REPORT Providing Service and Leadership for Electric Cooperatives
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July 2012 MREA REPORT Providing service and leadership for electric cooperatives Decisions Made he June MREA Board meeting Senate leadership reports and best educated in the nation and Tchanged the format of the MREA state legislative visits. Tuesday educational provider of choice. annual meeting, tuned the strategic evening will feature the MREA The Loss Control Dept. controlling plan, amended the Resolutions reception and Wednesday will mission is zero accidents. Committee process and agreed to include MREA-related reports, • The amended Resolutions host a legislative fundraiser. Here action on resolutions and other Committee policy includes the are the goods: MREA-related business with an Board to appoint alternates and adjournment slated for noon. • The 2013 MREA annual meeting committee members to report at is slated for March 5-7. The • The MREA Board strategic July district meetings. MREA Board will meet on planning patina included • The Board voted to host a Monday. Tuesday, the traditional establishing dues-non dues at fundraising event for Albert Lea legislative day will include the full 55-45%, filling the lobbyist and State Senator Dan Sparks at their membership with caucus votes Loss Control vacancies, and the August 21 Board meeting. in the morning and then House/ Board continued to ensure that MREA members would be the Annals of Annuals or as long as anyone can substation will be named the Jeff Fremember, North Itasca CEO Ortman Substation. This is the Jeff Ortman has pestered, in the first-time GRE has dedicated a words of GRE CEO Dave Saggau, facility for a co-op manager. the G&T to build a radial line to the co-op for enhanced reliability. “Best thing that has The facilities needed for the radial feed, included tapping into an ever happened to existing transmission line owned by three utilities, including a Canadian this Co-op” province. To that, an enormous to the co-op” and Board Chair investment in a substation would It was a fitting tribute to Ortman, Terry Schmitz took a long-time to not have likely occurred had it not who announced his retirement after recount Jeff’s accomplishments to been Ortman’s polite but persistent nearly 40 years directing the affairs include creating hundreds of jobs. badgering. Saggau, who gave of the co-op whose lines cross the The mere mention of Jeff, whose a terrific speech, told the annual Big Fork Wilderness area. Attorney emotion-laden farewell to the co- meeting assembly held at the North Andy Shaw said Ortman was the op where he poured his all, netted “Best thing that ever happened Itasca Co-op’s garage, that the . continued on page 2 MREA Report www.mrea.org 1 continued. Annals of Annuals North Dakota numerous standing ovations. booths, including the Consumer- owners for Political Action (COPA) Giving The Lyon-Lincoln Electric A year or so ago minded by Director Ken Prestegard Cooperative’s 73rd edition took who added seven more to the 327 floodwaters sufficient to place at the 4-H pavilion building support an ark wiped his efforts (and others) enrolled. located in Tyler. Some 200 of the U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar was out much of the service faithful, curious and “hey honey, territory of the Minot-based the featured speaker(on DVD) and dinner out tonight attended.” After spoke highly of SWCE CEO Syd Verendrye Electric. Much the chow, the meeting started with of the co-op’s recovery Briggs, which made her a favorite of The Song of the Prairie Chorus, at least one attendee. was found in the assistance a female group hailing from from neighboring co-ops nearby Marshall, who sang their At the North Itasca meeting, GRE’s who traveled yet again to hearts out. Most stayed to hear Dave Saggau said some 20 years rewire a state park. Our pal Board Chair Merv Anderson who ago the average consumer used and VEC Manager Bruce cited the cooperative principles about 2% of their income on Carlson was astounded akin to the Ten Commandments electricity. Despite rate increases, the at the co-op Okies who for Southwest Minnesota, known percentage has not changed. Still, descended to again light for its preponderance of co-ops. for consumers of lesser means – or the popular park. Co-ops In attendance were numerous your co-op membership – pay about helping co-ops. Hey, that state legislative candidates and 10% of their income for electricity. If could be a principle. incumbents – Rep. Joe Schomacker the co-op member is on welfare, the and Senator Gary Dahms, along energy burden is, on average, seven with others vying for open seats. times greater than for families at Manager Tim O’Leary gave a terrific median income. overview on the co-op including ACRE All the incumbents were easily We’ve hectored you on welcome news that he had secured FEMA funds for the co-op building re-elected at these three meetings. springing dough to support Lyon-Lincoln and Steele-Waseca your local legislator or toppled by last year’s straight-line winds. gave the nod for bylaw changes candidate that you find including ending nominations much to your liking. We’re Over at Steele-Waseca some 1,000 from the floor and allowance for not done. Be sure to attendees moved around numerous electronic voting. hit the next sequenced number check payable to Action Committee for Rural Praising People’s Electrification or for those in the know, ACRE for $100 (at eople’s Cooperative Services CEO Elaine Garry and husband least). Don’t forget REPAC PGerome Garry hosted a fundraising event for Rochester State (Rural Electric Political Senator Carla Nelson. Majority Leader Dave Senjem and Senate Energy Action Committee) for $25, Committee Chair Julie Rosen also attended. The event was held at which allows MREA Director the Salem Vineyard co-owned by PCS Chair Tony Ebert and his son. of Government Affairs Joel All three touched on energy issues and credited Elaine for her role in Johnson (and you too) educating them on energy-related issues. to attend state legislative fundraising events. MREA member-system board chairs received an email from MREA Board Chair Fran Bator urging them to both invite the local legislators or candidates to learn more about the costs of everything energy and then spring for some American banknotes to help fund their campaign. The easy thing is to blow that suggestion off. Come November, however, you may find that sort of disinclination particularly costly. 2 www.mrea.org Meters smarter than some Mercury ikipedia, which ended the 244-year run of As a kid, I recall pushing a WEncyclopedia Britannica, reports that The bead of mercury around. American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) is interested in the clinical aspects of ecological or environmental illnesses. Created in 1965, AAEM recently sent a letter to the Florida PUC asserting, according to my very able Florida counterpart Bill Willingham, that so-called “smart meters” are a contributing factor to diseases that weekly confound Dr. Gregory House. AAEM Good thing my proclivity, suggested the Sunshine State yank those meters, at least then, wasn’t to put which can, and do control load, to the old the Hg into my nose as was “analog” meters which would reduce the MREA embarrassingly true with other associate member program by several, including things my Mom recalls when Landis+Gyr. one-half of her twins netted at We shake our heads at these claims and other maladies including least one trip to the medical declarations that smart meter signal can be both purloined by terrorists clinic. Today mercury is seen and are seen by others as a way to spy on consumers. That anxiety was similarly as spent uranium, highlighted in yet another terrific column by PKM Manager Chuck Riesen with helpful advice from EPA who assured, at least one worried reader, that PKM uses smart meters (or in on how to dispose of the stuff, our lingo: automated metering infrastructure or AMI) to record usage and outside of Yucca Mountain, would never, ever, share what little the AMI records, with anyone. should you break a CFL. Mercury then, is said to be the reason why EPA is pushing What Sheldon Said the MACT rule, which stands for “Maximum Achievable Control Technology, which here are 841 distribution and 65 G&T cooperatives in 47 states, which would require G&T’s to install must see a mess of invitations to the programs’ luminaries. Somehow T pollution control technology BENCO/Brown CEO (and former CFC Board Chairman) Wade Hensel already achieved by the snagged both CFC Governor Sheldon Petersen and NRECA VP Martin top 12% best-performing Lowery (who will be presenting at the Energy Issues Summit) for those co- similar facilities. EPA states ops’s strategic “thinking” session. Here’s what the Guv’ner had to say: the cost of the rule will be • Unemployment (8.2%) + underemployment (14.8%) = 21% of the $9.6 billion annually. Few country’s workforce without a job, or much of a job. believe those numbers and one independent analysis • Fifty percent of college graduates do not have a job, (my son Cody has projects capital costs could one, of sorts, dealing poker at the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln total up to $84 billion through City, Oregon) which means 14% of 24-35 year-olds living in their Mom’s 2015, according to the House basement, which also represents a winning pick-up line. Committee on Energy and • The prospect of economic growth is likewise dim. According to Harvard Commerce. Mercury, unlike Professor and Economist Ken Rogoff, a nation’s economy hits the “danger most pollutants (and CO2 is zone” when government debt exceeds 90 percent of the nation’s GDP.