Grode Honored by Douglas County

webversion | unsubscribe NWPPA eBulletin | September 25, 2017 Legislative Announcements Congressional Outlook; Senate Holds Hearing on Vegetation Management; Energy Trade Groups Send Letter Praising Grid Study; Nominees Advance, FERC Holds First Meeting Since Obtaining Quorum; Senate NDAA Includes Cyber, Energy Provisions; and Court Rules Tongass Not Exempt From Roadless Rule. read more Public Power Industry Announcements We Remember: Cyrus Noe; GVEA’s Nordmark Receives Mason LaZelle Award; Paciﬁc County PUD General Manager Bids Adieu; Grode Honored by Douglas County PUD; Chelan PUD Commissioners Get Look Ahead for Maintaining Highly Reliable Power; SMUD Helps AMPAC Fine Chemicals Reduce Their Process Chilling Costs by Nearly 30 Percent; Power Pledge Challenge Kicks Off October Energy Awareness Month; PCWA Board Receives Reports from North Tahoe Basin Special Districts; and Mountain West Announces Next Step to Potential Southwest Power Pool Membership. read more Associate Member Announcements CoBank Announces 2017 Board Election Results; Burns & McDonnell Completes Expanded Power Asset Testing and Research Lab; ABB to Acquire GE Industrial Solutions; and SEDC’s Social Media Kit to Help Utilities Promote National Cyber Security Awareness Month. read more Upcoming Educational Opportunities Plan now for your fall 2017 training. Check out NWPPA's 2017 class offerings in the 2017 eCatalog. Click on the button below. Look for NWPPA's 2018 Training eCatalog to come out Oct. 2! Don't miss these upcoming training events: NRECA CCD 2600 - Director Duties and Liabilities October 11, 2017 in Eugene, OR Lineman Skills Series: AC Transformers, Advanced Theory, and Practical Application October 11-12, 2017 in Richland, WA - Early bird deadline extended Substation Series: Substation Transformers & LTC Diagnostics October 11, 2017 in Richland, WA - Early bird deadline extended NRECA CCD 2620 - Board Operations and Process October 12, 2017 in Eugene, OR Substation Series: Substation Battery Maintenance and Testing October 12, 2017 in Richland, WA - Early bird deadline extended 3 Cs Conference Pre-Session: Crafting Strategic Stafﬁng Plans, Solutions for Now and the Future October 24, 2017 in Spokane, WA Managerial Accounting with Key Ratios October 25-26, 2017 in Kennewick, WA - Early bird deadline extended Metering for Linemen October 26, 2017 in Goldendale, WA 2017 Event Catalog Industry Calendar of Events A list of upcoming industry events and meetings. read more RFP's and RFQ's Utilities: NWPPA offers its utility members the opportunity (at no cost) to post RFPs and RFQs on our website at no charge. Reach out to NWPPA's almost 4,000 associate member contacts that supply goods and services to the utility industry and might be interested in responding to your utility RFP/RFQ. To post your RFP/RFQ, visit our RFP/RFQ page. For more information, contact Debbie at [email protected] or Mark at [email protected]. Associate Members: Make sure to check out NWPPA's RFP/RFQ Web page to view utility RFP listings. Listings are posted as they are received by NWPPA. New RFP posted September 8, 2017! read more Recent Industry Jobs View the job opportunities posted to NWPPA's website in the past week. read more On This Day in History Central High School Integrated; Fifty-Nine-Year-Old Satchel Paige Pitches Three Innings; The Partridge Family Premieres on ABC Television; and O’Connor Takes Seat on Supreme Court. read more Like us on Facebook Don't forget to like us on Facebook so you can keep up with what's happening at NWPPA, utility news, and other items of general interest. Visit www.facebook.com/NWPPAssoc and like us now. You have received this email because you have subscribed to Northwest Public Power Association as . If you no longer wish to receive emails please unsubscribe 9817 N.E. 54th Street, Ste. 200, Vancouver, WA 98662 (360) 254-0109 © 2017 Northwest Public Power Association, All rights reserved LOGIN BECOME A MEMBER PRESS ROOM ADVERTISE Legislative Announcements Next Section Return to eBulletin Congressional Outlook Update provided by Meguire Whitney The House and Senate were in recess most or all of last week in observance of Rosh Hashanah but return this week, and a number of deadlines loom. This week may include hearings on grid reliability, nominations, extending the Federal Aviation Administration’s ability to collect fees, and renewing the authorization for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, as well as the nal attempt at Obamacare repeal. The Obamacare repeal comes through a bill written by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R–S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R–La.). Republicans have until September 30 – when the FY17 budget resolution expires – to avail themselves of expedited budget reconciliation procedures for health care (they plan to use a FY18 budget resolution to pass tax reform legislation through this procedure as well). Action on Graham-Cassidy is likely to occupy both chambers for most of this week. Senate Holds Hearing on Vegetation Management Update provided by Meguire Whitney On September 19, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on vegetation management legislation. Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R–Alaska) began the hearing by acknowledging the importance of vegetation management for utilities to prevent wildres, noting that not being able to provide basic vegetation management is one of the biggest threats to “keeping the lights on.” Mark Hayden, general manager of the Missoula Electric Cooperative (a member of NWPPA, which he mentioned in his testimony) expressed support for H.R. 1873, the vegetation management bill that overwhelmingly passed the House in June. He also thanked the Senate for their eorts in meaningful reform both through Sen. Steve Daines’ (R–Mont.) draft proposal, and S. 1460, the broad Senate energy bill that includes vegetation management provisions. Hayden was joined on the panel by the National Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Wilderness Society, and the Arizona Public Service Commission. Each of these witnesses expressed support for reforming the permitting process and bringing greater certainty to maintaining vegetation on federal land. Only Scott Miller of the Wilderness Society expressed opposition to H.R. 1873, saying that it “frustrates sound vegetation management” due to conicting laws and standards, believing that the Senate bill takes a “much more thoughtful approach” to liability provisions. Of note was a discussion of fairness in liability provisions, as both bills include limited liability protection. Hayden stated that in the case of a plan’s delayed approval, a measure of liability relief should be granted; and that in the event of an emergency, accelerated access should be provided. Discussion also centered on “categorical exclusions” for existing transmission lines under the National Environmental Policy Act, with Hayden mentioning that without these, “consequences would be high.” By providing a categorical exemption from NEPA for routine work, a measure of consistency would be provided to vegetation management. Senate Democrats have expressed objections to moving H.R. 1873 as is, and prefer the version in S. 1460, which has been fast-tracked to the Senate oor where it awaits a oor vote. House Republicans, however, have signaled they are not interested in taking up the broader measure and prefer to pass individual bills. The Western Governors’ Association sent a letter to committee chairs Murkowski and Cantwell, thanking them for their eorts in vegetation management and requesting “expedited consideration” to support reasonable vegetation management practices as well as attaching their vegetation management provisions. NWPPA supports policies that provide electric utilities with transmission and distribution lines on ROW on federal lands with a reasonable certainty that the approving federal agency will respond in a timely and consistent manner to access and vegetation management requests. NWPPA supports both the House and Senate versions of the bill and has worked closely with sta to improve the language and push for nal passage. Energy Trade Groups Send Letter Praising Grid Study Update provided by Meguire Whitney On September 14, energy trade groups sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee praising the Department of Energy’s grid study, released earlier this year, and its focus on fuel diversity including nuclear, oil, mining, gas, hydropower, and wind. The industries represented included electric, petroleum, nuclear, wind, and hydropower, and noted the need for a diverse energy mix to provide reliable electricity. The group praised the DOE for looking at factors that can improve the reliability and resiliency of the energy grid, stating that “this study underscores that diversity of resources and technologies—and, thereby, a diversity of services—is needed to provide reliable and aordable electricity for customers.” The letter also emphasized the importance of regional markets’ needs for planning to accommodate business models such as electric cooperatives and public power utilities. Fourteen energy trade groups signed this letter, including the American Public Power Association. Nominees Advance, FERC Holds First Meeting Since Obtaining Quorum Update provided by Meguire Whitney On September 19, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to approve ve nominees to the full Senate for consideration. Those nominees included Richard Glick and Kevin McIntyre to be members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Upon Senate

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