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Northwest Public Power Association eBulletin
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www.nwppa.org View Online Past Issues Advertise
Monday, May 16, 2016
Legislative Announcements
Public power testifies at QER stakeholder meeting; NWPPA, others submit
comments on Glen Canyon LTEMP Draft EIS; Energy and Water
Appropriations passes Senate; NRC releases final EIS on Yucca Mountain;
EPA issues methane regulations; ENR to hold hearing on drought bill; IRS
releases guidance on renewable energy tax credits; and Electric sector
pushes CFTC to exempt more energy products from swap definition.
Read more…
Public Power Industry Announcements
Okanogan PUD commissioners unanimously approve resolution to generate
power at Enloe Dam; MEA’s Operation RoundupR Program helps Talkeetna
recycling efforts; PCWA Board receives update on Urban Water Management
Plan; Franklin PUD nears cap on renewable energy systems under
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Washington state incentive program; Clallam PUD and City of Forks partner
to improve lighting, energy efficiency; Journey through the generations at
Rocky Reach with renowned Native American teachers; and Federal partners
unveil safer, more efficient turbine at Ice Harbor Dam.
Read more…
Associate Member Announcements
ElastimoldR SmallVault Switchgear improves safety with capability for
operation outside vault.
Read more…
Upcoming Educational Opportunities
Looking to plan your training for 2016 or view a catalog of training events?
Click on the button
below.
2016 eCatalog PDF
Check out these upcoming training events:
Distribution Engineering Series: Session 1 – Distribution System Planning &
Analysis
June 6 – 10, 2016
Leadership Skills #3: Personalities and Attitudes in the Workplace
June 7 – 8, 2016
Electric Distribution Systems
June 8 – 10, 2016
The Customer Focus
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June 8 – 9, 2016
Introduction to the EPA and Environmental Compliance Overview for Utility
Employees (Early Bird Deadline Extended to 6/14/2016)
June 14, 2016
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Training for Utility Personnel
(Early Bird Deadline Extended to 6/15/2016)
June 15, 2016
Fraud in Utilities
June 15, 2016
Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Training for Utility
Personnel (Early Bird Deadline Extended to 6/16/2016)
June 16, 2016
Advanced Utility Accounting
June 16 – 17, 2016
Industry Calendar of Events
Mark your calendars for these upcoming public power meetings.
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Read more…
RFP/RFQs
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 K. 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 RFPs posted May 10, 12 and 13, 2016!
Read more…
Recent Industry Job Openings
View the job opportunities posted to NWPPA’s website in the past week.
Read more…
On This Day in History
U.S. Congress passes Sedition Act; First Academy Awards ceremony;
Japanese woman scales Everest; and Magic plays center as a rookie, wins
championship.
Read more…
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Copyright ©2016 Northwest Public Power Association. All rights reserved. 9817 N.E. 54th Street, Ste. 200, Vancouver, WA 98662 (360) 2540109 – [email protected]
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5/23/2016 Legislative Announcements | Northwest Public Power Association
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Legislative Announcements
Public power testies at QER stakeholder meeting
Update provided by Morgan Meguire
On March 10, three public power executives – all members or
associates of NWPPA – participated in the Department of Energy’s
(DOE) Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) stakeholder panel in Los Angeles.
SMUD CEO and General Manager Arlen Orchard testied on the panel
titled Generating Electricity to Meet GHG targets. His comments
focused on how SMUD has approached industry trends and statelevel
policies to reduce emissions, as well as recommendations for the
federal government that included maintaining a focus on costs to
consumers. “Federal climate policy should encourage locally
appropriate solutions and compatibility with market tools already
being developed in regions across the country,” said Orchard. “To the
extent that programs are aimed at specific subparts of the problem,
federalstate coordination is paramount to avoid unnecessary costs
and allow differing solutions where these make sense.”
Michelle Bertolino, electric utility director of the City of Roseville
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(Calif.) and president of the California Municipal Utilities Association
(CMUA), testied on the panel titled Electricity Distribution and End
Use: How Do We Manage Challenges and Opportunities? Bertolino said
that customers are embracing technology, including rooftop solar,
energy efficiency measures, battery storage, and other technologies,
and described the utility responses required to facilitate that change.
“Although there has been significant work already completed by
utilities to address distribution system enhancements and meeting
changing customer demands, there is still much more work that needs
to be done,” said Bertolino. She then listed several items that the DOE
should take into consideration, such as “federal policies should reflect
a comprehensive and balanced approach to identifying solutions,
considering implications on costs, reliability, customer impact, and
environmental goals.”
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power General Manager Marcie
Edwards testified on the panel titled Bulk Power Generation and
Transmission: How Can We Plan, Build, and Operate the Appropriate
Amount for Future Needs? Edwards explained the complexities of
building new bulk power systems while operating in a world of shifting
financial, regulatory, legislative, market, and technological directions.
The Los Angeles stakeholder meeting marks the sixth of seven
announced meetings in the second installment of the QER. The next
meeting is scheduled for May 24 in Atlanta, Ga.
NWPPA, others submit comments on Glen Canyon
LTEMP Draft EIS
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Update provided by Morgan Meguire
On May 9, NWPPA along with groups representing states, tribes,
public power and water associations, water providers, cooperatives,
and state agencies submitted comments on the Department of the
Interior’s LongTerm Experimental and Management Plan (LTEMP)
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Glen Canyon Dam.
The purpose of the comments were to request that the Interior
secretary ensure that hydropower generation at Glen Canyon Dam be
maintained or improved in the final EIS.
In its letter, NWPPA stated that it “strongly supports the Secretary of
the Interior selecting an alternative in the Final EIS that improves
hydropower and limits air emissions.” Interior’s preferred alternative
would, according to the Colorado River Energy Distributors Association
(CREDA), negatively impact Glen Canyon Dam’s renewable
hydropower production as a result of highflow experiments. Those
experiments will cause water to bypass the dam’s turbines, reducing
its generating capacity. The commenters also point out that the high
flow experiments will negatively impact the endangered humpback
chub.
The NWPPA letter stated that it is the wrong time for the federal
government to unnecessarily reduce generating capacity at Glen
Canyon Dam, given the lowcost, emissionsfree attributes of
hydropower, and the expectation that the population of the West is
expected to increase 54 percent by the year 2030.
Energy and Water Appropriations passes Senate
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Update provided by Morgan Meguire
On May 12, the Senate voted 90 to 8 to pass the $37.7 billion FY17
Energy and Water Appropriations bill. This is the first energy and
water appropriations measure to be approved in the Senate in several
years.
The prior day, senators bypassed Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R–Ark.)
amendment to prohibit the U.S. from purchasing heavy water (an
important component in making plutonium for nuclear weapons) from
Iran. Under a deal brokered by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R–Tenn.), who
chairs the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, the
Senate invoked cloture on the amendment 5742, allowing Sen.
Cotton to withdraw the amendment and the Senate to proceed to the
underlying bill.
House spending measures could start coming to the floor this week.
The House Energy and Water bill is $93 million below the Senate’s
version, and it also includes several controversial provisions such as
funding for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project, and California
drought language, which do not appear in the Senate version.
NRC releases nal EIS on Yucca Mountain
Update provided by Morgan Meguire
On May 5, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) released a final
supplement to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) evaluating
the projected impacts of developing a permanent nuclear waste
repository at Yucca Mountain. Although the Obama Administration
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terminated work on Yucca Mountain when it took office, industry
supported completion of the EIS to complete and test the assessment
process.
The supplement completes an EIS originally done by the DOE in 2002
and was first supplemented in June 2008. When the NRC requested
additional information from the DOE on groundwater effects – after
President Obama had taken office – the DOE deferred to the NRC to
complete the supplement.
The supplement examines potential radiological and nonradiological
impacts to ground water, soil, and public health over a onemillion
year period. In addition, the document “assesses the potential for
cumulative impacts associated with other past, present, or reasonably
foreseeable future actions.”
The abstract goes on to say, “The NRC staff finds that each of the
potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts on the resources
evaluated in this supplement would be SMALL” [emphasis in original].
The supplemental EIS was the last major component able to be
completed without additional appropriations from Congress. Funding
for further work on Yucca has been at a standstill since FY10. As
noted above, the House included funding in its FY17 energy and water
funding bill, but the Senate version favors consolidated interim
storage and contains no funds to move forward with Yucca.
EPA issues methane regulations
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Update provided by Morgan Meguire
On May 12, the EPA released the firstever regulations on methane
gas emissions from the oil and gas industry, calling for reductions 40
to 45 percent below 2012 levels by 2025. The move marks President
Obama’s latest push to address climate change before exiting the
White House at the end of the year.
The EPA’s decision includes three final rules that target emission
reductions of methane, smogforming volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), and toxic air pollutants from new and modified oil and gas
sources.
House GOP energy leaders immediately blasted the effort. In a joint
statement, House Energy and Commerce Chair Fred Upton (R–Mich.),
Energy and Power Subcommittee Chair Ed Whitfield (R–Ky.), and
Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chair John Shimkus (R–
Ill.) said, “EPA continues to go out of its way to target abundant
American energy. This new set of rules will add significant burdens
and costs to an already highly regulated industry. Our economy is
already on shaky ground, and more layers of federal regulation will
only serve to threaten existing jobs and discourage new domestic
production.”
ENR to hold hearing on drought bill
Update provided by Morgan Meguire
On May 17, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR)
Subcommittee on Water and Power will hold a legislative hearing on
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Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D–Calif.) California Drought Relief Act (S.
2533), along with other bills that address Western water issues.
Feinstein’s bill addresses California’s ongoing drought by increasing
water supplies and modifying policies for portioning existing supplies
among stakeholders.
S. 2533 would authorize $1.3 billion for longterm drought mitigation.
It would include water storage, recycling, and desalination projects, as
well as authorizing shortterm operational changes to take advantage
or recent rains by increase pumping in the SacramentoSan Joaquin
River Delta, the state’s main water delivery hub. It also requires the
Interior Department to do new studies on the movement of the
endangered delta smelt with the hope of increasing water deliveries in
the long term to agricultural communities in the Central Valley and
municipalities further south.
ENR Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R–Alaska) has said that she
would like to address drought from a Westwide perspective, and to
that end, the subcommittee will also hear testimony on legislation (S.
2902) introduced by Sens. Jeff Flake (R–Ariz.), Jim Risch (R–Idaho),
Dean Heller (R–Nev.), Steve Daines (R–Mont.), and John McCain (R–
Ariz.). That bill directs the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to use
updated forecasting to better plan for water storage. The Corps has
been criticized for using old operations manuals that have become
obsolete since the increased evidence of climate change. Activity and
development in the various watersheds the Corps manages have also
changed dramatically since the rules were first written, in some cases
decades ago. The Corp manuals are also used to determine operations
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at flood control facilities owned by the Bureau of Reclamation.
S. 2092 also includes conservation measures, like requiring the
Interior Department to address waterintensive invasive species and
implement voluntary efforts to save water at the Lake Mead reservoir
southeast of Las Vegas. In addition, the legislation would require
federal government to abide by state groundwater laws when
managing groundwater under federal lands.
Finally, the subcommittee will look at Minority Leader Harry Reid’s (D–
Nev.) S. 2907, which would extend the funding for pilot projects to
increase Colorado River System water in Lake Mead.
Morgan Meguire will monitor this hearing and report to NWPPA as the
legislation develops. Public power wants to ensure that no Bureau of
Reclamation actions authorized in drought legislation result in unfair
cost shifting to preference customers.
IRS releases guidance on renewable energy tax credits
Update provided by Morgan Meguire
On May 5, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued highly
anticipated guidance updating the “beginning of construction”
requirement for projects seeking renewable energy tax credits
extended at the conclusion of 2015.
The IRS’ prior guidance provides that a taxpayer may begin
construction by either (1) starting physical work of a significant nature
(the “physical work test”) or (2) paying or incurring five percent or
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more of the total cost of facility (the “fivepercent safe harbor”). Once
construction begins, a continuity requirement provides that the
taxpayer must either maintain a continuous program of construction
(if using the physical work test) or make continuous efforts toward
construction (if using the safe harbor test) until the facility is placed in
service.
In the prior guidance, the IRS established a separate “Continuity Safe
Harbor,” under which the continuity requirement would be deemed
satisfied if the project were placed in service by a specified date. The
new IRS notice extends that date, providing generally that if a
taxpayer places a facility in service during a calendar year that is no
more than four calendar years after the one during which construction
began, the facility will be considered to satisfy the requirement.
Other highlights of the guidance include the following:
Prohibits taxpayers from relying on different tests in alternatingcalendar years.Includes additional “excusable disruptions” for use in evaluatingwhether a project satisfies the continuity requirement, includingpermitting delays, interconnectionrelated delays, and delays inthe manufacture of custom components.Provides additional examples of work that will satisfy the PhysicalWork Test.Lists “preliminary activities” that cannot be used to satisfy thePhysical Work Test.Allows a portion of a wind project (or other project) that consistsof multiple facilities to be treated as a single project to satisfy thecontinuous construction/efforts tests.
Critics of the renewable energy production tax credit blasted the new
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guidance. Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy
Research, said, “This is nothing short of theft from American
taxpayers. The IRS is far more concerned about providing special
interest handouts through the wind PTC than protecting the American
families who actually pay taxes. This is a travesty, but it is par for the
course for an administration that has no concern for the economic
wellbeing of everyday Americans.”
Separate guidance is expected to be issued with respect to the solar
investment tax credit (ITC) that was also extended by the law.
Electric sector pushes CFTC to exempt more energy
products from swap denition
Update provided by Morgan Meguire
On May 9, the three largest electric sector trade groups (APPA,
NRECA, and the Edison Electric Institute) commented to the
Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on a proposal to
permanently exempt certain capacity and natural gas peaking
contracts from the definition of “swap.” The groups called on the CFTC
to expand the exemption to all peaking supply contracts, rather than
just those with natural gasfired units.
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Public Power Announcements
Okanogan PUD commissioners unanimously approve
resolution to generate power at Enloe Dam
During the May 9, 2016, regular Okanogan County PUD (Okanogan,
Wash.) Board of Commissioners meeting, the commissioners
unanimously approved Resolution #1620 authorizing the District to
generate electricity from Enloe Dam.
After lengthy public testimony from parties representing both
electrification and removal of Enloe Dam, and reviewing all the
options presented to date from staff, the Okanogan County PUD Board
of Commissioners determined that adding generation to Enloe Dam is
in the best interests of the District’s ratepayers and has directed staff
to proceed in developing a plan to add generation to the dam.
Stakeholders and opponents to generation of Enloe Dam were
provided an opportunity to speak during the April 25, 2016, regular
board of commissioners meeting. During this meeting they were to
offer evidence of a lead agency that would take all responsibility and
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liability for the removal of Enloe Dam, as well as a firm source of
funding that would pay for all costs associated with the removal and a
draft plan for removal. After an hour of testimony during that
meeting, the group failed to produce a lead agency or any of the
required terms.
District staff has continually presented information to the
commissioners that demonstrated the District will require additional
generation resources during the term of the FERC license and the
estimated cost of Enloe Dam will be equal to or less than other
alternative generation resources. The commissioners further directed
staff to work with Energy Northwest to develop the most cost
effective plan to construct generation facilities for the Enloe Dam
project.
MEA’s Operation Roundup® Program helps Talkeetna
recycling eorts
Cardboard recycling will be made easier in Talkeetna, Alaska, with the
help of a $10,000 grant from the MEA Charitable Foundation,
dedicated to help pay for a new cardboard baler. “MEA has filled our
sails to move forward with this project that will benefit the community
on many levels. Thank you MEA!” said Talkeetna Recycling Committee
Chair Katie Writer. It’s their goal to prevent people from burning their
cardboard this summer and instead be able to repurpose the valuable
commodity.
A total of 12 grants were awarded during the Charitable Foundation’s
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first quarter review, totaling $78,225 back into the community.
All grants from the Operation Roundup® Program are awarded to
nonprofit organizations and individuals in need within MEA’s service
area. Applications are reviewed quarterly in January, April, July, and
October by the volunteer board of directors of the MEA Charitable
Foundation. The program is funded by members of Matanuska Electric
Association (Palmer, Alaska). Since the program began in 2011, MEA
members have provided a total of $695,884.67 to local nonprofits and
individuals in need by providing just pennies a month rounding up
their electricity bill to the nearest dollar. Information on the program,
lists of previous grant recipients, and the names of all of the board of
directors can be found online at http://www.mea.coop/mea-in-the-
community/round-up/.
PCWA Board receives update on Urban Water
Management Plan
At its meeting on May 9, the Placer County Water Agency (Auburn,
Calif.) Board of Directors received a presentation from Greg Young of
Tully & Young on a draft of the Agency’s Urban Water Management
Plan. The plan forecasts future water demand and water supply
reliability to help evaluate Agency assets and guide infrastructure
planning. A public hearing on the draft plan will be held on June 2,
2016, after which the board will consider its adoption.
“The plan serves a number of important purposes for Placer County,”
General Manager Einar Maisch said. “Not only is it a supporting
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document for our American River Water Rights extension, but also
informs city governments and the county about water availability as
they make land use decisions within the Agency’s service area.”
State law requires water suppliers to update their plans every five
years. Forecast demands are required to include urban water uses and
look forward 20 years; PCWA uses its plan as an integrated tool for
both treated and untreated water, and extends the forecast to
buildout of existing local general plans. The plan indicates that PCWA
water supplies are adequate for future buildout demand, and are
reliable in average precipitation years and dry years. Once adopted,
the plan will also be used by PCWA to monitor compliance with the
state’s “20 percent by the year 2020” water conservation
requirement.
Franklin PUD nears cap on renewable energy systems
under Washington state incentive program
Per the State Renewable Energy System Cost Recovery Program
(RCW 82.16), Franklin PUD (Pasco, Wash.) is no longer approving
applications for production incentives for solar and other renewable
energy systems that can be paid under state law. Like many other
utilities across the state, Franklin PUD is near its cap on incentives
that can be paid per law, and will not approve new applications unless
they are certain of their ability to pay. The cap on the incentives they
can pay remains at .5 percent of their retail power sales, or
approximately $400,000 annually, since no new legislation was
passed in 2016 increasing the cap. Franklin PUD is aware that some
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utilities have placed a moratorium on new applications, and the PUD is
taking similar action; they have approximately 67 systems currently
receiving incentive payments.
Franklin PUD has sent letters to installers that are active in the area
informing them of the hold on approving new applications. Any
customers submitting renewable energy systems beyond the current
capacity will be given priority for future incentive payments based on
the order in which they received contingent approval of net meter
interconnection applications from Franklin PUD’s engineering
department.
Clallam PUD and City of Forks partner to improve
lighting, energy eciency
Clallam PUD’s (Carlsborg, Wash.) lighting rebate program helped the
City of Forks (Wash.) successfully complete its streetlight LED
Conversion Project at no direct cost to the city.
Converting the old highpressure sodium and metal halide streetlights
to more energyefficient LED lights will save the City of Forks an
estimated 149,000 kilowatthours per year in energy savings,
equaling $9,000 per year in utility bill savings as well as an additional
estimated $5,000 in maintenance savings. Getting rid of the old
lighting systems have also improved the light quality of the City’s
street lighting, since the new LED lighting system produces a clean
white light that renders colors truer to daylight than the old lights.
City of Forks Mayor Bryon Monohon said, “The installation progress of
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the LED lighting was really interesting. I would drive down the road
and marvel at how clear and bright the new lights were and then all of
a sudden I would be in an area where the conversion hadn’t happened
yet and I would wonder how I had ever thought the old lights were
good. It’s even better when I think about how much money the City
will be saving on electricity!”
Clallam PUD Utility Services Advisor II Mattias Järvegren said,
“Partnering with the City of Forks on this project was a meaningful
experience as it benefits not only the PUD in meeting our energy
conservation targets, but it really is an upgrade in lighting quality for
our customer in Forks.”
A total of 346 street lights were replaced at a total project cost of
$176,863. The cost was fully funded by the Washington State
Transportation Improvement Board’s Relight Washington Program and
a PUD lighting upgrade incentive.
Journey through the generations at Rocky Reach with
renowned Native American teachers
Rocky Reach Visitor Center offers “River Ramble,” a free program on
May 21, spotlighting local animals, native plants, reptiles and Native
American life. Guests will learn how wildlife and plants are a vital part
of traditions that have been passed down from the vibrant peoples
who once thrived along our rivers.
The handson program, designed for all ages, runs from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. on Saturday, May 21, at Rocky Reach Dam Visitor Center.
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Rocky Reach welcomes celebrated artist Roger Amerman, a Choctaw
Nation member living on the Nez Perce reservation of Idaho, who has
spoken at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Amerman will share
the cultural significance of a traditional Nez Perce tipi and encourage
guests to build one themselves. Amerman’s family also will offer live
drumming and dancing, encouraging guests to join in the traditional
fun.
New this year are Tom Bailor and Lloyd Barkley, Native American
educators. Together they will demonstrate the use of historical
hunting tools using atlatls, a tool used before the invention of the bow
and arrow.
Chelan PUD (Wenatchee, Wash.) wildlife biologist Von Pope will
explain the PUD’s stewardship of local wildlife and habitat and offer a
handson introduction to our wildlife “neighbors” and their roles in
local ecology.
Monroe’s Reptile Man will host a reptile “petting zoo” and emphasize
the importance of all animals in the balance of nature.
If all this fun leaves you hungry?, Mama D’s Café at Rocky Reach will
be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day on the grounds with hot
dogs and sandwiches for sale, as well as kids’ meals, baked goods
(including glutenfree options), ice cream and snow cones.
Find them on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/VisitRockyReach. Rocky
Reach Dam is seven miles north of Wenatchee on Highway 97A. Media
with questions about River Ramble or the Visitor Center should
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contact Debbie Gallaher, Visitor Services Department manager, at
(509) 6614960.
Federal partners unveil safer, more ecient turbine at
Ice Harbor Dam
An advancedtechnology turbine, designed to improve fish passage at
federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers is being installed at
Ice Harbor Lock and Dam in southeast Washington state.
The $58 million project, funded by BPA, calls for runner replacements
on two turbines – one fixedblade, one adjustable – along with fish
passageway improvements at Ice Harbor over the next few years.
The first turbine is set to be operational within 12 to 14 months. The
work includes structural modifications to the turbine draft tube exits
to improve hydraulic conditions for fish. The contracts also contain
options to fabricate and install a third turbine runner.
The turbine design and installation is a collaboration between
contractor Voith Hydro Inc. of York, Pa., the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, the Bonneville Power Administration, and NOAA Fisheries.
Smallscale model testing of the new fixedblade runner design
indicates it may also increase power generation by 3 to 4 percent.
“After 50 years of operation and increasing maintenance
requirements, the need to replace the existing turbine runners at Ice
Harbor presented the opportunity to pursue new turbine runner
designs with fish passage improvement as a priority,” said Kevin
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Crum, project manager.
Voith Hydro Inc. used digital and physical models, and multiple design
cycles to settle on two styles of hightech runners (turbine runners
are the parts that rotate in water to generate power). The turbine
runners are made of stainless steel to fight water corrosion.
BPA engineer George Brown called the work an “excellent example of
collaboration among BPA, the Corps, NOAA, and a capable
contractor.”
“The key ingredient holding us all together is the goal of creating
meaningful improvements to the environmental performance of a
critical Northwest power resource,” Brown said. “The efficiency and
reliability benefits to the hydroelectric system are an important bonus,
stretching the value of the limited water resource.”
Advancedtechnology turbines could eventually extend beyond Ice
Harbor to replace aging infrastructure at other Columbia and Snake
River dams.
The latest monitoring shows that less than 10 percent of all migrating
juvenile salmon and steelhead pass through turbines on the Snake
River, depending on the dam and the species of fish. At Ice Harbor
Dam that number is between 0.5 to 8.6 percent. Most outmigrating
fish use surface passage, such as spillway weirs, on their way to the
ocean. About 93 to 96 percent of all young salmon and steelhead now
survive passage at each dam in the Federal Columbia River Power
System.
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For more information about the Ice Harbor turbine runner design and
other programs to benefit Columbia River salmon and steelhead,
please visit the Walla Walla District’s homepage and
www.salmonrecovery.gov.
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Associate Member Announcements
Elastimold® Small-Vault Switchgear improves safety
with capability for operation outside vault
Thomas & Betts (T&B) has
extended its line of underground
distribution switchgear with
Elastimold SmallVault
Switchgear, which improves
safety via operation outside of
powerdistribution vaults with an
insulated fiberglass pole (hot
stick).
Elastimold SmallVault
Switchgear is constructed of
solid dielectric ethylene
propylene diene monomer
(EPDM) rubber, which is free of oil and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) for
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lowmaintenance operation and reliability in submersible applications.
It is also compatible with the evolving smart grid.
In addition to safety, low maintenance, and reliability, Elastimold
SmallVault Switchgear fits into new and legacy small utility vaults,
which minimizes retrofitting costs for investorowned utilities (IOUs),
public power utilities, and other powerdistribution operations.
“We designed Elastimold SmallVault Switchgear for an IOU customer
that needed switchgear retrofitted into legacy vaults with small
spaces,” said Ralph Donati, product marketing director at T&B. “The
design makes it accessible from the street level with a hot stick, in
response to the customer’s need for safer operation of solid dielectric
switchgear that will be retrofitted into legacy vaults with space
restrictions. The customer has been very pleased with the results.”
Elastimold SmallVault Switchgear is available in two, three, four,
five, and sixway configurations. Voltage classes are available in
15kV or 27kV.
For more information about Elastimold SmallVault Switchgear from
T&B, please visit www.tnb.com and look for Elastimold on the
“Brands” tab, or call (800) 2385000.
Thomas & Betts Corporation, a member of the ABB Group, is a global
leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of essential
components used to manage the connection, distribution,
transmission, and reliability of electrical power in utility, industrial,
commercial, and residential applications. With a portfolio of more than
200,000 products marketed under more than 45 premium brand
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names, Thomas & Betts products are found wherever electricity is
used. Thomas & Betts’ headquarters are in Memphis, Tenn. For more
information, please visit www.tnb.com.
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5/23/2016 Calendar of Events | Northwest Public Power Association
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Calendar of Events
2016 Upcoming Industry Meetings
Send your 2016 meeting dates and locations to Debbie at [email protected].
June 2016
2 – PPC Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR
7-9 – APA Federal Legislative Conference, Washington, D.C.
10-15 – APPA National Conference & Public Power EXPO, Phoenix, AZ
14-15 – WRECA Annual Meeting, Red Lion Hotel Richland Hanford House, Richland, WA
25 – Harold Backen Co-op Golf Tournament
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July 2016
7 – PPC Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR
12-14 – ORECA Mid-Year Meeting, Seven Feathers Casino Resort, OR
August 2016
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4 – PPC Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR
September 2016
1 – PPC Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR
19-20 – National Hydropower Association Alaska Meeting, Cordova, AK
21-23 – APA Annual Membership Meeting, Cordova, AK
October 2016
4-6 – Regions 7 & 9 Meeting, Reno, NV
6 – PPC Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR
November 2016
3 – PPC Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR
29-Dec. 1 – ORECA Annual Meeting, Location TBA, OR
December 2016
8 – PPC Annual Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR – 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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5/23/2016 Submit an RFP or RFQ | Northwest Public Power Association
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Submit an RFP or RFQ
NWPPA oers its members the opportunity to post RFPs and RFQs on our website at no charge. For
more information or questions, contact Debbie K. at [email protected] or complete the form below.
CURRENT RFPs/RFQs
Bid No. 16-46 - 1200 Amp 15kV Outdoor Substation Circuit Breakers with Microprocessor
Relays
Oered by: Chelan PUD
Response deadline: May 31, 2016
2:30 p.m. Pacic Time
Posted on: May 13, 2016
Sealed bids will be received by Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington, at the oce
of the District, Attention: Mark Belton, Procurement and Contract Services, 327B North Wenatchee
Avenue, Wenatchee, Washington, 98801, until 2:30 pm, Pacic Time, Tuesday, May 31, 2016, for
supplying all labor, materials, tools, equipment, facilities, and all other appliances and supplies as
specied, and performing all work required in accordance with the Contract Documents.
The Contract Documents, in whole or in part, may be available in read-only format at
http://www.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids. Prospective Bidders may obtain Contract Documents in
electronic format from the Procurement and Contract Services Department. Requests are accepted
online at http://www.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids, or in writing to P.O. Box 1231, Wenatchee, WA
98807, or by telephone at (509) 661-4479 or (888) 663-8121, extension 4479, or may be viewed in
person at 327B N. Wenatchee Avenue, Wenatchee, Washington. The District makes every eort to
Submit an RFP/RFQ for publication on NWPPA.ORG
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insure the completeness of the electronic le. If there are any questions, please contact the
Procurement and Contract Services department at the number stated above.
No pre-bid site inspection has been scheduled for this Project. If you have questions, please contact
the Project Manager below:
Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County
P.O. Box 1231, 327 North Wenatchee Avenue
Wenatchee, Washington 98807
Telephone: (509) 661-4182, or toll free at (888) 663-8121, extension 4182.
Attention: Jack Nieborsky
The District reserves the right to reject any and/or all bids, to waive informalities, and to accept any
bid which is in the District's best interests.
Bid No. 15-67 - Dive Van Body Build and Installation
Oered by: Chelan PUD
Response deadline: May 27, 2016
2:00 p.m. Pacic Time
Posted on: May 12, 2016
Sealed bids will be received by Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington, at the oce
of the District, Attention: Mark Belton, Procurement and Contract Services, 327B North Wenatchee
Avenue, Wenatchee, Washington, 98801, until 2:00 pm, Pacic Time, Friday, May 27, 2016, for
supplying all labor, materials, tools, equipment, facilities, and all other appliances and supplies as
specied, and performing all work required in accordance with the Contract Documents.
The Contract Documents, in whole or in part, may be available in read-only format at
http://www.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids. Prospective Bidders may obtain Contract Documents in
electronic format from the Procurement and Contract Services Department. Requests are accepted
online at http://www.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids, or in writing to P.O. Box 1231, Wenatchee, WA
98807, or by telephone at (509) 661-4479 or (888) 663-8121, extension 4479, or may be viewed in
person at 327B N. Wenatchee Avenue, Wenatchee, Washington. The District makes every eort to
insure the completeness of the electronic le. If there are any questions, please contact the
Procurement and Contract Services department at the number stated above.
No pre-bid site inspection has been scheduled for this Project. If you have questions, please contact
5/23/2016 Submit an RFP or RFQ | Northwest Public Power Association
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the Project Manager below:
Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County
P.O. Box 1231, 327 North Wenatchee Avenue
Wenatchee, Washington 98807
Telephone: (509) 661-4318, or toll free at (888) 663-8121, extension 4318.
Attention: Michael Shrader
The District reserves the right to reject any and/or all bids, to waive informalities, and to accept any
bid which is in the District's best interests.
Audit and Other Accounting Services
Oered by: Modern Electric Water Company
Response deadline: June 3, 2016
Must be received by 2:00 pm
Posted on: May 10, 2016
Modern Electric Water Company, responsible for the exclusive control and management of electric
and water service provided to residential and commercial customers within a designated service
territory, is soliciting proposals from qualied Certied Public Accountants for annual audit services
and other accounting services as needed.
To receive an electronic copy of the full RFP, please email Michelle Casey-Soyars at
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5/23/2016 Jobs | Northwest Public Power Association
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Jobs
Recent job openings within the industry in the
last week:
Applications Analyst/Sr. Applications Analyst – Snohomish County PUD Chief Operating Officer – Umatilla Electric Cooperative Consulting Electrical Plant Engineer or Below # 79436 – Puget Sound Energy Customer Experience Consultant 2 – NW Natural Distribution Facility Inspection Coordinator (R16260) – Portland General Electric Engineering Manager – Franklin PUD Information Systems Tech – Okanogan PUD Multiple Levels Engineer – Trade Floor and Transmission #82203 – Puget SoundEnergy Multiple Levels Engineer – Trade Floor and Transmission Policy #82878 – PugetSound Energy Network Analyst – Okanogan PUD Service & Design Project Manager, Specialist II/III (R16213) – Portland GeneralElectric Substation Electrician – Benton PUD
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Utilities Director – City of Palo Alto
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View all available jobs
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5/23/2016 This Day In History | Northwest Public Power Association
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This Day In History
U.S. Congress passes Sedition Act
May 16, 1918
On May 16, 1918, the United States Congress passes the Sedition Act,
a piece of legislation designed to protect America’s participation in
World War I.
Along with the Espionage Act of the previous year, the Sedition Act
was orchestrated largely by A. Mitchell Palmer, the United States
attorney general under President Woodrow Wilson. The Espionage Act,
passed shortly after the U.S. entrance into the war in early April 1917,
made it a crime for any person to convey information intended to
interfere with the U.S. armed forces’ prosecution of the war effort or
to promote the success of the country’s enemies.
Aimed at socialists, pacifists and other antiwar activists, the Sedition
Act imposed harsh penalties on anyone found guilty of making false
statements that interfered with the prosecution of the war; insulting
or abusing the U.S. government, the flag, the Constitution or the
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military; agitating against the production of necessary war materials;
or advocating, teaching or defending any of these acts. Those who
were found guilty of such actions, the act stated, shall be punished by
a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than
twenty years, or both. This was the same penalty that had been
imposed for acts of espionage in the earlier legislation.
Though Wilson and Congress regarded the Sedition Act as crucial in
order to stifle the spread of dissent within the country in that time of
war, modern legal scholars consider the act as contrary to the letter
and spirit of the U.S. Constitution, namely to the First Amendment of
the Bill of Rights. One of the most famous prosecutions under the
Sedition Act during World War I was that of Eugene V. Debs, a pacifist
labor organizer and founder of the International Workers of the World
(IWW) who had run for president in 1900 as a Social Democrat and in
1904, 1908 and 1912 on the Socialist Party of America ticket.
After delivering an antiwar speech in June 1918 in Canton, Ohio,
Debs was arrested, tried and sentenced to 10 years in prison under
the Sedition Act. Debs appealed the decision, and the case eventually
reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where the court ruled Debs had
acted with the intention of obstructing the war effort and upheld his
conviction. In the decision, Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
referred to the earlier landmark case of Schenck v. United States
(1919), when Charles Schenck, also a Socialist, had been found guilty
under the Espionage Act after distributing a flyer urging recently
drafted men to oppose the U.S. conscription policy. In this decision,
Holmes maintained that freedom of speech and press could be
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constrained in certain instances, and that The question in every case
is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of
such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will
bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent.
Debs’ sentence was commuted in 1921 when the Sedition Act was
repealed by Congress. Major portions of the Espionage Act remain
part of United States law to the present day, although the crime of
sedition was largely eliminated by the famous libel case Sullivan v.
New York Times (1964), which determined that the press’s criticism of
public officials—unless a plaintiff could prove that the statements were
made maliciously or with reckless disregard for the truth—was
protected speech under the First Amendment.
First Academy Awards ceremony
May 16, 1929
On this day in 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
hands out its first awards, at a dinner party for around 250 people
held in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood,
California.
The brainchild of Louis B. Mayer, head of the powerful MGM film
studio, the Academy was organized in May 1927 as a nonprofit
organization dedicated to the advancement and improvement of the
film industry. Its first president and the host of the May 1929
ceremony was the actor Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Unlike today, the
winners of the first Oscars–as the coveted goldplated statuettes later
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became known–were announced before the awards ceremony itself.
At the time of the first Oscar ceremony, sound had just been
introduced into film. The Warner Bros. movie The Jazz Singer–one of
the first “talkies”–was not allowed to compete for Best Picture
because the Academy decided it was unfair to let movies with sound
compete with silent films. The first official Best Picture winner (and
the only silent film to win Best Picture) was Wings, directed by William
Wellman. The most expensive movie of its time, with a budget of $2
million, the movie told the story of two World War I pilots who fall for
the same woman. Another film, F.W. Murnau’s epic Sunrise, was
considered a dual winner for the best film of the year. German actor
Emil Jannings won the Best Actor honor for his roles in The Last
Command and The Way of All Flesh, while 22yearold Janet Gaynor
was the only female winner. After receiving three out of the five Best
Actress nods, she won for all three roles, in Seventh Heaven, Street
Angel and Sunrise.
A special honorary award was presented to Charlie Chaplin. Originally
a nominee for Best Actor, Best Writer and Best Comedy Director for
The Circus, Chaplin was removed from these categories so he could
receive the special award, a change that some attributed to his
unpopularity in Hollywood. It was the last Oscar the Hollywood
maverick would receive until another honorary award in 1971.
The Academy officially began using the nickname Oscar for its awards
in 1939; a popular but unconfirmed story about the source of the
name holds that Academy executive director Margaret Herrick
remarked that the statuette looked like her Uncle Oscar. Since 1942,
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the results of the secret ballot voting have been announced during the
livebroadcast Academy Awards ceremony using the sealedenvelope
system. The suspense–not to mention the redcarpet arrival of
nominees and other stars wearing their most beautiful or outrageous
evening wear–continues to draw international attention to the film
industry’s biggest night of the year.
Japanese woman scales Everest
May 16, 1975
Via the southeast ridge route, Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei
becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, the
tallest mountain in the world.
Located in the central Himalayas on the border of China and Nepal,
Everest stands 29,035 feet above sea level. Called ChomoLungma, or
“Mother Goddess of the Land,” by the Tibetans, the English named the
mountain after Sir George Everest, an early 19thcentury British
surveyor of the Himalayas. In May 1953, climber and explorer
Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal made
the first successful climb of the peak. Hillary was later knighted by
Queen Elizabeth II for the achievement. Ten years later, American
James Whittaker reached Everest’s summit with his Sherpa climbing
partner, Nawang Gombu. In 1975, Junko Tabei conquered the
mountain, and in 1988 Stacy Allison became the first American
woman to successfully climb Everest.
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Magic plays center as a rookie, wins championship
May 16, 1980
On May 16, 1980, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Earvin “Magic”
Johnson steps in for injured center Kareem AbdulJabbar and scores
42 points, leading the Lakers to a four gamestotwo series win over
the Philadelphia 76ers for their first championship since 1972.
In 1979, Magic had led Michigan State to the NCAA title over Larry
Bird’s Indiana State in the mostwatched college final ever. That fall,
he was drafted by the Lakers as the first overall pick. In 1980, his
rookie season, the Lakers went 6022, a 13game improvement from
their 4735 mark the year before. That year, AbdulJabbar averaged
24.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game and was named Most
Valuable Player of the regular season.
In the playoffs, the Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns four games to one
to advance to the Western Conference finals against the defending
champion Seattle Supersonics. After losing a close first game, the
Lakers went up 31 in the series. At halftime of the deciding fifth
game, the normally silent AbdulJabbar gave an angry pep talk,
urging his team to pick up their play and finish off the Sonics. Abdul
Jabbar finished that game with 38 points, 11 rebounds and 7 blocked
shots while Magic Johnson, playing with a 101degree fever, racked
up a tripledouble. The 111105 victory catapulted the Lakers into the
NBA finals.
In the finals, the Lakers met the Philadelphia 76ers, led by forwards
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Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Darryl Dawkins, defensive specialist Bobby
Jones and guards Maurice Cheeks and Doug Collins. AbdulJabbar
dominated the first five games of the finals, averaging 31 points and
12 rebounds per game, as the Lakers went up 32 in the series. When
he twisted an ankle in Game 5, even the Lakers front office assumed
that the team would travel without their star center to Philadelphia
and lose Game 6, a fact made evident by the team’s decision not to
take their celebratory champagne with them to Philly.
No one expected that Magic, at 6 feet 9 inches the tallest point guard
in league history, would so easily make the transition to center. Magic
rang up 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the Lakers to
victory and was named Most Valuable Player of the finals, the first of
three such awards in his career. The Lakers went on to dominate the
NBA, winning a total of five championships in the 1980s.
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