Storming the Capitol
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Speaker set for All-Employee Training... See Page 7 Inside Page 2 OMPA Board Report - August Storming Page 3 passes General Manager’s Report - What new EPA rules mean The Capitol NERC Page 5 audit From the Board Chair - The role of electors Oklahoma Municipal Power Page 6 Authority (OMPA) Lineman’s Corner - successfully navi- Part two of OSHA updates gated a significant regulatory test with Page 10 completion of the North American Legislative Update - Electric Reliabil- An interesting summer ity Corporation (NERC) Standards OMPA MEMBER CITIES Altus, Blackwell, Comanche, Copan, audit on July 23. Duncan, Edmond, Eldorado, The audit, Fairview, Frederick, Geary, Goltry, performed by the Granite, Hominy, Kingfisher, La- verne, Lexington, Mangum, Manitou, Annual electors meeting has a legislative feel Southwest Power Marlow, Newkirk, Okeene, Olustee, Pool Regional Enti- Orlando, Pawhuska, Perry, Ponca his year’s at 1:30 p.m. in the ty (SPP RE), was City, Pond Creek, Prague, Purcell, Annual Oklahoma House Ryan, Spiro, Tecumseh, Tonkawa, T conducted to de- Walters, Watonga, Waynoka, Wetum- Electors’ Meeting of Representatives termine if OMPA ka, Wynnewood, Yale. for the Oklahoma Chambers, 2300 N. was in compli- A member of the American Public Municipal Power Lincoln Blvd. Those ance with seven Power Association, Municipal Authority will be a attending are also standards and 15 Electric Systems of Oklahoma and lesson in politics, as invited to visit the associated require- Southwestern Power Resources Association. the event will be held Board of Directors ments created by at the State Capitol and meeting earlier that NERC. It was the Outlet is published by OMPA for our Lamb first such audit for Members will include a welcome day, at 9:30 a.m., at 2701 West I-35 Frontage Road by Lt. Governor Todd the OMPA offices in OMPA since 2008. Post Office Box 1960 Lamb, as well as a presentation Edmond. Audits are not Edmond, Oklahoma 73083-1960 about the state political process. Lamb, who was elected Lt. typically done on Phone: 405-359-2500 every standard, Fax: 405-359-1071 Five OMPA board members Governor in 2010, is an Enid as this would be www.ompa.com also will stand for election or native who played football at burdensome on re-election during the gathering, Louisiana Tech University and OMPA is a wholesale power company both the entity and owned by 39 municipal electric which begins with lunch at 12:30 earned degrees from Oklahoma utilities. OMPA provides economies p.m. on Thursday, September State University and the Continued on of scale in power generation and Page 9 related services to support communi- 11. The meeting agenda starts Continued on Page 4 ty-owned electric utilities. The mem- bers of OMPA serve approximately 250,000 Oklahomans. 425 copies printed at a cost of $843.46. September 2014 - Vol. 30 No. 9 Page 2 Gray Honored For Service OML annual conference scheduled for September The Oklahoma Municipal League’s (OML) annual Conference & Exposition will be Sept. 23-25 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City. This year’s theme is “Partnering For the Future: Success Through Collaboration”. The event will include exhibit hall activities, education sessions, networking opportunities, a golf tournament and an awards ceremony. The Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority will also team up with Grand River Dam Authority and Municipal Electric Systems of Oklahoma to present a public power booth at the conference. Elizabeth Gray, left, was honored at the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority’s August board meeting for her years of service to the board. Formerly the city manager at Altus, For more information about the Gray has accepted a position as city manager at Sand Springs, meaning she will no longer event, contact OML by phone at 405- be an OMPA board member. An election for her seat will take place on Sept. 11. Presenting 528-7515 or 800-324-6651, or go online Gray with the honor, at right, is OMPA Board Chairman Charles Lamb. to oml.org. Board Report Highlights From August 2014 Board of Directors Meeting • Approved CUP Awards for Altus, Duncan and Marlow. • Approved three month extension to the Loaned Transformer Agreement with Altus Municipal Authority. • Confirmed and ratified change orders on Charles D. Lamb Energy Center. • Tim Blodgett of Hometown Connections provided a presentation and responded to Board questions about Hometown Connections. • Approved a Loan Agreement with the Okeene Public Works Authority for Industrial Customer service. • Reviewed preliminary numbers for the 2015 OMPA Budget and Rate work. • Received the report on the NERC Audit recently conducted, in which there were no findings. The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Sept. 11 at 9:30 a.m. in the OMPA Board Room in Edmond. Page 3 EPA’s new greenhouse rules City and what they mean for OMPA assume most of you • Comments due – 10/16/2014 Ihave heard something General • Rule is final – 6/1/2015 Updates in the news regarding the Manager’s • State plans due – 6/30/2016 Environmental Protection • Emission reductions start – Newkirk Agency’s plans to reduce Report 2020 City picks new carbon dioxide emissions • Achieve final reduction targets assistant city manager from power plants. You are – 2030 (By Scott Cloud, Newkirk also probably wondering Again, this was meant to be Herald Journal) – The City of what this all means for a high-level overview, as there Newkirk hired Jeremy Fraizer OMPA and the cost of are many details one couldn’t fit as assistant city manager, electricity. This is not an in an Outlet article. starting with the city Aug.4. easy answer, and there are So, what does this mean Frazier has a Masters in 2-day-long seminars you can for OMPA and our member Business Administration from attend on this subject, but I cities? Frankly, at this time, it is the University of Central will attempt to boil it down just too early to know for sure. Oklahoma and was working to a few paragraphs and shed David W. Osburn (Besides the obvious that it will with the City of Newkirk as some light on it. increase costs.) OMPA owns a Retirement Plan Adminis- To get started, let me power plants in four different trator. provide some basic information about the states. Therefore, we have to wait and see “We are excited to have proposed rule. EPA publicized the rule as what Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and Jeremy on board,” City reducing CO2 emissions by 30 percent Arkansas are going to do. Manager Jason Orr told the from 2005 levels by 2030. Once you dig We now operate in a day-ahead energy commissioners at an August into the rule, you will find that it can be market in the Southwest Power Pool, in meeting. “He’s excited to get much more than 30 percent for some states which they make the economic dispatch started.” Frazier’s duties include and that it is actually from 2012 levels, decisions. They will play a role in how code enforcement, as well as and that the majority of the reductions this gets implemented. Of course, it will working with city crews on have to take place by 2020. It requires be challenged in the courts, so we will various projects, in addition to each state to develop their state-specific wait and see if any of those are successful. assisting Orr in various duties. implementation plan by June 30, 2016. To date, the courts have given a lot of “He’ll be busy,” Orr said. States can use various approaches to deference to EPA and upheld its rulings. “Just a reminder, his title is meet the requirements from unit-by-unit As you can imagine, this is something assistant city manager, but he reductions, energy efficiency measures, we will follow very closely. OMPA staff won’t be an administrator all increased use of renewable energy, or will work with others in trying to analyze the time. He’ll be busy doing coordinated cap-and-trade programs the impact this may have on our fleet and, a lot of different things out in with other states. The proposed rule does ultimately, our costs. If this rule stands, it the field.” exempt generating units that produce less will put a heavy burden on the natural gas Orr asked the commis- than 33 percent of their rated output. This fleet and infrastructure. Gas will become sioners to create the position exempts most simple-cycle peaking units, an ever-increasing percentage of our to assist young people who such as OMPA’s new Charles D. Lamb generation. want to get into public admin- Energy Center and Ponca City Unit #4. We are somewhat fortunate in that istration. The projected emission reductions for OMPA has developed a very diverse The position became avail- Oklahoma is 36 percent, Arkansas (Turk) power supply portfolio, with gas, wind, able when Richard Hinthorn 45 percent, Texas (Oklaunion and Pirkey) hydro, and biomass supplementing our made the move from Public 39 percent, and Louisiana (Dolet Hills) 40 coal. While we will certainly feel some Works to the city’s Fire De- partment. percent. impact from this, it won’t be as bad as The following is a quick showing of those utilities with more coal in their mix. the timing related to this rule. Expect to hear more on this in the future, Continued on Page 5 • Rule published – 6/2/2014 as this rule progresses. Page 4 Annual Electors Meeting: Continued from Page 1 Oklahoma City University School of the Oklahoma In addition to Law. After a position in Governor Frank Municipal League. those four, Mary Keating’s administration, he served as He also served on Rupp from Perry a Special Agent with the United States the International also will stand for Secret Service, before being appointed to City/County election to fill the the national Joint Terrorism Task Force Management remainder of a term in 2001.