BUSY 65TH YEARGCUD has had a very busy 2018 year. As it is coming to a close, I wanted to share some of the accomplishments that have been done. We have had our annual inspections by TOSHA and the Tennessee Public Utility Commission and we passed with flying colors. The state regulators again have told us that we are the flagship gas system in West TN and are in the top 5 in the state. We work very hard to keep our district in compliance.

Legislatively, we were able to defeat a bill that would have allowed private corporate gas companies to purchase a distressed public non-profit gas system. This was a major piece of legislation that took a lion’s share of time to get defeated. In case this is brought to the forefront again, we are in the process of developing a plan through the TN Association of Utility Districts to present at the next legislative session.

By now I am sure everyone knows that TYSON is coming to Gibson County. Currently, we have 72 chicken barns throughout our service area that should become new customers for GCUD. They plan on starting construction on these barns in Fall of 2019. The feed mill that is being built in Fruitland will also be a gas customer of GCUD. It will take a lot of feed to keep 1.6 millon chickens fed daily. We have developed a great relationship with TYSON and look forward to meeting their needs for many years to come.

In March, we received a call from the City of Trimble inquiring if we would want to purchase their gas system. The Federal regulations that we all operate under has become increasingly difficult to meet for small municipalities. After a bidding process, we signed the contract in September and acquired their 200 customer system.

We hosted a community “Meet and Greet” cookout and shared pertinent information about GCUD services. We have worked very hard during October to bring this system onboard with minimal costs.

The Pilot LightPublished by Gibson County Utility District

Editor: Lynn Whitworth Photographs: Randy Russom, Lynn Whitworth

Volume 32 December 2018

Continued pg 2

We also sold our propane business to UPG (United Propane Gas). Our propane customer base was shrinking and over the years, we have expanded our natural gas system giving many propane customers the ability to convert to natural gas.

As 2018 comes to a close, GCUD is proud to serve the natural gas needs to all customer classes in the county.

We were formed in 1953 and this year marks our 65th year serving Gibson County.We look forward to serving the energy needs of this county for many years to come. We are and want to remain

“Your Gas Company”. by: Pat Riley

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GCUD OPERATIONS/CONSTRUCTION ONGOING

As part of the improvements to the Trimble system, GCUD employees worked to install new odorant and metering equipment to provide precise injection and measuring capabilities. Temporary bypass lines were installed to prohibit any unwanted outage. The crews worked nonstop to complete the process.

Visit our web site: WWW.GIBSONCOUNTYGAS.COM

or call 731-855-1441 and speak to one of our Customer Service Representatives to receive information about payment options including drop box locations, gift certificates, water heater rebate, Flex plan, We Care program, and much more.

NATURAL GAS FACTS:

9.8 million jobs are currently being filled in the oil and natural gas business.

Today, a large percentage of the energy in the U.S. is generated by natural gas. Over 40% of electricity is generated by burning natural

gas.

Natural gas is delivered from the wellhead to your home with 92% efficiency.

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WELCOME RICH !

Rich Cunningham was sworn in as GCUD Commissioner on Sept. 25, 2018. He and wife, Tammy have two daughters. Emily Steele (wife of Andrew Steele) and Allie. We look forward to his contribution as a Board member.

WELCOME THE

NEW FACES OF GCUD

MATT JACKSONEQUIPMENT OPERATOR/WELDER ASST

Matt lives in Milan with his two sons, Gunner and Granger.

BROCK DAVIDSONPIPELAYERBrock lives in Trenton with his wife, Krista, son Aidan

and daughter Avery.

TRAVIS ELLIOTTEQUIPMENT OPERATORTravis lives in Trenton with his wife, Lacey and two

sons, Silas and Aiden.

CODY PILLOWSERVICEMAN

Cody lives in Trenton.

What better way to say Happy Holidays than with a

---- GIFT CERTIFICATE - - - -

Call our GCUD Customer Service Reps at 855-1441 for details.

CHALLENGEHow we view an

obstacle

affects our ability

to overcome it.

DO’S

AND

DON’TS

......

Respond To A Pipeline Emergency

Some pipelines are visibly marked with signs such as the example here.

You should know how to recognize and respond to a probable pipeline emergency. Your own sense of smell and hearing are good ways to recognize a problem.

DO leave the area immediately on foot and move upwind from the suspected leak beforecalling 911 and the pipeline operator (Gibson County Utility District, 731-855-1441). DO NOT engage in any activity that could create heat or sparks including turning on or off machinery.

DO NOT make a phone call unless from a safe area.

S A F E T Y

W E

C A N

L I V E

B Y

GCUD is committed to providing safe and reliable natural gas service to the customers in our service area through an underground network of pipes. We utilize the safest operational practices and employ well-trained and knowledgeable personnel. We provide the final delivery of this vital energy to our customers.

You cannot smell natural gas in its natural state, so a chemical called mercaptan which has a strong odor is added to help you detect its presence. Some people compare it to the smell of rotten eggs or even a skunk. So mercaptan’s smell is a very valuable safety feature.

In Tennessee, State Law requires anyone about to engage in either digging, excavation, demolition or any type of activity that disturbs the earth and therefore possibly involving a danger to damaging underground utilities, to notify Tennessee One Call, of their intent to dig.

DID YOU

KNOW

DID YOU

KNOW

DID YOU

KNOW

G . C . U . D . M A N A G E M E N T AND BOARD OF COMMISSIONERSARE H E R E T O S E R V E Y O U

Pat Riley, General Mgr Holt Shoaf Allyson Horner, Chief Financial Officer Paul Spain, Jr Zack Milligan, Cathodic Protection/OQ Mgr Amy Greer Randy Russom, Operations Mgr Roger Dudley Mark Avery, Purchasing Mgr Rich Cunningham 1300 N Hwy 45 Bypass, Trenton, TN 38382 P: 731-855-1441 www.gibsoncountygas.com