2010 E&O Program - Northwest Public Power Association · month in Anchorage, Alaska, May 17-20,...

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3 NWPPA NEWS

ASSOCIATE MEMBER NEWS22

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES7

WASHINGTON, D.C., REPORT2426

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CONTENTS

COVER STORY

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On the cover: This month’s cover story, which coincides with NationalLineman Appreciation Day on April 18, recognizes a few of our industry’sunsung heroes, men and women who have gone above and beyond to savelives. On the cover, a Matanuska Electric Association line crew used theirbucket truck to save a pilot from a plane that had crashed into 70-foot-talltrees in Wasilla, Alaska. The crew received NWPPA’s 2015 Safety HeroismAward for their actions.

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POWER SUPPLY & RATES13

31 JOB OPPORTUNITIES

MARKETING & COMMUNICATION11

MEMBER NEWS19

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The Bulletin is a publication of Northwest Public PowerAssociation, a regional organization of diverse utilities. The member-ship is made up of utility districts, electric cooperatives, municipali-ties, and crown corporations in Alaska, British Columbia,California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Weare also a trade association for nearly 300 companies, individuals,and organizations affiliated with the electric power industry.

Opinions expressed in single articles are not necessarily policies ofthe Association. For permission to reprint articles, write or call theassociate editor.

Editor: Debbie KuraspedianiAssociate Editor: Brenda DunnDesign Layout: Glenda WaiteAdvertising: Brenda Dunn at (360) 816-1453 or [email protected]

Bulletin (ISSN 1094-0049)

The Bulletin is published monthly by Northwest Public PowerAssociation, 9817 N.E. 54th Street, Ste. 200, Vancouver, WA 98662.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Bulletin, 9817 N.E. 54thStreet, Ste. 200, Vancouver, WA 98662, (360) 254-0109, fax (360)254-5731.

©Copyright 2015 by the Northwest Public Power Association. Allrights reserved. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.RENEWABLES16

REGULATORY UPDATE15

NWPPA NEWS

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Come and help us celebrate our 75th Annual Meeting

he 75th Annual Conference and Membership Meeting will be held nextmonth in Anchorage, Alaska, May 17-20, 2015. If you have not yet reg-istered for it, here are some important dates to keep in mind:

• April 16 is the last day to secure NWPPA discounted room rates at the Hilton Anchorage

• April 17 is the last day to receive the early-bird rate on the conference registration

Please join us in Alaska for this year’s 75th Annual Conference andMembership Meeting, “Celebrating our past with an eye on the future.”NWPPA has lined up an impressive list of presenters from both outside andinside the industry to address current challenges such as recognizing thetrends in the utility industry and outside; what is the future of energyresources; and available opportunities in home energy control and distributedgeneration? And what about those consumers and owners we serve? We willdiscuss them as well. And, of course, we will have some networking fun at the75th anniversary diamond gala on Wednesday evening. NWPPA

T Come learn, network,and celebrate with usin Alaska next month!

To register, get up-to-date information,

or download a PDF of the conference

brochure, visitwww.nwppa.org.

We hope to see youthere!

tility marketing and communications employees, checkyour inboxes! NWPPA emailed the 2015 Call for Entriesfor NWPPA’s 22nd annual Excellence in Communication

Awards earlier this month; however, if you did not receiveone, you may download the complete brochure atwww.nwppa.org.

The brochure contains all of the details about this year’scompetition, including categories, entry fees, and how to sub-mit your entries. All entries and fees must be postmarked byFriday, June 26. Contact Brenda Dunn at [email protected] you have any questions about the contest or would like aPDF of the brochure emailed to you.

As in years past, the winning entries and utilities will behonored at Tuesday’s evening reception at the annual NIC onSeptember 15 at Harveys Lake Tahoe in Nevada. The confer-ence itself will run from September 13-16, 2015, at Harveys.Look for more information about the conference in upcomingBulletins. NWPPA

2015 Excellence in Communication Call for Entries now available

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NWPPA NEWS

First NWPPA DG workshop proves successfullively group of Northwest public power leaders

gathered in Portland on February 17 and 18 toexplore the ins and outs of distributed generation

(DG). The NWPPA workshop, Preparing for DistributedGeneration in the Northwest, provided utility board mem-bers and executives an opportunity to broaden their knowl-edge about this rapidly evolving topic as well as considerstrategies to prepare for it.

The lead workshop presenter, Charlie Black of CJBEnergy, kicked things off by showing how DG affects allsegments of the utility industry — from power supply totransmission, distribution, ratemaking, and customer rela-tions. He compared and contrasted DG with the traditionalelectric utility system, and provided an overview of variousDG technologies and how they are used by homes and busi-nesses. His presentation reviewed major forces driving thegrowth of DG: advancing technologies and falling costs forrooftop solar photovoltaic systems; government policies andtax incentives; rising retail electric rates and rate designsthat recover fixed costs through volumetric charges; con-sumer interest in DG; and third-party rooftop solarinstallers and leasing companies.

Various points of view about DG were examined: con-sumers who adopt DG; consumers who do not adopt DG;and utility perspectives on consumer-owned DG and thechallenges and benefits. Day one closed with a table-topexercise in which teams of workshop participants discussedthe interests of adopters, non-adopters, and utilities; andactions that utilities can take now to balance the interestsand meet the future needs of all consumers.

“I found the global discussion and group participationduring all sessions, especially from outside speakers, to bemost helpful,” said Energy Northwest Generation ProjectDeveloper Robin Rego.

The second day was filled with active discussions withpresenters from Sacramento Municipal Utility District(SMUD) and Snohomish County PUD on their DG pro-grams and lessons being learned. Scott Martin of SMUDexplained how California state policies such as net energymetering, combined with declining costs for rooftop solar,are driving adoption of DG by SMUD customers. Martinalso shared SMUD’s analysis of how increasing levels of DGwill affect its system, and SMUD’s work on energy storage,smart grid, and rate restructuring.

Next, George Pohndorf provided an overview ofSnohomish PUD’s policy commitment and proactiveapproach to assist customers who wish to adopt DG, whilemanaging the utility’s transition to a two-way, smart, inte-grated system. He also described the PUD’s Solar Expressprogram, which supports customer-owned rooftop solar,

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and its Planet Power program, which funds solar demon-stration projects. Finally, Erin Boyd reported on SnohomishPUD’s work to develop a holistic approach to DG that cap-tures underlying economics and takes the long-term view,with active guidance by the utility’s general manager andcommissioners. Examples of topics included assessing thepotential for cost shift and rate pressures; restructuringrates; assessing the value of solar; and engaging with statelegislators.

“The exchanging of information as to what is happen-ing in California and Washington helped to give insight intowhat may be coming,” said Sun River Electric CooperativeMember Service Manager Brad Bauman.

Doran Dennis and Brendan Ronayne from CoBank, asponsor of the workshop, provided a financier’s overview ofwhat they are seeing in the industry for projects, partner-ships, challenges, and successes.

The workshop concluded with some scenario planningfor either 5 or 25 percent of a utility’s load being providedby DG by 2025. Teams were asked to identify driving forcesthat could lead to each level of growth and to formulate autility strategy for each scenario, including action itemsregarding its customers, government policies, third-partyservice providers, and the utility’s own power resources.

Overall, the workshop covered a broad range of DGtopics, with emphasis on policy and strategy issues. Theworkshop sessions combined a primer on DG and its driv-ing forces with sharing of real-world experiences, whilesmall group exercises enabled participants to apply whatthey were learning. NWPPA

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Distributed Generation for the Utility Finance Professional

May 5-6, 2015Portland, Ore.

Distributed Generation for Engineering Personnel

May 13-14, 2015Vancouver, Wash.

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ext week, NWPPA will close the2015 General Manager’sCompensation Survey and the 2015

Director, Commissioner & Other ElectedOfficials Survey. To complete either surveybefore then, go to www.nwppa.org, click onthe Communications tab, and chooseSurveys.

Both surveys will be closed on April 17and reports will be generated with the sur-vey results. Reports for both surveys will be availableby June 5, 2015, from our website. All survey infor-mation is kept confidential and may only be accessedby NWPPA utility member general managers and HRsenior management.

As a reminder, these are the only two utility com-pensation surveys that NWPPA will facilitate this year.(Northwest Wage & Hour surveys are managed sepa-rately and will continue to be offered annually.) TheAssociation will begin rotating its annual surveys onan every-other-year basis. These two surveys will beoffered this year, and then not again until 2017. Nextyear, we will open up an updated 2016 LinecrewWage and Benefits Survey; that survey will again beavailable in 2018.

Thank you to everyone who has partici-pated in this very important survey process!

If you are having trouble accessing the surveys or the results, please contact BrendaDunn at [email protected] or (360) 816-1453. NWPPA

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Don’t forget to find the !n each 2015 issue of the Bulletin, we will be hidingone diamond graphic (exactly like this one )somewhere in the magazine. For each issue, we will

select a random person who has emailed the correctpage and location to the associate editor [email protected]. The winner will be notified bythe end of the month and receive a gift card fromNWPPA.

March’s diamond was on page 11 on the far-leftside of the Wanapum Dam photo, on the dam itself.Congratulations to March’s winner: Michelle Smithfrom Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative in PortOrford, Ore. NWPPA

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Latest GM, director survey results to be posted in early June

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n November 1, 1947, the NWPPA membership chose GusNorwood as the Association’s first-ever executive secretary. Atthat time, the membership consisted of 32 utility members; when

he left NWPPA in 1967 to lead the newly founded Alaska PowerAdministration, NWPPA had grown to 126 member systems.

Born on January 3, 1916, Norwood graduated in 1939 from theUnited States Naval Academy and served as a naval officer on fivecombat ships in World War II. While in the Navy, he met the love ofhis life, Jean Eileen. They married in 1941 and were together for 65years until his death on May 2, 2006.

In 1946, he resigned from his commission as lieutenant comman-der and went to Harvard on the GI Bill; he earned a master’s of publicadministration degree from Harvard’s Littauer Graduate School ofPublic Administration.

After the military and graduate school, Norwood spent the bulkof his career leading NWPPA and forming it into the association it istoday. In addition to all that he did for NWPPA and its membership,staying particularly active in the fields of wholesale rates and federalwater power legislation, many credit him with being instrumental inthe building of the Columbia River dams from 1947 to 1967. For theAssociation’s 25th anniversary, he wrote an article titled, “People andProgress — When People Work Together.” In it, Norwood addressedhow many of the important public power projects take years, evendecades, to complete.

“The dates emphasize the importance of continuity and stickingwith the issue year in and year out,” he wrote. “Time is an importantdimension of our business, time and perseverance.”

After leaving NWPPA, he continued to work in the industry, firstwith the Alaska Power Administration, then with the Atomic EnergyCommission, and ending with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)from 1974 to 1981. While at BPA, he authored many environmentalimpact statements as well as his first book since the war, ColumbiaRiver, Power for the People. Upon retiring from the federal govern-ment in 1981, he went on to write eight more books and serve as thedirector of the Clark County Historical Museum for many years.

For nearly 20 years, Norwood led NWPPA; without his leader-ship, brilliance, and perseverance, the Association would not be whereit is today. Thank you, Mr. Norwood, for all you did for NWPPA andpublic power. NWPPA

A look backat public power

50 years ago — 1965At the annual membership meeting of Eastern OregonElectric Cooperative, members voted 203 to 53 infavor of merging with Umatilla Electric Cooperative;one week later, the membership of Umatilla ElectricCooperative voted 281 to 58 in favor of the merger… The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $1,233,470contract to a Montana construction company to builda new dam near Anchorage, Alaska, to replace theexisting dam on Lake Eklutna, which was damagedby the March 1964 earthquake … Milton-Freewaterhad a rental program for a central electric heating fur-nace, including the heater, wiring, and maintenance,for $2.25 per month (Ore.).

25 years ago — 1990Tacoma City Light steam plant No. 2 began usingrefuse-derived fuel to generate electricity (Wash.) … Anew law in Washington state targeted power thieves;it allowed utilities to collect three times the actualdamages plus attorney fees, investigation costs, andlabor expenses … Wells Rural Electric Company gavea $100 power credit to cooperative member ClaraHand in honor of her 100th birthday (Nev.) … GrantCounty PUD Commissioner Vera Claussen was hon-ored with a woman of achievement award at theannual Women’s Conference sponsored by Big BendCommunity College and Moses Lake Chamber ofCommerce (Wash.).

5 years ago — 2010The Eugene Water & Electric Board of Commis-sioners selected Roger Gray as EWEB’s next generalmanager (Ore.) … By partnering with its customerson a broad range of energy-saving measures,Snohomish PUD achieved its highest level of conser-vation ever, beating its 2009 conservation goal by 22percent (Wash.) … The Golden Valley ElectricAssociation Board of Directors unanimously approveda motion for GVEA’s management to finalize a natu-ral gas fuel contract with Alaska Gasline PortAuthority … The Turlock Irrigation District workedon developing a state-of-the-art natural-gas-fired, simple-cycle peaking power generation facility(Calif.). NWPPA

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A piece of NWPPA history:Gus Norwood,

an NWPPA legacy

NWPPA NEWS

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NEW! INCREASING COLLECTION EFFECTIVENESSWho Should Attend: Members within the customer service, credit,and collections departments of public power utilities.Overview: This course will look at how your utility has worked itscollection processes for years and offer concrete suggestions on howto apply new tools and techniques to improve “this is how we’vealways done it.” You will learn how to fine tune processes toimprove customer relationships and leverage the latest technology toincrease your revenue collection rates.OC[ 7/8."4237"¤"URQMCPG."YCUJ0

NEW! DISTRIBUTED GENERATION FOR THE UTILITY FINANCE PROFESSIONALWho Should Attend: Chief financial officers; senior-level finance andaccounting managers; strategic planning leaders; and risk managers.Overview: In this program, participants will learn about differentmarket sectors’ perspectives, understanding the financial and opera-tional drivers. Then the instructor will review implications for utili-ties, focusing on external factors such as environmental issues andregulatory compliance. Day 1 will focus on the externalities of dis-tributed generation and microgrids as well as the implication for util-ities. During day 2, the participants will discuss financial and strategicissues that utilities should consider. Additionally, participants will con-sider the impacts on their own utility. OC[ 7/8."4237"¤"RQTVNCPF."QTG0

ONLINE — MANAGING ANGRY CUSTOMERSWho Should Attend: Anyone who works with external and internalcustomers.Overview: Each of us has our own “angometer” that goes off whenwe are frustrated with a situation. How we manage that meter inourselves and others is the key. Managing angry conversations is thedelicate art of balancing effective customer service with successfultemperament management. As a result of participating in this 90-minute webinar, you will be able to identify issues that are triggersfor your own anger, identify issues that are triggers for your cus-tomers, learn a model for managing angry conversations, anddevelop a strategy for managing angry conversations.OC[ 8."4237"¤"QPNKPG RTGUGPVCVKQP

QUALIFIED WORKER TRAININGWho Should Attend: Individuals who do not hold an electrical jour-neyman certificate, but as a part of their duties must enter or opensecured areas such as substations, padmounted transformers,switchgear, vaults, and metering cabinets. Engineers, technicians,meter readers, and other operations personnel are required by OSHA1910.269 to have this training. Overview: This one-day class is designed to teach the skills requiredto enter secured areas. The course covers federal regulations relatedto entering a secured area; minimum approach distances or clear-ances; personal protective equipment; job briefings; substationentrance procedures; and opening padmount transformers,switchgear, and metering compartments. Employees typically openand/or view electrical equipment in secured areas to take informationoff of nameplates, readings from meters or gauges, etc. This coursedoes not teach or certify a person to work on electrical equipment.As part of the workshop, a tour of a live substation or other electri-

cal equipment that is secured will occur in the afternoon to demon-strate and practice how to enter a secured area.OC[ 9."4237"¤"UGCVVNG."YCUJ0

A ONE-DAY SCHOOL ON LOAD FORECASTINGWho Should Attend: Analysts/managers who are new to forecastingand statistic analysis or need a refresher course in evaluating loadforecasts developed for their utility.Overview: Does your current load and revenue forecast reflect theeconomic, financial, and regulatory realities facing your utility today?Do you understand what goes into the load forecast developed byyour utility and BPA? If your utility has not revisited its projectedload and forecast methodology recently, it may be time to re-examinethese given the TRM rate design and the new economic and regula-tory environment utilities are operating in today. For BPA customers,BPA’s TRM rate design relies on the load forecast developed by BPAfor your utility in order to project demand and load-shaping charges.The load forecast is also used to determine your utility’s need for Tier2 purchases or new resource acquisitions for the next 5 to 20 years. OC[ 9."4237"¤"RQTVNCPF."QTG0

INTRODUCTION TO THE EPA AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCEOVERVIEW FOR UTILITY EMPLOYEESWho Should Attend: Those who implement environmental plans andinitiatives, maintain required records, compile environmental report-ing data, and guide environmental management resources.Overview: This one-day course is designed to provide an overview ofkey environmental compliance rules, management issues, and priori-ties. In doing so, it will introduce participants to the EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) and cover key federal environmental regula-tions that affect utilities. Key topics to be discussed include the his-tory, mission, and current organization of the EPA; how EPA regula-tions translate to state rules and state regulatory agencies (authorizedplans and primacy); and how the EPA interfaces with other federalagencies, including the Fish and Wildlife Service, Department ofEnergy, OSHA, and Department of Transportation (DOT).OC[ 34/35."4237"¤"XCPEQWXGT."YCUJ0

NEW! DISTRIBUTED GENERATION FOR ENGINEERING MANAGERS ANDPLANNERSWho Should Attend: Senior engineering personnel and planners inutilities that are either developing their own distributed generation(DG) projects or are currently, or expecting to be, dealing withrequests from customers to integrate their DG projects into your sys-tem. Overview: This two-day class will cover the range of engineering andrelated DG topics and issues pertinent to your utility. Course topicsinclude: defining distributed generation; DG economics; utility distri-bution system design; DG benefits for electric utilities; DG intercon-nection types; applicable code review; overview of interconnectionrequirements; screening process for small DG; impact analysis basedon IEEE 1547; facility study and impact study to identify problemsand costs for construction and costs to be paid by the owner; meter-ing, including net metering and direct DG metering; what are renew-able energy credits (REC) and what are their value; and a case study.OC[ 35/36."4237"¤"XCPEQWXGT."YCUJ0"

May and June 2015Please register 30 days in advance to receive the Early Bird discount. See www.nwppa.org for more information.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Continued on page 8


RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY ACT (RCRA) TRAININGFOR UTILITY PERSONNELWho Should Attend: All employees with environmental responsibili-ties at utilities and those companies that work with utilities. Overview: This one-day course provides an overview of the ResourceConservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) that was passed by the U.S.Congress on October 21, 1976. The law’s focus is to regulate haz-ardous waste and non-hazardous solid waste; it introduced a “cradle-to-grave” philosophy for the management of hazardouswaste. RCRA calls for environmentally responsible handling, storage,and transportation of hazardous waste from its creation to its finaldisposal; and encourages waste reduction through recycling andreuse. Over the years, utilities have worked to comply — and remainin compliance — with the law and regulations of this act.Information presented in the course will be primarily aimed at thefederal regulations. OC[ 36."4237"¤"XCPEQWXGT."YCUJ0

NEW! ONLINE — MANAGING YOUR INFORMATION RISKS WEBINARSERIESWho Should Attend: Managers and supervisors of all areas of theutility, including engineering, operations, finance, customer service,human resources, IT, and administration.Overview: This webinar series will cover three vital areas of utilityinformation that can create risks for your utility: identity theft, publicdisclosure, and records retention. You can register for each webinarseparately or purchase all three at a discounted price. May 14 —Identity Theft: When to Red Flag Suspicious Activity; May 21 —Public Disclosure: Your Privacy vs. the Public’s Right to Know; May 28 — Records Retention: What to Stow and What to Throw. OC[ 36/4:"4237"¤"QPNKPG RTGUGPVCVKQPU

NEW! ONLINE — IDENTITY THEFT: WHEN TO RED FLAG SUSPICIOUSACTIVITY Who Should Attend: Managers and supervisors of all areas of theutility, including engineering, operations, finance, customer service,human resources, IT, and administration.Overview: Utility companies are considered an identity theft gateway.Areas of risk within utilities include information in company vehiclessuch as service orders and property access codes; establishing andservicing accounts; and casual conversations about customers in pub-lic. Join us for this informative program as we look at identity theftrisks in the office and the field, when to red flag events, and how torespond to them. OC[ 36."4237"¤"QPNKPG RTGUGPVCVKQP

NWPPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND MEMBERSHIP MEETINGWho Should Attend: Utility managers; assistant managers; seniorstaff; power supply managers; utility board and council members;associate members; and trade association heads.Overview: Fast-moving changes in customer service, federal regula-tions, investments in distributive generation, changes facing ourindustry, and the changing workforce are all critical topics to ourpublic power members. Our industry is in transition: coal is out;renewables and alternative fuel supplies are in; electric loads are flat;load factors are declining; and costs are rising. Are we on the rightroad, or could we be out positioned? For more information, see page 3.OC[ 39/42."4237"¤"CPEJQTCIG."CNCUMC

PRE-CONFERENCE COURSE: ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENTWho Should Attend: Utility policy makers, such as board members,commissioners, and appointed or elected officials with utility over-sight responsibilities.Overview: Enterprise risk management (ERM) is the discipline of



examining the impact of potential financial, operational, regulatory,environmental, legal, safety, and reputation risks on an organization.In this course, policy makers will learn how ERM can help them pro-vide more effective oversight and guidance. The instructor willreview how ERM can be used as a decision-making tool and provideexamples for how ERM has been used by some utilities; as well asreview emerging trends and potential risks facing utilities today. OC[ 3:."4237"¤"CPEJQTCIG."CNCUMC

PRE-CONFERENCE COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDERWho Should Attend: Policymakers, general managers, clerks to theboard, executive secretaries, administrative assistants, and any utilityemployee participating in board or commission meetings.Overview: Robert’s Rules of Order can be baffling and intimidating.People who know how to use it sometimes seem to employ the sys-tem as a weapon, not a tool to make meetings better; but it doesn’thave to be that way. In this highly interactive and entertaining day-long class, attendees will learn essential principles and practice thetools and techniques to use Robert’s Rules well in order to runsmooth, efficient, and fair meetings. OC[ 3:."4237"¤"CPEJQTCIG."CNCUMC

NEW! VIOLENCE PREVENTION SKILLS: STAYING SAFE AND SECURE AT WORKWho Should Attend: Anyone who potentially may need to deal withviolence on the job, whether with customers or co-workers.Overview: Every utility can be hurt by workplace violence and angrycustomers. This two-day class will help you identify potential vio-lence before it occurs and arm you with skills to deal with conflict,uncomfortable situations, and personal safety. After the second day,you will have a clear understanding of how to reduce and preventviolent situations. Bring your questions, concerns, and fears as theywill all be addressed. It’s a serious topic, but be prepared to laugh, beinteractive, and have fun! Real-life scenarios and case studies arewoven into this fast-paced, interactive, two-day course. OC[ 42/43"¤"RQTVNCPF."QTG0

NEW! ONLINE — PUBLIC DISCLOSURE: YOUR PRIVACY VS. THEPUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW Who Should Attend: Managers and supervisors of all areas of theutility, including engineering, operations, finance, customer service,human resources, IT, and administration.Overview: Did you know that whatever you say can and may beused against you? Utilities are subject to public disclosure rules andregulations that require them to provide members of the public withcertain records, documents, and information about their business andoperations upon request; this can include your communications withothers both inside and outside your organization. OC[ 43."4237"¤"QPNKPG RTGUGPVCVKQP

NEW! ONLINE — RECORDS RETENTION: WHAT TO STOW AND WHAT TO THROW Who Should Attend: Managers and supervisors of all areas of theutility, including engineering, operations, finance, customer service,human resources, IT, and administration.Overview: Are you a paper hoarder or a round-filer? What shouldyou document, how long should you keep it, and how do you dis-pose of it appropriately? Whatever your motivations or habits, thelaw requires utilities to maintain a host of documents and records forspecific periods of time. Join us and learn how to balance yourrecord retention requirements with your need to keep a tidy (if notempty) desk, filing system, and electronic data folder.OC[ 4:."4237"¤"QPNKPG RTGUGPVCVKQP


STAKING TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION PROGRAM: SIZING TRANSFORMERS AND CONDUCTORSWho Should Attend: Staking technicians.Overview: This course is part of the Comprehensive StakingTechnician Program. It will focus on basic electric theory and themethodology to correctly size transformers and service conductorsfor standard residential and small commercial loads. Attendees willlearn to perform basic calculations for current, voltage, power, andvoltage drop. They will also study basic circuit theory and its appli-cation in an electric distribution system. Transformer connectionsand their application to specific electrical loads will be covered.LWPG 3."4237""¤"GWIGPG."QTG0

DISTRIBUTION ENGINEERING SERIES: SESSION 1 — PLANNING &ANALYSISWho Should Attend: Engineers and senior technical personnelinvolved in system design, planning, modeling, and analysis.Overview: This four-day course is one of three events in theDistribution Engineering series designed to teach critical conceptsand skills in distribution engineering. The other two sessions in theseries are Session 2 — Overcurrent Protection (a two-day class) andSession 3 — Overvoltage Protection (a 90-minute webinar).Combined with a short project, those who complete all three coursesreceive a certificate from Hi-Line Engineering for this training series.This first session in the series is a practical and skills-focused coursecovering engineering planning from analyzing a computer model of adistribution system to documenting a planning study.LWPG 3/7."4237"¤"XCPEQWXGT."YCUJ0

STAKING TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION PROGRAM — UNIQUE STRUCTURESWho Should Attend: Staking technicians.Overview: This course is part of the Comprehensive StakingTechnician Program. Attendees will learn to design special structuresthat require additional strength due to extreme wind load, longspans, and multiple circuits. This section also includes designing steelpole and unguyed wood pole structures. LWPG 4."4237"¤"GWIGPG."QTG0

OPERATIONS MANAGER & LINE SUPERINTENDENT BOOTCAMP — SESSION 4Who Should Attend: Newly appointed operations managers, linesuperintendents, or those who have leadership potential. (This seriesis intended to create a cohort that completes the series together.Courses in the series are intended to be taken in order. Attendees thatstart the series with Session 1 will be given priority before others areallowed to register. A wait list will be created for those not able toregister.) Overview: This two-day course will provide you with the tools andknowledge that will add to your current operational skills and abili-ties to succeed as you take on additional responsibilities. It is highlyrecommended that you have completed either the ForemanLeadership series or Front Line Leadership series. Day 1, HowOutside Plant Employees Can Build Stronger Customer Relations, isdesigned for employees who work in the field and covers the basicprinciples of good customer service. On Day 2, Building StrategicInternal Partnerships, participants will learn about the meaningfulbenefits of developing and fostering internal partnerships as a foun-dation for mutual success.LWPG 4/5."4237"¤"XCPEQWXGT."YCUJ0

ELECTRIC UTILITY SYSTEM OPERATIONSWho Should Attend: Any industry (utility or vendor) employeewhose job performance will benefit from a basic understanding ofthe operations side of the utility business.

Overview: This popular two-day course presents a clear understand-ing of the technical heartbeat of the utility by providing employeeswith a comprehensive understanding of electric utility system opera-tions, including generation (fossil fuel, hydro, and nuclear genera-tion), transmission, and distribution (down to 120v/240v residentialconnections). You will learn how all key pieces of equipment in thesystem are built, how the equipment operates, and how the equip-ment functions in the overall operations of a utility system. LWPG 4/5."4237"¤"XCPEQWXGT."YCUJ0

ONLINE — PROFESSIONALISM IN THE WORKPLACEWho Should Attend: Anyone who wants to enhance their level ofprofessionalism in the workplace.Overview: The success of our working relationships depends on thetrust and respect we have for each other. Yet we may be sabotagingthese relationships through some of our conversations, manners,emotions, attitudes, and other behaviors that interfere with how oth-ers perceive us. This is important because how you are perceived byothers impacts the levels of trust, morale, communication, and moti-vation within the workplace.LWPG 5."4237"¤"QPNKPG RTGUGPVCVKQP

STAKING TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION PROGRAM: OVERHEAD/POLE-LINE STRUCTURE DESIGN AND LAYOUTWho Should Attend: Staking technicians, customer service engineers,and other employees involved in the design of new electrical services.Overview: This course is part of the Comprehensive StakingTechnician Program. In this class, attendees will learn to design over-head electrical distribution structures. The course is organized as aset of building blocks, each segment building upon the other. Thebuilding blocks include conductors, poles, pole-top assemblies, guys,and anchors. Tables and graphs of design values will also be pro-vided for immediate use in the field. Attendees will also learn basiccalculations to determine maximum allowable spans; wind and iceloading; and total guy load. LWPG 5/7."4237"¤"GWIGPG."QTG0"

ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMSWho Should Attend: Engineers, line workers, substation workers,apprentices, and support staff that have direct responsibility for theconstruction, operation, and maintenance of the utility’s distributionsystem. Overview: This popular two-day course provides in-depth coverageof an electric utility’s distribution system, from the distribution sub-station to a customer’s outlet. Topics covered include substationtransformers and testing; step and touch potential; various systemswhich customers may request, such as single-phase and three-phasepower; details of overhead and underground electrical systems; relia-bility; transformer and capacitor details; and substation communica-tions. LWPG 6/7."4237"¤"XCPEQWXGT."YCUJ0

FRONT LINE LEADERSHIP SESSION #4: HR BASICS; BUILDING A MOREEFFECTIVE WORKPLACEWho Should Attend: Front line supervisors and managers, and thosefront line employees who will be transitioning to a supervisor ormanager role in the near future.Overview: On day one, attendees will cover basic federal laws, issueswhich commonly arise under these laws, and the significant areasgiving rise to litigation in the employment process: hiring, evalua-tions, discipline, harassment, accommodation, attendance, and dis-charge. The purpose of day two, Building a More EffectiveWorkplace, is to provide participants with a clear understanding of

Continued on page 10



the importance of employee evaluations and the process to follow inpreparing for and conducting appraisals.LWPG 32/33."4237"¤"DGPF."QTG0

BASICS OF BUDGETING AND FINANCIAL FORECASTINGWho Should Attend: Finance and accounting employees; senior man-agement or policy makers; and any employee seeking to increase hisor her knowledge of the budgeting process that takes place at electricutilities. Overview: In this one-day seminar, attendees will create a basic bud-get that ties the following elements together: a work plan; a verbalpresentation of what will be accomplished during the next budgetyear; an operating (profit and loss) budget analyzing income andexpenses anticipated to accomplish the work set out in the workplan; a capital budget outlining what assets will be purchased or builtas outlined in the work plan; a cash budget tying together the operat-ing and capital budget; and more.LWPG 38."4237"¤"URQMCPG."YCUJ0

CONDUCTING PROPER WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS: HALLMARKS OFAN EFFECTIVE INVESTIGATIONWho Should Attend: Any supervisor or manager who may need toinvestigate employee complaints or workplace incidents; as well ashuman resources professionals who need to be involved in an investi-gation.Overview: This class will help you determine when to handle theincident within your own department and when you should escalateit to your human resources department. It will also address how tohandle confidentiality issues while talking to other employees aboutthe incident; whom should you talk to and why; how to managerumors; how your union contract impacts the case; and, if your casegoes to court, what a jury looks for in making its decision.LWPG 38/39."4237"¤"URQMCPG."YCUJ0

NEW! SUBSTATION OVERVIEW & INSPECTIONWho Should Attend: New line and substation personnel, distributionengineers, and supervisors who have responsibility for transmissionand distribution substations. Overview: This two-day class, the first class in a new NWPPA serieson substation operations, will provide an overview of substations,inspection practices, substation equipment, basic print reading, pro-tective relaying, substation metering, specific equipment inspectionpractices, equipment troubleshooting, and documentation. The classwill include an inspection tour of a distribution substation where youwill review the areas covered in the class and practice what you havelearned with an inspection of a substation. LWPG 39/3:."4237"¤"TGFFKPI."ECNKH0

REVENUE METERING: INTRODUCTION AND BASIC APPLICATIONWho Should Attend: Metering, service, linemen and other operationspersonnel; engineers; purchasers of meter products; supervisors; andother individuals who require an understanding of revenue meters.Overview: This two-day class will take you from start to finish onthe basics of metering. You will begin with a screwdriver and a deter-mination to dismantle your standard revenue house meter. After youlearn the function of each part, the next step is getting to know howthe meter fits into the big picture of revenue metering. LWPG 39/3:."4237"¤"TGFFKPI."ECNKH0

TELEPHONE EXCELLENCEWho Should Attend: Customer service professionals and others whowork with customers by phone.Overview: This highly interactive class focuses specifically on work-ing with your customers by phone. During this two-day class, you

will identify what is most important about your skills on the phoneand focus on ways to engage your customer within the first few sec-onds throughout the call. It will also help you develop outstandingtelephone etiquette and fine tune the ways you phrase yourresponses. LWPG 39/3:."4237"¤"URQMCPG."YCUJ0

PATHWAYS TO LEADERSHIP #2, SERIES 3 — LEAD YOUR TEAM(S)Who Should Attend: Directors, managers, graduates of the FrontlineLeadership series, and newly appointed senior leaders.Overview: This two-day course can teach you the skills to buildtrust, encourage collaboration, enhance problem solving, and helpmove your team(s) through the different stages of team development.It is a core framework of the following five steps: perform model,team charter, team development, situational leadership II, and toolsfor team leadership.LWPG 39/3:."4237"¤"DGPF."QTG0

A GUIDE TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF RUS ACCOUNTINGWho Should Attend: Accounting staff from cooperatives and anyother utility using RUS accounting methods.Overview: In this one-and-a-half-day course we’ll discuss USOA,GAAP, FERC, and all sorts of other fascinating topics. The only defi-nite thing when it comes to debits and credits in the accountingworld is that a debit is on the left side of a transaction and a credit ison the right side of a transaction.LWPG 39/3:."4237"¤"URQMCPG."YCUJ0

PATHWAYS TO LEADERSHIP #5, SERIES 2 — LEAD YOUR ORGANIZATION, SUSTAIN EXCELLENCE, AND MANAGE CHANGEWho Should Attend: Directors, managers, graduates of the FrontlineLeadership Series, and newly appointed senior leaders. Overview: Pathways to Leadership Session 5 will focus on sustaininga culture of excellence within your team and organizaton. You willlearn how to assess your culture, lead change, and renew the energyof your team toward desired values, goals, and initiatives. In this ses-sion you will learn and apply key tools for maximizing and sustain-ing high performance within your team. In doing so, you will makeclear ties to the success of your organization as well.LWPG 45/46."4237"¤"UVGXGPUQP."YCUJ0

NEW! ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT FOR UTILITIES — ADDINGVALUE TO YOUR ORGANIZATIONWho Should Attend: Chief financial officers, senior-level accountingstaff, auditors, general managers/CEOs, policymakers, and legalcounsel. Overview: In day one of this program, the instructor will help partic-ipants plan how to implement enterprise risk management (ERM) attheir organizations or increase the effectiveness of existing ERM pro-grams within their organizations. During day two, participants willlearn about various tools and methods to report and measure risks.LWPG 46/47."4237"¤"DQKUG."KFCJQ NWPPA

Find more information onthese and other courses atwww.nwppa.org.



s consumer-owned utilities, and in our case a cooper-ative, we all strive to do a good job communicatingwith our members. The annual NWPPA Excellence in

Communications Awards is a good example of the pride weconsumer-owned utilities take in our communication efforts.If we’ve done our job, and are lucky enough due to the highquality of the competition, we may walk away with anaward or two at the awards ceremony.

Communication takes on many forms. Look at thenumerous printed communication pieces that are in thelobby of each utility. We have websites and phone apps, and some have even jumped in to social media throughFacebook and Twitter. We stay active in business, civic, andcommunity organizations, and a lot of time is spent commu-nicating with staff, or in more trendy terms, our team mem-bers or internal customers. However, one group that hasbeen crucial to the organizations’ success, yet is sometimesoverlooked in our communication loop, is our retirees.

At Salem Electric a typical retiree has worked an aver-age of 30 years at the cooperative. Retirees are the loyal,dedicated individuals who helped build our existing distri-bution system, created the policies we follow, and werecommitted to establishing our reputation in the community.They are our history and our historic knowledge.

In 1998, Salem Electric kicked off its Retiree LuncheonProgram. Held twice annually in April and November, theprogram helps keep our retirees and their spouses informed

A

by Terry Kelly

and involved in Salem Electric. The goal of the program isto not only introduce our retirees to new employees, but tokeep them up to date on what is going on at the coopera-tive. A side benefit is that existing employees see the grati-tude, respect, and appreciation given to those who helpedcontribute to the past success of Salem Electric. In turn,retirees have the opportunity to interact with those who arecarrying on Salem Electric’s legacy today. In some cases, sur-viving spouses of retirees continue to attend the luncheons.After all, they grew up alongside their husband or wife whoworked at Salem Electric many years and have built rela-tionships with other retirees and employees. While thelunches are officially scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.,we always have those who arrive early (or stay afterward)to walk through the office, visit with familiar faces, andmeet those who are new at the co-op. Initially the luncheswere held at local area restaurants, but having them at theco-op encourages and allows more interaction with staffmembers who don’t attend the meetings.

While enjoying a catered lunch, the group gets reac-quainted and then the program starts by going around thetable and giving each retiree a few minutes to update thegroup on their recent travels and activities, and share infor-mation on their children and grandchildren. With a typicalattendance of 20 or more, this portion of the agenda caneasily last 30 minutes or longer. After the special guests

MARKETING & COMMUNICATION

Keeping Salem Electric retirees in the loop

Retirees enjoy a buffet lunch at the Salem Electric office on October 27, 2014. Photo courtesy of Salem Electric.

yyy0pyrrc0qti12 DWNNGVKP1Crtkn"4237

conclude, each member of the management team provides ashort (5 to 10 minutes) update on their area.

The engineering and operations manager reviews cur-rent construction projects, reports on equipment upgrades,and provides information on new regulations or proceduralchanges. The IT manager often talks about cyber security —offering suggestions or ideas on ways to keep the retirees’personal information safe — and also reports on the latestand greatest new electronic equipment or automated officeprocess. Administrative services answers questions aboutinsurance issues, and reports on new employment require-ments or changes in office procedures. The member servicesmanager talks about conservation program activities andnew conservation products. The executive assistant andexecutive coordinator cover recent employee activities andfundraisers, inform the retirees of upcoming communityevents involving Salem Electric, and provide dates of com-pany functions (parties, retirement events, etc.) that retireescan add to their calendars. Department managers also giveupdates on new hires, promotions, or other staff changes,and try to answer whatever questions retirees have aboutcooperative-related issues. As general manager, I like to pro-vide updates on industry news, rates, and future projects.Any new Salem Electric promotional items are shared withthe retirees so they have a little piece of Salem Electric totake home with them.

The Retiree Luncheon Program has been embraced andstrongly supported by the retirees. At the end of each lun-cheon, staff asks whether or not the retirees continue to seevalue in the meetings. The overwhelming response has beena resounding “Yes!” Afterward, we provide a written sum-

mary of each luncheon to all staff members and to retireeswho request it; it’s been our experience that when a retireemisses a luncheon for one reason or another, someone fromthe group checks in with him or her.

I have always felt that retirees go away feeling appreci-ated for their past contributions and like they are still partof Salem Electric’s future success — although in a very dif-ferent role. I think we all know the value retirees brought totheir work each day. If you’ve been in the industry a whileyou might remember the names Jere Overs and BobSpeckman — both past Salem Electric managers that Iworked for. It’s not uncommon for me to ask myself or oth-ers on the management team, “What would Jere do? Howwould Bob handle this situation?” Even with new technol-ogy, equipment, processes, and employees, the business ofselling electricity (while keeping the five goals Salem Electrichas long embraced: financial integrity, reliable service, goodcustomer relations, good employee relations, and low rates)has a lot of similarities to yesteryear. While considering newideas and adopting fresh perspectives, it is important toremember that we wouldn’t be here without those who havecome and gone before us. In fact, (just maybe) the retireessitting with us around the table have already faced a similarsituation or challenge that is facing the co-op today and(just maybe) their past solution could still be applicabletoday because, in some circumstances, history does bearrepeating. NWPPA

Terry Kelly is the general manager for Salem Electric in Salem,Ore. He can be contacted at [email protected].

MARKETING & COMMUNICATION

DWNNGVKP1Crtkn"4237 yyy0pyrrc0qti 13

ormed in 1887, the Modesto Irrigation District (MID)and the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) are the oldestirrigation districts in California. They were created by

respective votes of the people in accordance with the lawsof California to provide irrigation water for agriculturalpurposes in their irrigation service areas that today totalapproximately 300,000 acres of trees, vines, row, and for-age crops.

Soon after formation, the Districts acquired a waterdiversion site on the Tuolumne River. Old Don Pedro, theoriginal reservoir for MID and TID, was built in 1923 withapproximately 290,400 acre-feet of storage, with an associ-ated powerhouse to improve water availability in theCentral Valley and to bring electricity to a portion of thisrural area. The Districts have been providing retail electricservice to farms, homes, municipalities, business, and indus-try since that time.

The Tuolumne River has a long history of water plan-ning. Concern over the need to withstand the effects of mul-tiple dry years and the growing demand for electricityresulted in the Districts partnering with the City andCounty of San Francisco (CCSF) to develop the current DonPedro Project.

The New Don Pedro Project — dam, reservoir, andpowerhouse — inundated the original dam and impound-ment, and the resulting current Don Pedro Reservoir nowhas a storage capacity of 2,030,000 acre-feet, over seventimes that of its predecessor; the new Don Pedro Power-house constructed with the dam has a generating capacity of203 megawatts. Don Pedro offers a collection of benefits —

POWER SUPPLY & RATES

MID and TID work together to relicense Don Pedro Project

by Samantha Wookey

water storage; flood control; recreation; and clean, efficient,and affordable power — that continues to be of great value.

Planning for the enlarged Don Pedro began in the1940s and culminated when the Districts received the fed-eral license in 1966 from the Federal Power Commission,the predecessor to the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission (FERC).

The Districts’ 50-year FERC license to operate the DonPedro Project will expire in 2016. Since 2009, MID and TIDhave been undergoing the FERC relicensing process to obtaina new license. The FERC relicensing process involves a com-prehensive analysis of the various benefits and impacts —environmental, economic, and recreational — of the DonPedro Project and an evaluation on how the project will beoperated in the future. Through this established relicensingprocess, FERC examines all uses of the water and the needs ofthe public.

The powerhouse is one of the areas that FERC is examin-ing during the relicensing process. Hydroelectric power is aclean, sustainable resource that MID and TID generate at DonPedro. During an average water year, MID generates 8 percentof its electric supply at the Don Pedro powerhouse and TIDgenerates 10 percent; during a dry year, Don Pedro wouldonly produce 4 percent for MID and 5 percent for TID.

While FERC issues the license, the license must includeconditions issued by other federal and state agencies. Agenciessuch as the National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and theCalifornia State Water Resources Control Board have thestatutory authority to impose rules that ensure that the


FThe new Don Pedro Powerhouse has a generating capacity of 203 megawatts. Photo provided by Modesto Irrigation District.

DWNNGVKP1Crtkn"423714 yyy0pyrrc0qti

POWER SUPPLY & RATES

relicensed Don Pedro Project is fully com-pliant with laws such as the Clean WaterAct and the Endangered Species Act.

The first year of the relicensing pro-cess was devoted to working closelywith relicensing participants and FERCto develop detailed studies to be con-ducted by the Districts to support thelicense application. FERC issued its for-mal Study Plan Determination (SPD) onDecember 22, 2011. In the SPD, FERCdirected the Districts to conduct 35 dif-ferent studies to investigate the project’spotential to affect resources in the lowerTuolumne River and those adjacent tothe Don Pedro Reservoir. A majority ofthe studies were completed in 2012 and2013, but a few studies continued into2014 and are still ongoing.

Filing for a new license last year viaa Final License Application (FLA) hasbeen one of the biggest milestones thusfar in the Don Pedro Project Relicensingprocess. The FLA contained a numberof new proposed measures to protectthe environment and promote recre-ational use of the Don Pedro Projectarea. The FLA may be modified in 2016after completion of ongoing studies; atthat time, the Districts may proposeadditional future protection, mitigation,and enhancement measures, includingpotential flow proposals.

The FERC relicensing of the DonPedro Project is estimated to cost MIDand TID more than $50 million. Until anew license is issued, the Districts arecontinually keeping communities up todate on the relicensing process andexpressing the importance of the DonPedro Project. While MID and TID areresponsible environmental stewards,reducing water resources to the degreethat some relicensing participants haveproposed will result in serious conse-quences for MID and TID irrigation andelectric customers. Some significantimpacts could include less water todeliver to the Districts’ customers; lesswater to produce hydroelectric power atcritical times — the clean, affordableDon Pedro hydropower would have to bereplaced with more expensive powerresources and this could impact electricrates; environmental impacts affecting thereservoir and downstream habitat; andreduced access to recreational benefits.

MID and TID remain committed to actively engaging in the FERC relicensingprocess until a new license is issued. NWPPA

Samantha Wookey is a public affairs specialist at Modesto Irrigation District. She isone of several MID staff members coordinating FERC communications efforts withTurlock Irrigation District. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Formore information or updates on the FERC relicensing of the Don Pedro Project,visit www.donpedro-relicensing.com.


n 2015, the members of NWPPAwill see changes in the ComplianceMonitoring and Enforcement

Program (CMEP) administered by theWestern Electricity CoordinatingCouncil (WECC) concerning BulkPower System reliability. WECC, theregional entity delegated ComplianceEnforcement Authority by the ElectricReliability Organization (ERO), is

refocusing the CMEP with two significant objectives in mind:implementing risk-based concepts and reducing administrativeburdens. This work builds on the success of similar efforts byWECC that established a strong foundation of improved com-pliance monitoring and enforcement over the last severalyears.

In this highly technical and complex industry, change isconstant. As a technical regulator, WECC must be aware ofthe changes and find ways to focus efforts and resources toprovide the reasonable assurance it owes the public. The mostsignificant change for WECC is a focus on risk. Gatheringand validating data, and conducting analysis are critical. Inthe enforcement arena, WECC is assessing risk to better allo-cate resources based on the reliability impact a possible viola-tion may present. Another critical aspect of our regulatoryduties is to consider the administrative burden in all ofWECC’s processes.

In 2014, WECC started exercising its discretion to notpursue violations through the formal enforcement process.Today, WECC is moving toward more discretion to econo-mize resources and focus on the most severe threats to relia-bility. WECC has made significant progress in how possibleviolations are disposed of. From every possible violation beingprocessed as a full Notice of Penalty (NOP), WECC hasmoved through what is now a suite of tools for processing:abbreviated NOP, spreadsheet NOP, and the Find, Fix, Track,and Report (FFT) approach. Specifically, WECC implementedthe Administrative Citation Program in 2010 and 2011,paving the way for the FFT program in late 2011. Since 2011,WECC further refined its processes to ensure it did not take aone-size-fits-all approach to enforcement. For example,WECC created the Expedited Settlement Agreement to com-plement the FFT program.

Each entity must be considered in a stand-alone mannerwith due consideration given to the entity’s system design,configuration, and business practices. It is the regulator’s jobto understand the entity. Early in the mandatory complianceregime, the ERO and WECC conducted check-the-box audit-ing and compliance monitoring, and had limited tools at itsdisposal. Today, WECC has more tools to ensure it treats eachof an entity’s issues and findings in a meaningful way.

Most utility members are typically audited every six yearsand are required to annually submit self-certifications for vari-ous standards; some are audited every three years. The auditexperience that utilities had in the early years of the manda-tory compliance regime has been evolving and will continue tomature. In 2014, WECC staff conducted several pilot projectsto improve the CMEP. These pilot projects included workingwith registered entities on risk assessment, enhancing settle-ment processes, further refining WECC’s Internal ComplianceProgram Assessments, implementing Compliance Exceptions(previously known as enforcement discretion), internal con-trols evaluation, and the transition of Critical InfrastructureProtection standards from version 3 to version 5.

While the pilot projects tended to focus on larger entities,WECC knows that many entities have limited resources andsevere constraints on their budgets for reacting to changesrapidly. WECC will apply the lessons it has learned to how itassesses risks for all registered entities.

In some instances, smaller entities pose risks of differenttype and scale than larger entities. WECC will consider themagnitude of risk in making a risk-informed decision regard-ing WECC’s Compliance Monitoring strategy for these enti-ties. For example, based on an inherent risk assessment of allthe entities due for an off-site audit, in 2015 WECC will con-duct these audits as usual for some of the entities; however,for most entities otherwise due for the off-site audit, WECCwill substitute the annual self-certification process combinedwith a focused validation of the self-certifications.

As part of its commitment to outreach and education,WECC will continue to share its analysis of reliability risks,industry best practices, and internal controls on risk mitiga-tion, and share them with NWPPA member entities viaNWPPA-sponsored meetings and discussions.

All entities can also be proactive and use the industry bestpractices, tools, and templates residing on WECC’s website(www.wecc.biz) to improve their compliance programs.WECC encourages entities to review the Internal ComplianceProgram Assessment and use it as an exercise to self-identifyareas where organizations may be strong and areas wherethey can improve. Furthermore, WECC’s website has a host ofchecklists, user guides, tools, and other relevant documents.Most importantly, however, WECC has a highly competentstaff available as a resource for entities. WECC welcomes dis-cussions and any requests for information or clarification.

NWPPA

Jim Robb is the CEO of the Western Electricity CoordinatingCouncil. He can be reached at [email protected].

REGULATORY UPDATEby Jim Robb

Risk-based compliance monitoring and enforcement in the Western Interconnection

I


nergy Northwest, the Bonneville Power Administra-tion, and regional public power partners announced inlate February the successful launch and activation of

the Northwest’s first-of-a-kind demand response pilot pro-ject led by public power, for the benefit of public power.

The Demand Response Pilot Project — first announcedin a joint September 2014 news release by EnergyNorthwest and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)— will run from February 2015 through January 2016,with the potential to be extended a second year throughJanuary 2017. Under the agreement, Energy Northwestassembled the demand response resource from asset loadsserved by regional public utility partners and takes the roleof the pilot’s resource aggregator. In most areas, the role ofresource aggregator is provided by a for-profit entity.

The Energy Northwest demand response resource offersup to 35 megawatts of reliable “fast reaction” demandresponse-capacity resource. BPA is evaluating the use ofdemand response for balancing reserves as well as theteam’s ability to supply such a resource.

Energy Northwest serves as pilot project aggregator

Energy Northwest is a joint operating agency comprisedof 27 member public power utilities, including 22 publicutility districts and five municipalities. Energy Northwestholds a unique position in the energy landscape of thePacific Northwest as the region’s only energy-focused jointoperating agency; the owner of the region’s sole nuclearenergy facility; a producer of more than 1,300 megawatts ofclean electricity from projects owned and/or operated by theagency; and an aggregator for a public-power-focused suiteof innovative clean energy services and solutions.

As a joint operating agency, Energy Northwest partnerswith public utilities throughout the region to improve qual-ity of life by providing consumers with affordable, reliable,and environmentally responsible electricity. Strategic ser-vices and projects like demand response are offered to sup-port utilities seeking partners who understand public power,know the regional landscape, and have demonstrated suc-cess with generation projects and energy services.

What is demand response?Demand response provides load-side management via a

communication/control network that dispatches, or orders,participating heavy industrial, commercial, and residential

loads to turn on or off in response to electrical grid condi-tions. Matching electricity generation to electricity load is aconstantly moving target. Organizations responsible for per-forming this matching are known as balancing authorities.As a balancing authority, BPA must dispatch generation —on or off — to meet this moving load.

Variable generation resources such as wind and solarhave increased in the region over the past 10 years, chal-lenging BPA to deploy adequate capacity reserves to balanceits regional system. In the past, BPA provided balancingreserve capacity largely with its hydro system. However,growing demands on the hydro system have limited its flexi-bility to provide those reserves. BPA is thus exploring alter-native, third-party-supplied capacity sources, one of whichis demand response.

Demand response in actionBPA meets balancing obligations in real-time. When

contingency conditions require BPA system operators toactivate reserve system balancing resources — includingdemand response — BPA operations generates a signal call-ing on demand response assets for an event.

Energy Northwest’s Demand Response AggregatedControl System (DRACS) picks up the signal, acknowledgesits receipt, and forwards the signal to multiple demandresponse assets. Upon receipt of the forwarded signal, eachasset begins automatically to reduce its loads. The loadchanges must be complete within 10 minutes and sustainedthrough the event, up to 90 minutes in duration.

During events, DRACS collects detailed metering infor-mation from each of the assets and reports total capacityresponse to BPA. Once an event ends, DRACS sends termi-nating signals to the assets who can then resume normaloperations.

RENEWABLESby John Steigers

Energy Northwest launches publicpower-focused Demand Response Pilot Project

E As a joint operating agency, EnergyNorthwest partners with public utilities

throughout the region to improve qualityof life by providing consumers with

affordable, reliable, and environmentallyresponsible electricity.


Pilot project successful in early testsBPA called the pilot project’s first real event, or activa-

tion of the demand response system, at 10:05 a.m., Tuesday,February 10. By 10:09 a.m. — minute four of the 10-minute response time allowed under the agreement — allthree contracted assets had responded with a total capacityof 32 megawatts. The actual event started at 10:15 a.m. andproceeded to 11:45 a.m. when it timed out at 90 minutes,the maximum event duration.

“From receipt of the event notification through termi-nation by the DRACS, each of our demand response assetsperformed beyond all expectations,” said Energy NorthwestGeneration Project Developer John Steigers. “We’re verypleased with the system response to date.”

BPA has since called additional events, each of whichhas proceeded successfully through conclusion.

“We are still working on making sure that successfultermination notices are sent to the DR team members,”explained Energy Northwest Professional Services ManagerLeo Quiachon. “We can currently see the successful termi-nation of each event through the interface, but it would bemore convenient to receive an email notice, especially forevents called during non-working hours.”

Benefits to the regionOver the long run, demand side resources have the

potential to defer or displace the need for new generation inthe region and make the best use of existing generation —resulting in overall cost savings to the region.

With early success under its belt, the pilot project alsohas the potential of growing past the current 35 megawatts.



“BPA is interested in incorporating more demandresponse as an option for balancing generation and load,”explained John Wellschlager, account executive, long-termsales for BPA. “While still early in the pilot, we’ve beenextremely pleased with the crispness of Energy Northwest’sDR pilot project’s aggregated response.” NWPPA

John Steigers works on generation project development forEnergy Northwest in Richland, Wash. He can be contacted ateither (509) 377-4547 or [email protected].

Regional Demand Response TeamBonneville Power Administration identified a need to evaluate an aggregated pilot-scale demand response resource andsolicited proposals to encourage the development of innovative pilot programs. BPA provides oversight and, as the balancingauthority “customer,” determines when the demand response system is activated.

Energy Northwest developed the innovative concept of an all-public-power demand response resource and recruited thepilot utility participants. Energy Northwest also developed DRACS, a comprehensive data gathering, monitoring, control,and communications infrastructure. Communication devices are installed by participating utilities to report to and receivedirection from the DRACS via secure cloud-based data paths.

City of Richland has deployed a Demand Voltage Reduction (DVR) resource. The DVR provides for a small drop in deliv-ered voltage throughout the City’s system, resulting in reduction in energy served to its loads. The load reduction is small asa percentage but significant due to the relatively large total loads the City serves.

Cowlitz County PUD serves the North Pacific PaperCorporation (NORPAC), a large pulp and paper manufac-turing facility in Longview, Wash. NORPAC produces avariety of paper products and operates 36 large electricrefiner-drive motors to reduce wood chips to fiber. NOR-PAC operating staff can remove some of these motorsfrom service quickly and reliably for a short time during ademand response event without compromising paper pro-duction or quality.

Pend Oreille County PUD serves Ponderay NewsprintCompany (PNC), a large pulp and paper manufacturingfacility in Usk, Wash. Similar in many respects to NOR-PAC, PNC can also remove large electric refiner-drivemotors from service.

Powin Energy, an independent asset contributor, manufac-tures self-contained, portable energy storage systems (ESS)built around arrays of lithium-ion batteries. With inte-grated onboard communications and power electronics,the system can respond in seconds to remote signals tochange charging and discharging rates to the grid. Theportability and operating flexibility of the ESS lets it moveas needed from utility to utility.

Eugene Water & Electric Board in Eugene, Ore., serves a variety of commercial and institutional loads, including municipalwaste water treatment facilities, university campus building management controls, and gravel mining and processing.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory serves as a valuable technical advisor and hosts DRACS within the ElectricityInfrastructure Operations Center, a U.S. Department of Energy-funded incubator facility built and operated for such roles.

Note: The project team remains open for participation from additional regional public utilities.

Located in Cowlitz County PUD’s territory, the NORPAC mill oper-ates 36 large electric refiner-drive motors to reduce wood chips to fiber.NORPAC operating staff can remove some of these motors from ser-vice quickly and reliably for a short time during a demand response

event without compromising paper production or quality.

RENEWABLES


Robinson selected to lead TacomaPower

national search for candidates forthe role of Tacoma Power(Wash.) superintendent has led to

the selection of internal candidate ChrisRobinson. Pending confirmation by thePublic Utility Board, Robinson will takethe helm as chief operating officer onMay 1. He currently serves as the util-ity’s Power Management manager.

“We had the fortunate but challeng-ing task of choosing between several highly qualified, sea-soned executives within and outside the organization for thesuperintendent position,” said Bill Gaines, Tacoma PublicUtilities director/CEO. “Although it was a tough decision,I’m confident we made the right one.”

Appointment of the Tacoma Power superintendentrequires confirmation by Tacoma’s Public Utility Board,which voted on Robinson’s appointment at its March 25meeting.

Robinson began his career with Tacoma Power in 2001.As power manager, he oversees the planning and manage-ment of the utility’s power supply portfolio, which includesTacoma Power’s three hydroelectric projects and a $125million/year power purchase contract with the BonnevillePower Administration. He is responsible for planning theutility’s future power supply needs; balancing customerloads with energy supply; marketing and trading approxi-mately $50 million of power on the wholesale market eachyear; and managing the utility’s energy conservation pro-grams. Prior to his time at Tacoma Power, Robinson spentsix years as a utility industry consultant.

Robinson will succeed Ted Coates, who has served asTacoma Power’s superintendent since 2009 and will retireon May 1. NWPPA

Grays Harbor exceeding energytargets

report by the Washington state auditor shows thatthe Grays Harbor Public Utility District (Aberdeen,Wash.) is exceeding its goals for complying with the

energy conservation standards required under Initiative 937,the Energy Independence Act (EIA).

In the Exit Conference Report delivered by the stateauditor, the PUD was found to have exceeded its two-yeartarget for energy conservation. The PUD had set a conserva-tion target of 19,009 megawatt-hours for 2012-2013. Theexit report states that the PUD conserved 19,884 megawatt-hours during that two-year period.

“Congratulations to our Energy Services and PowerManagement staff,” said PUD Power Manager MelindaJames-Saffron. “Through their hard work, the GraysHarbor PUD is exceeding the high standards set by the stateand by ourselves and is ensuring that the energy services thePUD provides to its customers is being used responsibly andefficiently.”

The PUD Energy Services Office works with both resi-dential and non-residential customers to meet the standardsset under the EIA. This includes offering home and businessenergy audits and rebates for the purchase of energy-efficient appliances, and home and business weatherizationwork. NWPPA

New lineman joins Fall River

all River Electric (Ashton, Idaho)recently welcomed new journeymanlineman Trefton (TJ) Drake to the

team. Drake comes to Fall River fromPowder River Energy in Gillette, Wyo.,where he worked as a lineman for fiveyears. Originally from the Rigby, Idaho,area, Drake comes from a family of line-men. His grandfather, father, brother,and two brothers-in-law either havebeen, or are, linemen.

Fall River Manager of Operations Trent Yancey said,“TJ will be working primarily in the Island Park area, andwill be taking the balance of the winter season patrollinglines and doing damage assessments, which will provide himwith a good working knowledge of our lines and systems inthat area.”

Drake enjoys fishing, hunting, and riding ATVs in hisspare time. NWPPA

PCWA approves historical PG&Eagreement

he Placer County Water Agency (Auburn, Calif.)Board of Directors unanimously approved a watersupply agreement between PCWA and Pacific Gas and

Electric Company (PG&E) at its board meeting on February19, 2015. The new agreement will ensure continued reliablewater delivery to the people of western Placer County forthe next 30 years.

“This agreement provides a strong foundation for mov-ing forward and working in partnership with PG&E,”Primo Santini, chairman of the PCWA Board of Directorssaid.

Under the new water supply agreement the price ofwater is unchanged at $40 per acre-foot in 2015 and will be

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adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index there-after; there are no longer any practical restrictions on theplace of use for PG&E water within western Placer County;PCWA retains the right to construct two new points ofdelivery; PCWA will have the right to construct a new per-manent pump station at Rock Creek reservoir; and PCWAwill have the right to use PG&E’s South Canal when neededduring outages.

The agreement replaces a 1968 agreement originally setto expire in 2013 but since extended. Renegotiations of theagreement have been in process since July 2012. The boardalso approved a letter agreement with PG&E pertaining toPG&E’s filing with the California Public Utilities Commis-sion for approval of the water supply agreement. NWPPA

Davis reaches 25 years atOkanogan PUD

ver 25 years ago, on February 26,1990, Marla Davis began hercareer with the Okanogan PUD

(Okanogan, Wash.) as a draftsman. InApril 1999, she progressed into the dis-tribution engineering position, a posi-tion she held for nearly seven years. InJanuary 2006, she moved into the GIStechnician spot, the position she stillholds today. Congratulations on reach-ing the 25-year mark at Okanogan! NWPPA

SMUD’s CEO sets executive team

acramento Municipal Utility District (Calif.) CEO andGeneral Manager Arlen Orchard has announced sev-eral executive appointments and changes in the electric

utility’s organizational structure. Orchard named FrankieMcDermott to serve as chief generation and grid assets offi-cer; Nicole Howard to serve as chief customer officer; PaulLau as chief grid strategy and operations officer; and GaryKing as chief workforce officer.

McDermott leaves his post as chief customer officer,which Howard now assumes moving from her position asdirector of customer services. Lau moves from his positionas assistant general manager of power supply and grid oper-ations. King will focus on workplace issues includingemployee attraction and retention, employee safety, andoversight of SMUD’s enterprise services business units.

Orchard also created a chief information officer (CIO)position to oversee all of SMUD’s information security andinformation technology aspects. A national executive searchfirm has been tasked with finding prospective candidates forthe CIO position.

The realignment is designed to better enable SMUD tomeet new realities in the utility industry. “The utility busi-ness model continues to evolve into one that recognizes and

takes advantages of new technologies that will benefit ourcommunity, such as distributed generation and demandresponse,” said Orchard. “The changes will better positionSMUD to meet those challenges and deliver what our cus-tomers will demand in the future.” NWPPA

Lugar replaces Hursh as interim GM

t its March 17 meeting, theColumbia River People’s UtilityDistrict (St. Helens, Ore.) Board of

Directors appointed Rick Lugar to beinterim general manager, replacing SteveHursh.

“We provide exemplary customerservice at this utility,” Lugar toldemployees during the Wednesday morn-ing announcement of his appointment.“It’s my hope that you will continue to make positivechanges for our customers, both at work and in our com-munity.”

Lugar served as the PUD’s finance and customer ser-vices manager from 1986 through 2013, and returned to thePUD last month in the role of customer services manager.He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from theUniversity of Washington.

Lugar has previously served on the board of directorsand as an officer for the St. Helens Community FederalCredit Union, Community Action Team, and ColumbiaCounty Rotary Club, along with several other local volun-teer organizations.

Hursh will return to his role as engineering and opera-tions manager for the PUD, a post he has held sinceFebruary 2003.

Board Vice President Jake Carter thanked Hursh for hisservice. “I want to thank you personally, Steve, for the hardwork you have put in as our general manager over the pastthree months. I know it has been a lot of work, and I appre-ciate your efforts,” said Carter. NWPPA

Nies selected as new Franklin PUD GM

he Franklin PUD (Pasco, Wash.) Board of Commission-ers has selected Tim Nies as the next general managerof the utility. State law requires the selection be formal-

ized over two separate regular meetings. At the board meet-ing on March 10, the commissioners introduced the resolu-tion naming Nies as general manager; they formallyadopted the resolution at the regular board meeting onMarch 24. The appointment will be effective on May 4.

Franklin PUD received 17 applications from candidatesacross the Northwest. After thoroughly reviewing and ana-lyzing the qualifications of all individuals, the final selectionwas Nies.

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Nies is currently director of administrative services andauditor for Franklin PUD, as well as a certified publicaccountant. He has worked in the accounting and financeindustry for 22 years. His role at Franklin PUD over thepast 11 years includes management of the Accounting,Information Technology, Broadband, Customer Service, andMeter Reading departments. His background includes pub-lic accounting and audit experience examining financialstatements for a variety of municipal corporations.

Nies has been involved in the community serving onseveral not-for-profit boards and is a member of the Tri-Cities Sunrise Rotary Club. NWPPA

Chelan campaign wins awards

helan County PUD’s(Wenatchee, Wash.) contin-uing campaign to encour-

age customers to use energy-efficiency rebates was recognizedfor excellence with two awardsfrom a regional organization ofpublic relations professionals.

The Conservation Depart-ment won a Totem award andthe President’s Choice award pre-sented by the Puget SoundChapter of the Public RelationsSociety of America (PRSA) asjudged by public relations professionals from the Los AngelesPRSA Chapter. The Totem award honors the best entry ineach of several categories. Chelan PUD’s award was in thecategory of Community Relations; the utility won with its2014 campaign, “Saving Energy is No Joke.” The PUD alsowon a Totem award last year for the 2013 campaign,“Conservation Makes Cents.”

The President’s Choice award is one of three awardsgiven by the chapter for outstanding public relations work.Last year’s President’s Choice award went to national recre-ational equipment retailer REI.

“We’re honored to be selected, especially when being con-sidered with this caliber of contest entries,” said Susan Gillin,Conservation program administrator. “Conservation pro-grams help customers increase comfort and save money ontheir utility bills. It’s a great value.” NWPPA

Vigilante announces changes toboard, staff

n March 6, Vigilante Electric Cooperative (Dillon,Mont.) held its 77th Annual Meeting; for Don Jones, itwould be his last. After 54 years, Jones stepped down

from the Vigilante Electric Board of Trustees. His tenure

includes working with all five manager’s that have guidedthe organization, 30 years on the Montana ElectricCooperatives’ Association (MECA) Board, and 11 years onits executive committee.

In 1992, Jones received MECA’s Hard Riding Awardfor demonstrating exceptional character and perseveranceamidst extraordinary difficulties. In 2011, he received theCooperative Spirit Award for embodying the highest princi-ples of cooperation; promoting through daily example thecooperative ideal; and championing the ideal of harmonyand solidarity among cooperatives. His leadership and guid-ance will be missed by the cooperative.

Vigilante Electric announced that Cheyenne Garrisonhas been elected to succeed Jones as trustee of District #5.Garrison and her family ranch near Glen, Mont. She has ananimal science degree and formerly worked for theMontana Stock Growers Association.

After the Annual Meeting adjourned, the board oftrustees held a reorganizational meeting to elect officers.After brief discussions, Dean Hanson was elected as boardpresident, Allen Martinell as vice president, and SharonLasich retained her role of secretary/treasurer.

One last change to announce is that Office ManagerRalph Dreyer is retiring from the cooperative after 27 years.The cooperative would like to thank him for his years offaithful service and wish him the best in retirement. Withhis departure, Raquel Reno-Morast has been promoted tooffice manager. NWPPA

Wanapum Reservoir begins final refill

fter a year of research, construction, and collabora-tion, repairs to the Wanapum Spillway have reached apoint that allows Grant PUD (Ephrata, Wash.) to refill

the reservoir behind Wanapum Dam back to normal levels. The refill began on March 16, and depending on river

flows, the utility expected it to be at normal river levelswithin 7 to 14 days. This was the last major milestone forthis project and the reservoir is anticipated to be fullyrestored and functional to pre-existing conditions for publicaccess and utilization.

All Grant PUD boat launches and shorelines, with theexception of those areas under construction, will reopen tothe public ahead of schedule.

This final refill marks an end to the drawdown, whichbegan back in late February 2014 when the reservoir behindWanapum Dam was lowered in response to a fracture foundon the dam’s spillway.

“I want to thank our customers for their support andpatience during one of the greatest challenges we have facedas a utility,” said General Manager Tony Webb. NWPPAO

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Susan Gillin, Chelan PUD’sConservation program

administrator, is proud of the utility’s two latest

PSRA awards.

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Bruenning joins Aclara as new CFO

clara Technologies LLC, a leadingprovider of smart infrastructuretechnologies and software solutions

to the utility industry, has hired KurtBruenning to be chief financial officer,senior vice president of finance, account-ing, information technology, and legalfunctions.

Bruenning has an extensive leader-ship background with more than 17 yearsof experience in corporate finance; accounting; capital mar-kets; treasury; mergers and acquisitions; risk management;public reporting; financial planning and analysis; operationsfinance; and private equity transactions.

Most recently, he was vice president of finance and trea-sury, responsible for all aspects of corporate finance atForesight Energy LP. Previously, Bruenning was vice presidentand treasurer at MEMC Electronic Materials, where he ledglobal finance, treasury, credit, and global capital planningand analysis.

“Kurt brings a wealth of expertise leading and managingfinancial functions in large and growing businesses,” saidAllan Connolly, president and chief executive officer atAclara. “His knowledge and experience will provide financialand strategic leadership to expand our customer base anddevelop smart infrastructure solutions that add intelligence toareas of utility distribution networks that are now dark.”

Bruenning holds an M.B.A. from St. Louis University, anda Bachelor of Science in business administration from theUniversity of Missouri in St. Louis.

Aclara Technologies LLC is a world-class supplier ofsmart infrastructure technologies to water, gas, and electricutilities globally. Visit them at www.Aclara.com and followthem on Twitter @AclaraSolutions. NWPPA

NEEA announces its 2014-15 board

n February 23, the Northwest Energy EfficiencyAlliance (NEEA) announced its 2014-15 board of direc-tors. The NEEA Board of Directors has elected Greg

Delwiche, deputy administrator of Bonneville PowerAdministration, to serve as board chair.

In 2014, NEEA’s Board changed its bylaws, expanding toinclude a representative from each of NEEA’s funders; addingtwo governor-recommended seats to represent all fourNorthwest states; and extending the terms of officers and thepublic interest representative.

NEEA’s board approved these changes to increase stateand funder representation, as well as to promote transparency,continuity, and effectiveness. The governance changes reflectfeedback that NEEA received during its 2015-2019 BusinessPlan stakeholder outreach process.

In addition, the board welcomed several new members toreplace those whose terms were expiring. Incoming 2014-15

NEEA Board members include Kevin Christie, vice presidentfor Customer Solutions, Avista Utilities; Andrew Grassell,manager, Energy Development and Conservation, ChelanPublic Utility District; Tom Karier, Washington governor’srepresentative, council member, Northwest Power andConservation Council; Garrett Martin, Montana governor’srepresentative, Energy Planning & Renewables, MontanaDepartment of Environmental Quality; and MikeMcClenahan, director, Power Management, Grant CountyPublic Utility District.

Other members currently serving on NEEA’s Boardinclude Jeff Bumgarner, PacifiCorp; John Chatburn, IdahoGovernor’s Office of Energy Resources; Theresa Drake, IdahoPower; Jason Eisdorfer, Oregon Public Utility Commission;John Francisco, Inland Power; Margie Harris, Energy Trust ofOregon; Bob Jenks, Citizens’ Utility Board of Oregon (CUB);Michael D. Jones, Seattle City Light; Pat McGary, ClarkPublic Utilities; Don McMaster, Cowlitz County Public UtilityDistrict; Chris Robinson, Tacoma Power; Bob Stolarski, PugetSound Energy; Jim West, Snohomish Public Utility District;and Deb Young, NorthWestern Energy.

Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is analliance of more than 140 utilities and energy efficiency orga-nizations working on behalf of more than 13 million energyconsumers. NEEA is dedicated to accelerating both electricand gas energy efficiency, leveraging its regional partnershipsto advance the adoption of energy-efficient products, services,and practices. For more information, visit www.neea.org.

NWPPA

Piper Jaffray expands debt capitalmarkets team

iper Jaffray, a leading investment bank and asset manage-ment firm, is pleased to announce that senior bankersLen Sheer, Amrit Agrawal, and Bob Lauria joined the

Piper Jaffray debt capital markets group to help lead theexpansion of the firm’s debt capabilities. They each bring astrong track record for providing creative and market-leadingdebt advisory and fundraising services to middle-marketclients.

Sheer will assume the role of global head of debt capitalmarkets, joining James Chiarelli who will serve as co-head ofdebt capital markets. Agrawal and Lauria will fill out thesenior team as head of debt private placements and principal,respectively. Sheer, Agrawal, and Lauria will be based in thefirm’s New York office, while Chiarelli will continue to bebased in the firm’s Chicago office.

“Len, Amrit, and Bob together with James will be highlyvaluable advisors to both our corporate and private equityclients and their experience complements the firm’s deepindustry and full-service product expertise,” said TedChristianson, head of the Piper Jaffray capital advisory group.“We look forward to accelerating our already fast-growingDCM and broader capital advisory (debt restructuring andprivate placement) platform into the next phase of growth.”

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Piper Jaffray Companies (NYSE: PJC) is an investmentbank and asset management firm headquartered inMinneapolis with offices across the U.S. and in London, HongKong, and Zurich. For more information, visit www.piperjaffray.com. NWPPA

McLaren releases Toshiba surgearresters

cLaren Inc. has a new addition to their Toshiba T&Dproduct line: station class surge arresters. Toshiba’sarresters have a low environmental impact thanks to

the use of silicone rubber in lieu of porcelain. Because thearresters are lightweight, both transportation and installationcosts are reduced. The silicone rubber remains hydrophobicthrough its life ensuring self-cleansing of surface contaminantswhich reduces the possibility of external flash over.

Toshiba’s arresters have a structure in which the internalsection is stacked with ZnO elements and directly overmolded by the silicone rubber. In the event of failure, internalpressure is relieved by splitting the rubber, preventing internalparts from being expelled, increasing safety, and decreasingthe chance of damaging surrounding equipment.

Toshiba polymer surge arrester advantages include long-life performance (self-cleaning hydrophobic housing); safershort circuit performance; easy installation (lightweight andphysically smaller than equivalent porcelain arresters); supe-rior resistance to contamination in high pollution and coastalenvironments; and designed and tested to ANSI/IEEE stan-dards.

Toshiba Corporation has more than 100 years of experi-ence manufacturing surge arresters.

McLaren Inc. is a manufacturers’ representative that hasbeen serving the Pacific Northwest for almost 55 years withits main office in Kirkland, Wash., and branch offices inSpokane, Portland, and Salt Lake City. For more information,call (425) 827-9400 or email [email protected]. NWPPA

Belize Electricity selects Varassetsoftware

elize Electricity Limited (BEL) has selected Varasset enter-prise software for managing capital construction workand asset maintenance.BEL’s rapidly growing customer base and increasing

demand for power require significant power system construc-tion; therefore, BEL expects this expansion to continue for theforeseeable future. BEL determined that it was essential toimprove construction project cost-control, productivity track-ing, and long-term asset maintenance. They investigated anarray of software solutions, comparing functionality, cost,ability to interface with existing systems, and proven success-ful implementations; they selected Varasset.

BEL will use Varasset to manage distribution work activi-ties, asset management, and project cost tracking, includingline extensions/maintenance, system improvements vegetationmanagement (significant due to rainforest growth), andaccounts payable for contractor work. Varasset will interfacewith BEL’s existing ESRI and other internal systems, automat-ing and streamlining work processes.

Implemented in electric, cable, and telco utilities acrossthe U.S., Varasset adapts to each utility’s unique business pro-cesses. Core Varasset functionality includes asset management;work management; mobile work/inspections; integrated ESRImapping; specialty billing; and business intelligence and dataanalysis. For more information, please visit www.varasset.com.

NWPPA

TDR2010 released by Megger

egger, one ofthe world’sleading man-

ufacturers and sup-pliers of test equip-ment and measuringinstruments for elec-trical power applica-tions, now offers theTDR2010, a dualchannel, high-resolu-tion time domain reflectometer (TDR) for locating faults onall metallic cables, including twisted pair wires and coaxcables.

This new TDR features a large (800 x 400 pixels), extrahigh-resolution (to 0.1 m), backlit, WVGA color LCD displaywith user definable tones. These features give the graphic dis-play a vibrancy that helps the user identify key events on thetrace. The unit’s directional control buttons and soft keys pro-vide easy operation.

Ideal for use by electrical service contractors, telecommu-nications technicians, as well as cable television companies,the compact TDR2010 includes an auto set-up mode thatenables the unit to be used instantaneously.

The auto set-up also helps determine the impedance ofthe cable under test, sets the unit accordingly, and selects theoptimum gain and pulse width. If necessary, the auto functioncan be manually overridden, allowing the user to fine tune thetest and identify hard-to-determine faults.

Megger’s TDR2010 offers full flexibility with its dualtrace and dual cursor capabilities, giving the operator full con-trol and instant notification of distance between two points.

Megger is one of the world’s leading manufacturers andsuppliers of test and measurement equipment used within theelectric power, building wiring, and telecommunication indus-tries. For more information, visit www.megger.com. NWPPA

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t its March committee meeting inSacramento, Calif., NWPPA’sGovernment Relations Committee

recommended 14 resolutions for member-ship adoption at the NWPPA AnnualBusiness Meeting in May. The process toconsider and present resolutions for avote by the government relations commit-tee began in the fall of 2014 when a reso-lutions committee (ResCom) was formed

and members were called upon to submit resolutions for con-sideration by the committee.

Additional calls for resolutions were made in late 2014,and again in January and February 2015. As a result of thosecalls, the ResCom considered four existing resolutions thatwere revised to reflect new developments and one new resolu-tion. The remaining nine resolutions are existing 2014 resolu-tions that received little-to-no changes.

Recent federal regulatory action prompts revisionsto existing resolutions

Controversial proposals by the federal government to reg-ulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emission by the electric sectorand to increase the scope of lands that would fall under theEndangered Species Act (ESA) prompted member-suggestedchanges to our existing resolutions. In addition, favorablerules set by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission(CFTC) on utility operations-related swaps and regionalchanges to energy imbalance markets (EIM) resulted inchanges to existing regulations on those topics.

Resolution 2015-12: Greenhouse Gas Regulation of theElectric Sector

In response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s(EPA) proposal to mandate the regulation of GHG emissionfrom power plants, NWPPA dusted off an archived climatechange resolution from 2011 and updated it to reflect mem-bership positions on the EPA’s proposal. Changes to thearchived resolution included acknowledgement that utilitieswill be addressing GHG emissions in federal regulation; wehave little choice in the matter since President Obama intendsto see this rule finalized later this year.

Additional changes reflect NWPPA comments submittedlast fall on the EPA’s proposal urging Congress to championcredit for early action and electrification of the transportationsector, the mitigation of reliability impacts, and the costimpact to consumers. NWPPA also advocates for flexibility tomeet any GHG-reduction targets and oppose mandates thatforce the acquisition of energy resources not needed to meetload growth.

Resolution 2015-11: Urging Agencies to Consider theEconomic Impacts on Utilities When Enforcing WildlifeLaws and Regulations, or the ESA Resolution

NWPPA significantly expanded this resolution to addresssituations where utilities and states work together on habitatconservation plans (HCP) to aid species like threatened andendangered Columbia River salmon and the greater sage-grouse. NWPPA supports the use of HCPs and believes in the“no-surprises” policy: once an HCP is approved, propertiesunder the HCP should not be subject to additional regula-tions. Other long-term commitments should also be includedwithin the “no-surprises” policy.

A recent proposal to increase the scope of lands thatwould be subject to ESA regulation also informed changes tothe resolution. The proposal to redefine critical habitat andadverse modification under the ESA would allow federalagencies broad discretion to regulate lands, including allowingagencies to regulate development and activities on lands thatcould be used by threatened or endangered species at a futurepoint. NWPPA opposes this proposal.

Resolution 2015-13: Regulation of Utility Operations-Related Swaps

Last year, NWPPA supported efforts by the public powercommunity to modify a CFTC rule that restricted the abilityof the public power community to use swaps to manage com-mercial risk. Those efforts paid off with a September 2014Order by the CFTC granting public power’s petition for relief.Modifications to NWPPA’s existing resolution reflect thesechanges and continue to support legislation by Rep. DougLaMalfa (R–Calif.) to cement this relief in legislation.

Resolution 2015-10: Energy Imbalance MarketThis regional issue has undergone change in the last year

and the new resolution reflects those changes. Most impor-tantly, NWPPA recognizes the work of the Northwest PowerPool to explore ways to manage the integration of intermit-tent resources in a way that minimizes costs. NWPPA alsounderstands that the California Independent System Operatorhas implemented an energy imbalance market (EIM), butremains concerned that this effort will adversely impact publicpower and its consumers. NWPPA seeks to prevent any solu-tion to this problem that increases federal regulation overpublic power or leads to the formation of an independent system operator.

Resolution 2015-14: Support for the Rural Utility ServiceThe Rural Utility Service (RUS) is a federal program

administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to

NWPPA’s proposed resolutions for 2015 reflect recent federal action on regulatory fronts

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support infrastructure and infrastructure improvements inrural communities. NWPPA has supported the RUS in thepast.

In this resolution, NWPPA supports the RUS and its mis-sion of enabling the building and maintaining of essential elec-tric infrastructure through the Electric Loan Program. In theresolution, NWPPA urges Congress to provide sufficient RUSloan levels and lending for a full complement of generation,transmission, and distribution projects.

Existing 2014 resolutions to be presented for membership consideration and re-adoptionat Annual Business Meeting

The remaining resolutions approved and recommendedfor membership adoption by the GRC include:

2015-01 Energy Efficiency2015-02 Hydropower as a Renewable Resource2015-03 Protecting the Bulk Electric System from Cyber

and Physical Attacks

2015-04 Reliability Standards and Enforcement Reform2015-05 Integration of Variable Energy Resources2015-06 Opposition to Changing the Role and Rates of

the Power Marketing Administrations 2015-07 Economic Impacts on Rural Utilities when

Developing New Environmental Regulations 2015-08 Support for Tax-Exempt Financing2015-09 In Support of Equitable Distributed Generation

Policies

Proposed 2015 resolutions can be viewed on NWPPA’swebsite (www.nwppa.org) under the Government Relationstab on the left-hand side of the page. All resolutions will bepresented at the Annual Business Meeting on May 19 inAnchorage, Alaska. Come join NWPPA for the full AnnualMeeting in Anchorage, May 17-20, and help us celebrate our75 years of service to the public power industry. NWPPA

Nicole Case is NWPPA’s legislative consultant. She can be contacted at [email protected].

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n 2013, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution designatingApril 18 as National Lineman Appreciation Day. Thisacknowledgement brought linemen into the spotlight and

taught the masses something that utility professionals alreadyknow — linemen rock! Yes, there is no doubt that all of ourcareers within this industry play an important role — whetherit be communications or accounting or customer service orengineering — but really, how many of us non-linemen go towork every day prepared to climb a 40-foot pole, or handleenergized power lines, or brave an ice storm to restore powerfor his or her community? And as if that isn’t tough enough,they often go above and beyond to help their fellow teammembers, members of their community, or even a stranger indistress.

And the communities do notice. Just last month, theHancock-Wood Electric Cooperative in Ohio started a“Thank a Lineman” campaign. The utility asked members tosubmit tributes describing how a lineman has come throughfor them. Over 25 members sent in tributes, and a Coloradocooperative requested permission to duplicate the campaignfor their territory. And of course, the industry presents acco-lades throughout the year, including NWPPA’s annual safetyawards given to the utility with the lowest incident and sever-ity rates.

Utilities and their employees take safety seriously. OSHAmandates a lot of it, but above-and-beyond safety programsare becoming commonplace at many utilities. (For an exam-ple, see the sidebar on page 30 about EPUD’s new safety pro-grams.) Perhaps because they are out in the field, linemenseem to most often find themselves in circumstances thatrequire them to dust off their safety training and put it to use.The Association often receives news releases or phone callsabout these heroic, safety-conscious men and women; toacknowledge these employees, NWPPA began awarding twonew safety-related awards (the Safety Heroism Award and theCareer Commitment to Safety Award) at the 2013 E&OConference.

In this issue of the Bulletin, NWPPA would like to recog-nize a few of the unsung heroes in the industry. These menand women have gone above and beyond to save lives withinthe last year or so, some on the job, several on their own freetime. Because April honors linemen, we have chosen to high-light that field. Although we received stories about individualsin other professions and would love to highlight everyone,space constraints require us to limit the number of the stories.So whether you or your utility is mentioned below or not,know that you are appreciated for everything you do for theindustry!

COVER STORYby Brenda Dunn

Appreciating our linemen, the super heroes of the utility industry

April 18, 2015

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The Matanuska Electric Association crew used their skills and supplies to rescue a pilot out of 70-foot-tall trees in Wasilla, Alaska.


Quick thinking NWPPA 2015 Safety Heroism Award winner

After the 58-year-old pilot of a small plane was blown offcourse during takeoff, he crash landed into 70-foot-tall treesjust outside of Wasilla, Alaska, on May 5, 2014. The tail ofthe plane was resting on a small tree, leaving the plane and itspilot suspended in the trees and unstable through the highwinds. A Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) line crewwas called to the scene after authorities were left puzzled onhow to safely secure the plane and rescue the pilot.

MEA Director of Operations Eddie Taunton put the planinto motion, making crews and equipment available for therescue, and continuously interfacing with the fire and policedepartments while overseeing the operation. MEA LinemenTony Hardwick, Glenn Durkee, and David Roby arrived onthe scene with their bucket truck and were able to stabilize theplane by attaching a lift strap to the tail section and tying thatoff to the trunk of one of the other trees. The crew hookedthe pilot into a safety harness and slowly helped him downinto the bucket.

“He gave us both a hug, and he was still shaking,” saidRoby.

“People are having a hard time believing it, but I am gladI have a few pictures from my phone,” Durkee added.

The quick thinking of the line crew and Safety ManagerSteve Willis resulted in a happy ending for one of the state’smany pilots.

Right place at the right timeRavalli Electric Cooperative

(REC) Lineman Steve Tintzmanwas floating and fishing an espe-cially high Bitterroot River inearly April 2014; the water tem-perature at this time of year wasonly in the high 40s. Whileportaging around a diversiondam, he noticed a woman in araft caught in the backwater.Her raft was full of water andshe only had one oar.

Tintzman positioned his raftso he could throw the woman arope. After she caught it and tiedit to the raft, he was able to pullthe woman’s raft out of thebackwater and get her into hisraft. She was hypothermic, so hegave her his jacket to start warming her up.

He then learned that the woman’s husband had falleninto the river and was swept downstream. Luckily he was ableto get himself out of the river, but he was still very wet andvery cold. Tintzman got the couple together and started a fireto warm them up before the trio continued down the river.

Once they reached the fishing access area whereTintzman was scheduled to end his trip, he put the couple in

his truck, turned the heater on high, gave them some extraclothes he carried in the vehicle, and poured them coffee fromhis Thermos. The couple is thankful that Tintzman was in theright place at the right time, and knew just what to do.

Helping one of your ownHeroic acts are not always packaged individually.

Sometimes, heroic acts are a collective group effort and thiswas the case last summer at the Olympia MaintenanceDistrict of the Bonneville Power Administration.

During tower construction work, a lineman working nearthe top of a tower fell 55 feet. Fortunately the safety lanyardworn by the lineman became entangled in the steel lacing andstopped his drop 15 feet from the ground.

Based on their safety training, the combination of lineworkers from the Olympia and Chehalis crews snapped intoaction. Linemen in the tower and on the ground immediatelybegan an aerial rescue. Crew members on the ground readiedthe hand line used to lower the injured lineman. Other crewmembers took action in calling 911 and clearing the projectsite in anticipation of the arrival of an emergency vehicle. Theinjured lineman was lowered and on the ground in less thanone minute.

Crew members worked with the fallen worker to assessthe extent of the injuries and to take precautions for shock. Itturns out that many bones were broken by the fall.

Kalispell District Operations and Maintenance ManagerMike McCracken noted the value and importance of a linecrew that is well trained and works as a team: “The situationcould have been much worse if it wasn’t for the training andskill of the Olympia and Chehalis crews. Everyone on the job-site played an important role in rescuing a crew member.”

Taking the initiativeSome linemen

serve their commu-nity and save lives ina more subtle — yetin this case, arduous— manner. Forexample, whenCentral LincolnPUD Lineman GregCarter heard theshelves were bare atReedsport’s foodpantry due to gapsin funding, he knewhe wanted to help.The Great Recessionreally hurt familiesin Reedsport, acoastal community in Oregon, which now has a poverty rateof 23 percent. The local food pantry, Project Blessing, is spon-sored by a coalition of many of the churches in Reedsport,


Ravalli Lineman SteveTintzman

Central Lincoln PUD Lineman GregCarter (R) and Rachel Carter.


including the church he attends. Carter loves to golf, and heand his wife, Rachel, came up with a unique idea: what if hewere to golf 100 holes in one day with donors making pledgesto Project Blessing if he succeeded? Fellow church members,friends, and fellow Central Lincoln employees responded bypledging either an amount per hole or a set amount.

On a Monday in June, Carter, having taking a vacationday to complete his feat, stepped onto the Reedsport ForestHills Golf Course greens at 5:20 a.m. to begin his 100 holes.His wife accompanied him and also served as his caddy forthe day. It took nearly 11.5 hours to play 100 holes. By 4:55p.m. he had finished his quest.

“I didn’t feel it physically then, or the next day, but thethird day, yeah, I definitely felt it!” he said.

Carter’s golfing marathon raised nearly $3,000 to feedthose in need. More than 100 people donated, and the aver-age donation was $25. Would he consider doing it again?“You bet!” he said enthusiastically. In fact, he’s already plan-ning to return in June, possibly with his community collegestudent/golfer friends, for another 100 holes in one day.Undoubtedly, Project Blessing donors are also looking for-ward to Golf Marathon II.

At a moment’s noticeIt is hard for a lot of folks to fathom how difficult it is in

Bush Alaska to get things done sometimes; George Hornbergermanages INN Electric Cooperative in Southwest Alaska andknows this from first-hand experience.

“We cannot afford to have a lineman on staff so everytime we have a problem on a pole or underground on our dis-tribution system, I am calling on a fellow who lives about 200miles away,” said Hornberger. “It should be noted that these

are air miles. The only way in or out of Iliamna, Alaska, is byair.”

On June 1, 2014, Hornberger was awakened at about1:30 in the morning by someone pounding on his front door.He answered the door and the person told him he better getout and look at something. The something was the cross armsof a power pole on fire up the road.

“I am not an electrician or a pole climber,” said Horn-berger. “It is a very helpless feeling to stand under a powerpole that is on fire 20 feet in the air and wonder what the hell

I am going to do now.”Thankfully he and INN’s members

can rely on Don Henry, the lineman wholives 200 miles away. Henry answered hisphone at 2:00 that morning and advisedHornberger how to shut off the powerand then the fire. The fire was out, butnow repairs needed to be made. So Henrygot his gear together, drove the 40 milesto Anchorage, and got on the first avail-able flight to Iliamna to get things fixed.By 6:00 that evening, the pole had newcross arms on the pole and the memberswere all back online.

“Don really is my hero,” saidHornberger. “He will answer his phoneany time for me and travel out here intoBush Alaska at the drop of a hat andwork in some extremely nasty conditionsto help me out. This includes working onholidays if needed. What we deal with inBush Alaska is unique and a lot of timesit requires thinking way outside the boxto get things done.”

COVER STORY

Lineman Don Henry assesses the spider web of wires after a cross armfire on June 1, 2014, in Iliamna, Alaska.


Volunteering time and skillsWhen the horrific mudslide struck

the community of Oso, Wash., linemenand other employees from SnohomishPUD were quick to volunteer their owntime and skills. The March 2014 eventengulfed 49 homes and led to 43 fatali-ties.

PUD Apprentice Lineman Chris Hale,who lives just a few minutes away fromthe site of the massive slide, helped main-tain an access road for emergency crews.

“It was basically a war zone,” saidHale. “After a few days, it looked like abig logging operation — the locals werevolunteering to do what they do best.”

The slide released millions of yards ofmud, silt, and debris, which buried neigh-borhoods and Highway 530 in northernSnohomish County.

Hale was joined by PUD ArboristPaul Walsh and his son, John Walsh, ajourneyman lineman who works in PierceCounty, Wash. They were assigned tohelp FEMA crews as part of chainsaw

teams to cut through the devastating collection of debris.

As dogs pointed out an area in anuprooted house where victims might be,the team began sawing through rooftopsin search of potential survivors. With mudas deep as 70 feet in places, the work wasnot only treacherous, but physically andemotionally exhausting.

“It was real emotional, because younever know what you’re going to find,”said Paul Walsh. “You try to just focus onwhat you’re doing and the job at hand.We just felt privileged to be able to help,glad that we could do something.”

Other PUD employees who volun-teered at the Oso site included EntryHelper Jesse Schoneman, Energy ControlDispatcher Randy Wilkins, and WaterDistribution Specialists Mark Price andZach McKinney. NWPPA

Brenda Dunn is the associate editor atNWPPA. She can be reached at [email protected].

Snohomish PUD Lineman John Walsh, fromPierce County, Wash., joined his father, PUD

Arborist Paul Walsh, and other PUD line workers to assist in the rescue and recovery

work following the devastating Oso mudslide.


Emerald PUD takes safety to heart, and to the communityby Kristine Lindemulder

Editor’s note: Emerald PUD shared their plan for an improvedsafety culture so that other members can draw from it if theychoose to do so. Safety programs like this one are what makeutility staff the best they can be and ready for any situation,such as the ones on the previous pages.

hen General Manager Scott Coe arrived at EmeraldPeople’s Utility District in late 2012, he broughtwith him a passion for safety. Having spent 24

years at Bonneville Power Administration where a predomi-nant culture of safety was fostered, it was ingrained in Coe,and it didn’t take long for his enthusiasm for safety tospread across the small utility.

Since Emerald’s start in 1983, its safety program hadincluded consistent trainings for line and tree crews, as wellas a Safety Committee that convened monthly. The programwas strong; crews were well-educated in safety practices,and on-the-job injuries were few and far between. Emeraldrepeatedly earned awards for safety from NWPPA, and wasnamed a Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) by theAmerican Public Power Association (APPA) — still Coe sawroom for improvement. While employees knew how towork safely, he worried they could eventually become com-placent with safety practices. He envisioned a workplacewhere safety was emphasized in every department and forevery employee, from front office staff to crews in the field,and further communicated in the resources and services pro-vided to customer-owners. His goal was to amplify the pro-gram and get employees and customers excited about safety.

Expanding the program was tackled in two phases,with the first phase centered on increasing employee aware-ness and involvement. Coe kicked off the project with apowerful presentation to Emerald’s staff, and in the weeksthat followed, a revitalized safety program was introduced.A safety column was added to the weekly employee newslet-ter to provide tips on how to prevent accidents and avoidinjury; and safety apps were created for use during quarterlyemployee walk-throughs, a new safety assurance measure. Arecognizable safety brand was developed for use inemployee communications and signage. Large, brightly col-ored signs were now displayed prominently in the officewith the messages of “Live Safety,” “Focus on Safety,” and“Think Safety.”

The safety training schedule grew to offer new exercisesgeared for all employees, including earthquake, fire, andemergency evacuation drills, as well as CPR training.Detailed Mayday call training was also added to educatepersonnel on the protocol to follow during crisis events andallow them to practice simulated Mayday calls with crewmembers. The new schedule gave front office employeesaccess to annual trainings on how to safely handle robbery,

violence, and diffi-cult customer situ-ations.

“Employeesare Emerald’sgreatest asset,”said Coe. “Bymaking safety apriority, we helpensure everyemployee getshome safely at theend of the day.That is what matters most.”

The second phase of expanding the safety program con-centrated on educational services offered to the community.Emerald had long provided safety education for elementaryschool students, but in 2013, those teachings took on a newlook. Emerald purchased a miniature power line in order tomake presentations more visual and captivating for all ages.

Emerald PUD Community Relations CoordinatorCaitlin O’Quinn, formerly an elementary school scienceteacher, has helped increase the popularity of the safety edu-cation program by developing a customized curriculum foreach grade level, as well as providing follow-up materialsfor teachers to reinforce the safety lessons later in theirclassrooms. In 2014, a new curriculum was created to edu-cate high school students/new drivers about the dangersassociated with car-hit-pole scenes.

Broadening safety education was not exclusive toschool-age classes, as the program was also available toadults. Emerald PUD Serviceman Mark Raimer performs asmany as 10 detailed safety courses per year. For groupslarge and small, including fire districts, police departments,emergency responders, Oregon Department ofTransportation (ODOT), county workers, and bus drivers,Raimer provides in-depth information about the hazardspower lines present in situations many of these groups arelikely to encounter at some point.

With the addition of new trainings, employee involve-ment, and community outreach, Emerald has successfullyachieved what General Manager Scott Coe had envisioned:a safety program that engages audiences of all types andages; provides an invaluable service; and ultimately benefitsemployees, students, professionals, and the community as awhole. NWPPA

Kristine Lindemulder is the communications coordinator atEmerald People’s Utility District in Eugene, Ore. She can becontacted at either (541) 744-7410 or [email protected].

WJourneyman Tree Trimmer Brandon Gee andEquipment Operator Jesse Duval participate

in a CPR training class.

COVER STORY

POSITION: Accounts Director (Executive position)COMPANY: Brown & Kysar (Battle Ground, Wash.)SALARY: $103,000 annually.DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 14, 2015.TO APPLY: Email cover letter and resumé to [email protected].

POSITION: Journeyman LinemanCOMPANY: Franklin PUD (Pasco, Wash.)SALARY: $41.02 per hour.DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 14, 2015.TO APPLY: More information and application instructions can be found at http://www.franklinpud.com/indes.php/employment/employment-opportunties.

POSITION: Assistant Operations SupervisorCOMPANY: Elmhurst Mutual Power & Light Company (Tacoma, Wash.)SALARY: $94,000-$98,000 annually, DOQ.DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 17, 2015.TO APPLY: For an application packet, email Administrative AssistantDiane Young at [email protected] or contact her by phone at(253) 531-4646.

POSITION: Journeyman Maintenance WiremanCOMPANY: Central Lincoln PUD (Newport, Ore.)SALARY: $45.22 per hour.DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 17, 2015.TO APPLY: For more information and to apply, go to www.clpud.org.

POSITION: Senior Financial Reporting Analyst #22528COMPANY: Puget Sound Energy (Bellevue, Wash.)SALARY: DOE.DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 18, 2015.TO APPLY: Apply online at www.pse.com/careers.

POSITION: Consulting Engineer or Below #19423COMPANY: Puget Sound Energy (Bellevue, Wash.)SALARY: DOE.DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 18, 2015.TO APPLY: Apply online at www.pse.com/careers.

POSITION: Buildings and Grounds Maintenance LeadCOMPANY: Central Lincoln PUD (Newport, Ore.)SALARY: $43,804.80-$61,639.68 annually.DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 22, 2015.TO APPLY: Apply online at www.clpud.org.

POSITION: Journeyman LinemanCOMPANY: Idaho Power Company (Boise, Idaho)SALARY: $38.53-$41.50 per hour.DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 22, 2015.TO APPLY: Apply online at www.idahopower.com/careers.

POSITION: Transmission & Distribution Substation EngineerCOMPANY: City of Tacoma (Tacoma, Wash.)SALARY: $93,428-$118,518 annually.DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 23, 2015.TO APPLY: Applications accepted online only. Apply at www.cityoftacoma.org/jobs.

POSITION: System EngineerCOMPANY: Copper Valley Electric (Glennallen, Alaska)SALARY: $100,000-$115,000 annually.DEADLINE TO APPLY: Open until filled.TO APPLY: Apply online at www.cvea.org in the careers section.

The Job Opportunities is a service provided to NWPPA member systems and associate members. Member price is $110 per listing for a 30-day period.• Job Opportunities ads are also accepted from non-members. Ads are $330 per listing for a 30-day period.• Copy must be received before the 25th of the month prior to the month of publication (for example, February 25 for March issue). • The Bulletin is mailed by the 15th of each month.• Complete the online Job Opportunities ad placement form at www.nwppa.org.• NWPPA reserves the right to edit all listings in order to fit size requirements in the publication.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES


POSITION: Journeyman Lineman/Hot ApprenticeCOMPANY: Klickitat PUD (Goldendale, Wash.)SALARY: $41.02 per hour.DEADLINE TO APPLY: Open until filled.TO APPLY: Application may be found at www.klickpud.com. and at theGoldendale Klickitat PUD office.

POSITION: Electrical EngineerCOMPANY: EES Consulting, Inc. (Kirkland, Wash.)SALARY: DOE.DEADLINE TO APPLY: Open until filled.TO APPLY: Send resumé to EES Consulting, Inc., 570 Kirkland Way, Ste.100, Kirkland, WA 98033, or email to [email protected].

POSITION: Wynoochee Hydro Project Assistant ManagerCOMPANY: City of Tacoma (Tacoma, Wash.)SALARY: $102,419.20-$131,289,60 annually.DEADLINE TO APPLY: Open until filled.TO APPLY: For more information on this position and to apply, go to www.cityoftacoma.org/jobs. Applications are only accepted online.

POSITION: Control System EngineerCOMPANY: Chelan PUD (Wenatchee, Wash.)SALARY: $100,000 annually.DEADLINE TO APPLY: Open until filled.TO APPLY: A resumé and cover letter are required. Apply online atwww.chelanpud.org. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

POSITION: Engineering AssistantCOMPANY: Northern Lights, Inc. (Sagle, Idaho)SALARY: DOE.DEADLINE TO APPLY: Open until filled.TO APPLY: Send resumé to Northern Lights, Inc., Attn. Deed Hall, P.O.Box 269, Sagle, ID 83860, email to [email protected], or fax to (208) 263-7412.

POSITION: Journeyman LinemanCOMPANY: City of Seward (Seward, Alaska)SALARY: $44.52 per hour.DEADLINE TO APPLY: Open until filled.TO APPLY: Apply online at www.cityofseward.us/.

POSITION: ControllerCOMPANY: Northern Lights, Inc. (Sagle, Idaho)SALARY: DOE.DEADLINE TO APPLY: Open until filled.TO APPLY: Hand written resumé should be sent to Northern Lights, Inc.,Attn. Deed Hall, P.O. Box 269, Sagle, ID 83860, email [email protected], or fax to (208) 263-7412. NWPPA

CfxgtvkugtuBullard Law ...............................................................................5Cable Huston Benedict Haagensen & Lloyd, LLP ...................29Cooperative Response Center, Inc. ...........................................14Energy Northwest ....................................................................17Golight, Inc. .............................................................................28NASS Pacific Northwest ..........................................................12National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) ..Back coverWagner-Smith Equipment Co. ..................................................25

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