association News)
September 1, 2004... Five classes that make up the NWPPA/NRECA Credentialed Cooperative Director Fast Track training for cooperative board members are scheduled for late October in Great Falls, Mont. Completion of all of these courses leads to a Credentialed...

October, November & December 2004.(Training Opportunities)(Calendar)
September 1, 2004... COMPREHENSIVE SUBSTATION TRAINING Who Should Attend: This course is a must for any employee assigned responsibility for maintenance and operation of a substation, or anyone who occasionally enters a situation. Overview: The course...

Responding to questions by living up to expectations.(Executive Director's Column)
September 1, 2004... A common question I get while out visiting with members and other industry association leaders is, "What's happening at NWPPA these days?" I respond by saying that NWPPA continues to produce approximately 150 educational workshop,...

Public power utilities give more to the community than the surface reveals.(Accounting & Finance)
September 1, 2004... We all know that public power has a reputation of giving more than great rates to the community, whether it be lighting sports fields, hanging banners on light poles, or helping decorate the community Christmas tree, but a recent study by...

Future of energy conservation looks promising.(Conservation & Renewables)
September 1, 2004... Energy conservation has a promising regional future, brightened by technology advances and forecasted higher power prices, according to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. The Council's draft regional plan identifies about 2,800...

Eight service sins can drive utility customers away.(Customer Service)
September 1, 2004... What is a service sin? Simply put, it is behavior that drives customers away. I have considerable experience with cold-calling utilities and posing as a customer to see how I'm treated and, believe me, service sins do occur. These sins are...

NECA/IBEW solar installation program celebrates growth.(Engineering & Operations)
September 1, 2004... Contrary to the popular belief that solar energy won't work in the Pacific Northwest, it is working at the NECA/IBEW Local 48 Training Center in Portland. It isn't only working; it's providing training opportunities for NECA/IBEW members....

Graphic design becomes an important tool of utility communicators.(Marketing & Communication)
September 1, 2004... Graphic design is the use of graphic elements and text to communicate ideas or information to specific audiences. It is, in essence, a visual language that helps to convey the meaning and context of the written word. When done successfully, it...

Robare retires from Clatskanie PUD.(Member News)
September 1, 2004... Art Robare, manager of engineering and operations at Clatskanie PUD (Clatskanie, Ore.)retired June 30, 2004. Although he was with Clatskanie PUD only five years, he brought to the utility over 30 years of experience in electrical...

Salem Electric members re-elect directors.(Member News)
September 1, 2004... Two Salem Electric directors were re-elected to three-year terms on the cooperative's board and the board named its officers for the 2004-05 year. Jerry Berger and Paul Ennor were re-elected by the membership. Ennor was later named vice...

Hybrid cars serve Murray City Power administrative duties.(Member News)
September 1, 2004... Murray City Power has gone hybrid when it comes to the passenger sedans in its fleet. The utility operates three sedans for administrative purposes. In 2001, two of the sedans were replaced with Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid cars. The...

Calendar of upcoming public power meetings.(Member News)(Calendar)
September 1, 2004... October 2004 3-- Ruralite Publications Committee Meeting. Reno, Nev. 5-6-- PNGC Power Annual Meeting 7-- Public Power Council Executive Committee Meeting. Portland Airport Sheraton, Portland, Ore. 8-- ...

Douglas County PUD: looking to the future.(Member News)
September 1, 2004... What does the future hold for your utility? The commissioners and management at Douglas PUD (East Wenatchee, Wash.) saw the need for a secure building for power and crew dispatching, a central location for the Wells Hydroelectric Project...

Yellowstone Valley Electric's growth creates challenges.(Member News)
September 1, 2004... Rapid growth is creating some real challenges for Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative (Huntley, Mont.)--and those challenges are being met head-on by the co-op. Yellowstone Valley is staring a four-year, $12 million work plan right in...

NWPPA members recognized in the spotlight on excellence.(Member News)
September 1, 2004... Northwest Public Power Association cooperative members are among the best in the nation when it comes to work produced by their communication and member services staffs. The NRECA Spotlight on Excellence program proves it. When the...

Border States Electric Supply.(Associate Member Profiles)
September 1, 2004... Marty Reynolds 206 S. Plainview Street Billings, MT 59103 Phone: (800) 736-6266 Fax: (406) 256-9891 E-mail: mreynolds@border_states.com www.borderstateselectric.com Border States Electric Supply is an innovative...

Omega Industrial Supply, Inc.(Association Member Profiles)
September 1, 2004... Sherri Sagan 4950 Fulton Drive, Suite B Fairfield, CA 94534 Phone: (800) 571-7347 Fax: (707) 864-8134 E-mail: info@onlyomega.com www.onlyomega.com Omega Industrial Supply, Inc., is committed to providing its...

Myron Bechtel named president of Waukesha Electric Systems.(Associate Member News)
September 1, 2004... Myron Bechtel has been named president of Waukesha Electric Systems, Inc. "I have worked with Myron over the last 18 months and am extremely confident the he will continue to build upon the progress that has been made in improving the...

Manually operated Omni-Rupter Switches now certified to 3/4-inch ice-breaking capability.(Technology Marketplace)
September 1, 2004... S&C Omni-Rupter Switches have been successfully tested and are now certified for 3/4-inch ice-breaking capability. S&C's Switch Products Division decided to take a pro-active approach to proposed changes to the National Electric Safety...

GAO finds BPA's "open-ended obligation" to provide power root of rising costs: BPA's most important advantage, according to GAO, is its ability to market power produced primarily from 31 hydroelectric dams in the federal power system, which generally have lower overall costs, compared to power produced by other sources.(Washington D.C. Report)
September 1, 2004... On August 9, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report attributing many of the Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA) financial problems to its "open-ended legal obligation" to provide wholesale power to preference...

Renewables becoming a major player in the region's power supply.
September 1, 2004... Renewable energy sources--including wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal power--have assumed an important part of the energy portfolios of Northwest utilities. Why is this not surprising? Public support for renewable energy is strong...