NWPPA eBulletin | September 25, 2017

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

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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. 

 

  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

 

2017 Event Catalog

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Metering for Linemen

October 26, 2017 in Goldendale, WA

 

Industry Calendar of Events

A list of upcoming industry events and meetings.  

 

 

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 debbie@nwppa.org or Mark at mark@nwppa.org.

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!

 

 

 

Recent Industry Jobs

View the job opportunities posted to NWPPA's website in the past week.  

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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.

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Legislative Announcements

 

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 wild�res, 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 e�orts in meaningful reform

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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 con�icting 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 e�orts 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 a�ordable 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 con�rmation, McIntyre will serve as chairman of

FERC. Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R–Alaska) stated that she hoped these votes would send a message that

“FERC does not just have to have a minimum quorum but instead a full complement of �ve commissioners.”

The vote also included Department of the Interior and Department of Energy nominees. A date has not yet

been set for full Senate con�rmation.

In related news, on September 20, FERC held its �rst monthly meeting since January after a quorum was

restored in August. The agenda was light, allowing for new commissioners to get up to speed as the full

commission awaits the con�rmation of McIntyre and Glick. The agenda included a discussion on the

standard for emergency preparedness and operations by clarifying when and what type of damage to

electric facilities are reported, notably in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Once the full commission

is in place, the FERC commissioners will have a busy schedule in attempting to dig out of the current backlog

of �lings and pending standards.

Senate NDAA Includes Cyber, Energy Provisions

Update provided by Meguire Whitney

On September 18, the Senate passed the FY18 National Defense Authorization Act, with several provisions

relevant to the electric sector. The bill would establish a “cyber deterrence doctrine” that de�nes cyber

threats warranting a counter-response, including attacks on critical infrastructure. The House version passed

earlier this year does not contain the deterrence policy, which is opposed by the White House. The measure

Public Power Announcements

 

We Remember: Cyrus Noe

Energy NewsData has just announced that Cyrus Noe passed away early Saturday morning in Seattle,

apparently of a heart attack. Information on services has not been released yet. If you’d like to reach out to

Mary, her email address is marynoe@newsdata.com.

GVEA’s Nordmark Receives Mason LaZelle Award

At Alaska Power Association’s awards banquet during their

annual meeting in Kodiak, they recognized the work of

exceptional Alaskans who have contributed extensively to the

electric utility industry and its consumers. Golden Valley

Electric Association Board Member Bill Nordmark of Healy

was honored with the Mason LaZelle Achievement Award.

This award recognizes extraordinary contributions to the

electri�cation e�ort in Alaska and service to one’s community.

Nordmark is a former NWPPA Board president and NWPPA couldn’t be prouder of him!

 

Pacific County PUD General Manager Bids Adieu

Paci�c County PUD (Long Beach, Wash.) General Manager Doug Miller was recognized for his decades of

service at the PUD during a surprise luncheon held in his honor last week.

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Commissioner Mike Swanson presents

Doug Miller with a plaque recognizing

him for nearly 40 years of service to the

PUD.

(L-R) Commissioner Skagen, Loren Grode,

and Commissioner Simpson.

Miller is retiring at the end of this month and PUD

commissioners, sta�, representatives from other PUDs and

organizations, and the community gathered to wish him well

and thank him for his many years of service.

Miller has served as GM since 2004, but started his career at

the PUD as an intern during the summer of 1978. Miller was

hired full time as a distribution engineer in 1979 before being

promoted as chief of engineering and operations manager in

1989; a position he remained in until being named general

manager.

Miller has served in leadership roles in the Washington PUD

Association, as chairman and vice chair of the Energy

Committee, and chair and vice chair of the Managers

Committee.

 

 

 

Grode Honored by Douglas County PUD

Douglas County PUD Commissioners Ronald E Skagen and

Molly Simpson awarded Distribution Superintendent Loren

Grode with his 30-year service award during the September

11 Commission meeting held at the District’s East Wenatchee,

Wash., o�ce.

Commissioner Skagen thanked him on behalf of the citizens

of Douglas County for his years of service. Grode thanked the

Commission and said, “It has gone fast. Lots of good people

welcomed me when I started in Bridgeport. It’s like a big

family.”

 

 

Chelan PUD Commissioners Get Look Ahead for

Maintaining Highly Reliable Power

On September 18, Chelan County PUD (Wenatchee, Wash.) commissioners took a look into the future to

make sure the District’s distribution system continues to meet customer-owner expectations that their

electric service is highly reliable.

Chad Rissman, Distribution Engineering and Asset Management director, outlined goals for commissioner

consideration to serve growth, maintain highly reliable service and meet compliance and contractual

obligations – and what it will take to meet those goals.

Rissman said it’s important to recognize and respond to factors now that can impact the PUD’s service in the

future. “We are highly reliable and we want to stay there. To maintain that, we need to do more,” Rissman

said.

Monday’s distribution system review set the stage for continued analysis as part of the District’s �ve-year

business planning. Goals for 2018-2022 will guide sta� in developing next year’s budget.

Rissman outlined challenges that include forecasted growth in power demand, balancing reactive

maintenance with planned replacements, and meeting new industry standards. Steps are needed to make

sure aging substations, electric lines, and related equipment are replaced to keep service reliable – and to

build new capacity. Thirteen of the existing 34 substations are at 80 percent of capacity and 11 substations

are more than 40 years old.

In January this year, the distribution system set a record peak load of 500 megawatts.

Next steps for the �ve-year plan are: evaluate resources needed and dive deeper into managing the assets;

target planned replacements with the highest return; meet compliance standards; increase the ability for

contract work; stay reliable and reduce customer impacts; and meet forecast capacity to serve new and

existing customer electric load growth.

Rissman said he’ll bring recommendations on how to do that to the board next month.

SMUD Helps AMPAC Fine Chemicals Reduce Their Process

Chilling Costs by Nearly 30 Percent

On September 19, SMUD announced that it worked with AMPAC Fine Chemicals to help them upgrade their

process chillers to new energy-e�cient models that will reduce their process cooling costs by nearly 30

percent.

AFC, located in Rancho Cordova, Calif., manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients and registered

intermediates for customers in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. AFC uses coolant

(brine) that has been chilled to zero degrees Celsius or lower in their manufacturing processes.

SMUD energy experts met with AFC to document their existing chiller and to better understand the brine

chiller requirements for their production needs. AFC ultimately installed two new chillers—one that cools

brine to zero degrees Celsius and one that cools brine to minus 40 degrees Celsius. Because the new chillers

were approximately 30 percent more e�cient than their predecessors and will reduce AFC’s energy use by

approximately 1.4 gigawatt-hours per year, SMUD provided a $150,000 incentive to assist with the upgrade

via their Custom Incentives program.

“AFC continually strives to increase e�ciency in all our operations, and SMUD is an important partner in that

e�ort. SMUD was very helpful in identifying, quantifying, and realizing energy-saving opportunities. I would

highly recommend their Custom Incentives program,” commented Joshua Beno, AFC’s facilities manager.

“AFC wanted to reduce their energy use while maintaining their high-quality manufacturing standards,” said

Ed Hamzawi, SMUD’s director of advanced energy solutions. “The cost savings associated with upgrading

their chillers will make a notable di�erence to their bottom line, and we’re very pleased to help a local

manufacturer with a long history in our region continue to thrive.”

Power Pledge Challenge Kicks Off October Energy

Awareness Month

Over 2,000 Alaskan students will learn about energy e�ciency next month and compete for prizes statewide

as part of the Power Pledge Challenge. Utilities and organizations from Mat-Su, Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula,

and Juneau host the challenge as part of Energy Awareness Month, recognized every year in October. In the

challenge, students complete a hands-on activity from the AK EnergySmart curriculum, learn how to calculate

their energy usage, and ways to reduce their usage at home. They then conduct an online home energy audit

with their families and identify speci�c actions they will take to use energy more e�ciently.

Over the past �ve years, this challenge has grown from 700 students in Anchorage to more than 2,200

throughout the state competing for regional and statewide prizes. Last year’s statewide prize-winning

teacher, Mayme Troutman from Wasilla Middle School, said, “It’s important for students to be aware of the

concept of energy and how it a�ects them. In 8 -grade physical science, the students take a deeper look at

how energy is changed, transferred, and the monetary/environmental impacts energy has on everybody.”

th

Each region will award one class with a pizza party with a special guest and/or power plant tour. The

statewide grand prize is a pizza party and $1,200 worth of energy-related classroom supplies.

PCWA Board Receives Reports from North Tahoe Basin

Special Districts

For its September 21 board meeting, the Placer County Water Agency (Auburn, Calif.) Board of Directors

traveled to Squaw Valley for its annual east slope meeting. The Squaw Valley Public Service District hosted

this year’s meeting and was joined by the North Tahoe Public Utility District, Northstar Community Service

District, Truckee Donner Public Utility District, and the Tahoe City Public Utility District. All districts presented

individual reports to the PCWA Board, and noted that record-setting winter snowfall posed the biggest

challenge to operations in 2017.

Mike Geary, general manager of the Squaw Valley Public Service District, provided the PCWA Board with an

update on community projects including Palisades at Squaw, the Village at Squaw Valley, and phase 2 of the

Resort at Squaw Creek. Geary also spoke about the district’s recent completion of its redundant water supply

evaluation.

The NTPUD was represented by Will Stelter, engineering and operations manager, who reported that the

district is embarking on a number of projects near Carnelian Bay, including a pump station and water tank

modi�cation. In 2018, NTPUD will undertake a main replacement project.

NCSD General Manager Mike Staudenmayer made a presentation on district’s WaterSmart metering

program. The district’s high-tech meters have helped detect leaks within its system, which is especially

important considering many of its customers’ residences are secondary, vacation properties. Staudenmayer

also spoke about the district’s e�orts on forest fuels reduction.

Steve Poncelet, TDPUD’s public information and conservation manager, focused his presentation on the

extent of system damage caused by winter weather. Repairs on the district’s water utility totaled

approximately $100,000, while maintenance on the electric utility equaled about $1.5 million. He also

discussed the TDPUD’s long-term views on water policy and energy markets, and how the District is adapting

to address anticipated changes.

Tony Laliotis, director of utilities for TCPUD, rounded out the presentations and reported on e�orts to

consolidate water systems in TCPUD’s service area; currently, 17 water systems serve about 7,600 homes and

businesses. Laliotis also discussed some of the TCPUD’s capital improvement projects including the Bunker

Water Tank Replacement and West Lake Tahoe Regional Water Treatment Plant.

Mountain West Announces Next Step to Potential

Southwest Power Pool Membership

The Mountain West Transmission Group announced on September 22 that it has completed initial

discussions with the Southwest Power Pool’s management team concerning membership in the SPP regional

transmission organization. Through these discussions, Mountain West has determined that membership in

SPP would provide opportunities to reduce customer costs, and maximize resource and electric grid

utilization.

Mountain West intends to commence negotiations with SPP through a public stakeholder process next

month, to begin with meetings to take place on October 13 in Denver, and October 16, in Little Rock, Ark.

These stakeholder meetings are intended to accommodate stakeholders and interested parties in areas

served today by both Mountain West and SPP members, and will be open to the public and press.

Agendas for these meetings will include presentations by Mountain West and SPP representatives, regarding

their respective �ndings, objectives, and next steps as they relate to Mountain West’s consideration of an SPP

membership. The subsequent, months-long process by which SPP stakeholders must approve changes

needed for the addition of new members will involve the RTO’s nearly 100 member companies working

through SPP’s organizational group structure.

Mountain West is a coalition of 10 electricity service providers representing approximately 6.4 million

customers and 16,000 miles of transmission line primarily in the U.S. Rocky Mountain Region. Mountain West

began discussions in 2013 to evaluate a suite of options ranging from a common transmission tari� to

membership in an existing RTO. Extensive analyses indicated that RTO membership and market participation

would provide greater bene�ts to customers than a common tari� alone.

In January, Mountain West participants announced plans to explore potential membership in an existing RTO,

if electricity market operational bene�ts could be realized, and subsequently entered into discussions with

SPP. The bene�ts of RTO membership include optimized use of existing generation and transmission assets

through an expanded electricity market; improved grid access; and improved planning for generation and

transmission across multiple states and systems.

Dependent upon the outcome of the negotiations, the participants would expect to make �lings with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in mid-2018. Individual state regulators, public power boards, and

cooperative boards have been, and will continue to be, informed about and involved in the public

stakeholder process between Mountain West and the SPP members.

Integration into SPP, if pursued by the group, could occur as soon as late 2019. While Mountain West remains

optimistic that an RTO would bene�t its entire membership, each Mountain West participant will ultimately

need to individually evaluate whether potential membership bene�ts its customers. Each will pursue

regulatory or governing body approval, as applicable.

Participants in Mountain West include:

Basin Electric Power Cooperative (BEPC), based in Bismarck, N.D.;

Black Hills Energy’s three electric utilities in Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming, subsidiaries of the

Rapid City-based Black Hills Corp;

Colorado Springs Utilities (Springs Utilities);

Platte River Power Authority (PRPA), based in Fort Collins, Colo.;

Public Service Co. of Colorado (PSCo), an operating company of Xcel Energy based in Denver;

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State), based in Westminster, Colo.; and

Western Area Power Administration (WAPA)’s Loveland Area Projects (LAP) and Colorado River Storage

(CRSP) Project.

Registration for both of the October meetings will be made available on www.SPP.org by September 29. For

further information on e�ort, visit the Mountain West Transmission Group initiative webpage.

 

 

 

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Associate Member Announcements

   

CoBank Announces 2017 Board Election Results

On September 21, CoBank, a cooperative bank serving agribusinesses, rural infrastructure providers, and

Farm Credit associations throughout the United States, announced results of stockholder elections for the

bank’s 2018 Board of Directors.

A total of �ve board seats were on the ballot. The names of each successful candidate are listed in the

following table, along with region, type of seat, occupation, residence and term expiration date.

Region Type of Seat Name Occupation Residence Term

Expires

Central Modi�ed Equity Daniel T. Kelley* Owner/Operator, Kelley

Farms

Normal, Ill. 2021

East Modi�ed Equity Benjamin J. Freund* Owner/Operator,

Freund’s Farm, Inc.

 

East Canaan,

Conn.

2021

Northwest Modi�ed Equity Kevin G. Riel* President/CEO, Double

‘R’ Hop Ranches

 

Yakima, Wash. 2021

Northwest One Stockholder

One Vote

Brandon J. Wittman CEO & GM, Yellowstone

Valley Electric

Cooperative

.

Billings, Mont. 2018**

West One Stockholder Jon E. Marthedal* Owner/Operator, Fresno, Calif. 2021

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One Vote Marthedal Farms

* Incumbent board member. ** Special election to �ll the remaining term of a vacant seat.

 

CoBank is in the process of a stockholder-approved downsizing of its board and will have 21 elected directors

from six regions in 2018. The bank’s governance bylaws also call for two outside, independent board

members with no customer or Farm Credit System a�liation, and up to four additional appointed directors.

“On behalf of the entire board, I extend our congratulations to all �ve successful candidates and our

gratitude for their service to CoBank,” said Everett Dobrinski, chairman of the board. “Our board continues to

re�ect the diversity and breadth of the bank’s mission in rural America, and we look forward to working

together to further position CoBank for long-term success.”

Congratulations from NWPPA to Brandon Whitman, whose board member, Dave Kelsey, sits on the NWPPA

Board of Trustees.

CoBank is a $125 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides

loans, leases, export �nancing, and other �nancial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water, and

communications providers in all 50 states. For more information about CoBank, visit www.cobank.com.

Burns & McDonnell Completes Expanded Power Asset

Testing and Research Lab

Sept. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Today’s demand for a smarter and more resilient power grid requires a leap

forward in planning, analysis, and assessment of everything from load �ows and reliability to operational

e�ciency, standards compliance, and total lifecycle costs.

As part of an e�ort to assist the T&D industry in meeting today’s demands, Burns & McDonnell has

completed a large-scale expansion of its Asset Health Center, a facility dedicated to analytics, data collection,

and testing of advanced new power equipment being deployed in response to an upsurge in renewable

power sources and other distributed generation being connected to the grid. Completed for $100,000 at the

�rm’s World Headquarters in Kansas City, the Center serves as an equipment testing and demonstration

resource free of charge for current clients.

With a surge of renewable power sources �ooding the grid, along with new demands created by increasing

numbers of electric vehicle charging stations and other new demands, utilities face unprecedented

challenges. New and more advanced technologies are required to provide the �exibility and data needed by

grid operators to maintain resilience and reliability.

The newly upgraded Burns & McDonnell Asset Health Center will enable real-time testing and demonstration

of substation monitoring equipment and automation systems, enabling better prediction of failures and

equipment deterioration. The Center will enable Burns & McDonnell to work closely with equipment vendors

and suppliers to determine the resolution and data required for developing algorithms needed for predictive

modeling that will enable better planning for maintenance to prevent outages and other disruptive events.

The expansion has organized lab equipment for more e�cient testing between automation systems, remote

terminal units (RTU) and relays, and their associated networking systems. The new equipment expands

existing capabilities in development of settings and testing of automated systems such as Remedial

Automation Schemes (RAS) and Substation Automation Schemes (SAS) protective relaying of grid networks. It

also expands existing facility support for advanced substation protocols, such as 61850.

In addition to the Asset Health Center expansion, a 16-person conference room was constructed to create a

more e�ective client testing experience. The conference room is set up to provide an integrated space for

testing con�gurations with a direct view into the Center.

Burns & McDonnell is an employee-owned, Kansas City-based �rm made up of more than 5,700 engineers,

architects, construction professionals, scientists, and consultants. For more information, visit burnsmcd.com.

ABB to Acquire GE Industrial Solutions

Today, September 25, ABB announced the acquisition of GE Industrial Solutions, GE’s global electri�cation

solutions business. GE Industrial Solutions has deep customer relationships in more than 100 countries and

an established installed base with strong roots in North America, ABB’s biggest market. GE Industrial

Solutions is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., and has about 13,500 employees around the world. In 2016, GE

Industrial Solutions had revenues of approximately $2.7 billion, with an operational EBITDA margin of

approximately 8 percent and an operational EBITA margin of approximately 6 percent. ABB will acquire GE

Industrial Solutions for $2.6 billion; the transaction will be operationally accretive in year one. ABB expects to

realize approximately $200 million of annual cost synergies in year �ve, which will be key in bringing GE

Industrial Solutions to peer performance. As part of the transaction and overall value creation, ABB and GE

have agreed to establish a long-term, strategic supply relationship for GE Industrial Solutions products and

ABB products that GE sources today.

“With GE Industrial Solutions, we strengthen our number 2 position in electri�cation globally and expand our

access to the attractive North American market,” said ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer. “Combined with the long-

term strategic supply relationship with GE, this transaction creates signi�cant value for our shareholders.”

He added: “Together with the GE Industrial Solutions team, we will execute our well-established plans in a

disciplined way to bring this business as part of the global ABB family back to peer performance. With this

 

next step of active portfolio management, we continue to shift ABB’s center of gravity, in line with our Next

Level strategy, by strengthening competitiveness, mainly in the North American market, and lowering risk

with an early-cycle business.”

“This combination brings together two global businesses with a broad complement of electrical protection

and distribution assets,” said John Flannery, CEO of GE. “ABB values our people, domain expertise, and our

ability to operate in the segments where we have depth and experience. GE will also bene�t through an

expanded strategic supply relationship with ABB as the two companies work together.”

GE Industrial Solutions will be integrated into ABB’s Electri�cation Products (EP) division, resulting in a unique

global portfolio and very comprehensive o�ering for North American and global customers. They will bene�t

from ABB’s innovative technologies and the ABB Ability  digital o�ering coupled with GE Industrial

Solutions’ complementary solutions and market access. Included in the acquisition is a long-term right to use

the GE brand. ABB will retain the GE Industrial Solutions management team and build upon its experienced

sales force. After closing, this transaction will have an initial dampening e�ect to EP’s operational EBITA

margin. ABB commits to returning EP to its target margin corridor of 15-19 percent during 2020.

Tarak Mehta, president of ABB’s EP division, said: “This acquisition strengthens our position as partner of

choice for electri�cation globally and in North America. We look forward to working with GE Industrial

Solutions’ and ABB’s customers and channel partners to create new opportunities in this highly attractive

core market for our division. We have a clear integration plan to realize the synergies of this combination and

to bring our combined business back into the target margin corridor during 2020.”

ABB’s EP division delivers more than 1.5 million products to customers around the world every day through a

global network of channel partners and end-customers. EP o�ers a comprehensive portfolio of low- and

medium-voltage products and solutions for a smarter, more reliable �ow of electricity from substation to

socket.

Given this transaction, ABB has decided to put the previously announced share buyback program on hold.

The transaction is expected to close in H1 2018, subject to customary regulatory clearances. Credit Suisse

and Dyal Co. acted as �nancial advisors to ABB, and Davis Polk & Wardwell provided legal counsel. 

ABB is a pioneering technology leader in electri�cation products, robotics and motion, industrial automation,

and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry, and transport and infrastructure globally. For more

information, visit www.abb.com.

SEDC’s Social Media Kit to Help Utilities Promote National

Cyber Security Awareness Month

TM

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and this year’s theme is “Our Shared Responsibility.”

We’re all responsible for the safety and integrity of the Internet, and SEDC is making a pledge to educate

everyone they can about safe browsing practices and cyber awareness in general.

SEDC’s CRI Team has put together a Social Media Kit to help utilities promote cybersecurity to their

customers and members through social media channels. They’ve crafted suggested posts and created eye-

catching graphics for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For each of the �ve weeks of NCSAM,

they’ve created three posts for each of these channels, plus a short, educational (and entertaining) video to

share each week. 

The Social Media Kit is available to every utility free of charge, because SEDC believes that cybersecurity

really is “Our Shared Responsibility.” 

They’d love to share the Kit with you! If you or someone at your utility would like a copy of the Social

Media Kit, including all of the posts, graphics, and videos, please let SEDC know through their Contact page.

If you or someone at your utility would like a copy of the Social Media Kit, including all of the posts, graphics,

and videos, please let us know through our Contact page.

For nearly four decades, SEDC has been a leader in the development of innovative utility software solutions.

For more information, visit www.sedata.com.

 

 

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also includes a direction to the Department of Defense to study electric grid vulnerabilities as they relate to

military readiness. It also encourages the Department to “pursue energy security and resilience.” The bill now

moves to conference.

NWPPA members are actively engaged in e�orts to protect the electric grid from cyber and physical attacks

and ensure a reliable and safe electrical system. NWPPA has a resolution supporting the existing NERC/FERC

process for setting cybersecurity standards for the grid.

Court Rules Tongass Not Exempt From Roadless Rule

Update provided by Alaska Power

A federal court has decided that the Tongass National Forest should not be exempt from the United States

Department of Agriculture’s “Roadless Rule.” The Rule, which was promulgated at the tail-end of the Clinton

Administration in 2001, restricts road construction and timber harvesting in national forests, of which the

Tongass is the nation’s largest. It also impacts Alaska Power Association (APA) members in Southeast Alaska

by creating impediments to the accessibility and expansion of existing hydropower project facilities.

APA has consistently lobbied Congress to change policies that hinder the development of renewables and

other infrastructure, the Roadless Rule among them. It is one of APA’s 2017 Federal Policy Positions.

The Alaska Dispatch News has the full story on the court decision. To read, follow this link:

https://www.adn.com/politics/2017/09/22/federal-court-dismisses-alaskas-complaint-and-upholds-national-

forest-roadless-rule/.

 

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Calendar of Events

2017 Upcoming Industry Meetings

Send your 2017 meeting dates and locations to Debbie at Debbie@nwppa.org.

 

September 2017

 

27-28 – SmartGrid Northwest Demand Response & Energy Storage Summit, World Forestry Center Portland,

OR

27-29 – NCPA Annual Conference, Silverado Hotel, Napa Valley, CA

28 – Nevada Rural Electric Association (NREA) Annual Meeting, Sunset Station, Henderson, NV

October 2017

2-5 – MECA Annual Meeting, The Best Western Heritage Inn, Great Falls, MT

4 – PPC Members Forums, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR – 3-5 p.m.

5 – PPC Executive Committee Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR – 8 a.m.-Noon

11 – Golden State Power Cooperative Annual Meeting, Reno, NV

16 – SEL Technical Seminar – Davenport Grand Hotel, Grand Ballroom A, Spokane, WA – 8:00 a.m. to noon

16-18 – NRECA Region IX & VII Annual Meeting, Sheraton Denver Downtown, Denver, CO

19-20 – OMEU Annual Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR

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November 2017

1 – PPC Members Forums, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR – 3-5 p.m.

2 – PPC Executive Committee Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR – 8 a.m.-Noon

3 – PNUCC Annual Meeting, Airport Sheraton Hotel, Portland, Ore.

15-16 – NWPPA/APA Alaska Electric Utility Conference, Egan Civic & Convention Center/Hilton Hotel,

Anchorage, AK

29-30 – ORECA Annual Meeting, Salem Conference Center, Salem, OR

29-Dec. 1 – WPUDA Annual Meeting, Davenport Grand Hotel, Spokane, WA

December 2017

7 – PPC Annual Meeting & Lunch, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR – 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

12 – WRECA Directors Meeting, Spokane, WA

 

 

 

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Jobs

Recent job openings within the industry in the last week:

Derrick Truck Operator (U17-121) – Portland General Electric

Director of Administrative Services – Truckee Donner Public Utility District

Engineering Tech – City of Milton-Freewater

Environmental Permit Coordinator – Chelan County Public Utility District

Executive Assistant – PUD #1 of Clallam County

Journeyman Lineman – Franklin PUD

Journeyman Lineman / Florence – Central Lincoln

Power Resource Planning and Evaluation Manager – City of Tacoma

Specialist II/III Line Dispatch – Portland General Electric

SPEC II/III Service Design Project Manager – Portland General Electric

Specialist II/III, Utility Asset Management  – Portland General Electric

Specialist V, Transmission Services – Portland General Electric

Supervisor V, Dispatch (R17-461) – Portland General Electric

Telecom Specialist (R17-233) – Portland General Electric

Testing and Energizing Engineer, (Engineer III) R16-713 – Portland General Electric

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This Day In History

 

Central High School Integrated

September 25, 1957

Under escort from the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division, nine black students enter all-white Central High

School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Three weeks earlier, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus had surrounded the

school with National Guard troops to prevent its federal court-ordered racial integration. After a tense

stando�, President Dwight D. Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent 1,000 army

paratroopers to Little Rock to enforce the court order.

On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that

racial segregation in educational facilities was unconstitutional. Five days later, the Little Rock School Board

issued a statement saying it would comply with the decision when the Supreme Court outlined the method

and time frame in which desegregation should be implemented.

Arkansas was at the time among the more progressive Southern states in regard to racial issues. The

University of Arkansas School of Law was integrated in 1949, and the Little Rock Public Library in 1951. Even

before the Supreme Court ordered integration to proceed “with all deliberate speed,” the Little Rock School

Board in 1955 unanimously adopted a plan of integration to begin in 1957 at the high school level. The

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) �led suit, arguing the plan was too

gradual, but a federal judge dismissed the suit, saying that the school board was acting in “utmost good

faith.” Meanwhile, Little Rock’s public buses were desegregated. By 1957, seven out of Arkansas’ eight state

universities were integrated.

In the spring of 1957, there were 517 black students who lived in the Central High School district. Eighty

expressed an interest in attending Central in the fall, and they were interviewed by the Little Rock School

Board, which narrowed down the number of candidates to 17. Eight of those students later decided to

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remain at all-black Horace Mann High School, leaving the “Little Rock Nine” to forge their way into Little

Rock’s premier high school.

In August 1957, the newly formed Mother’s League of Central High School won a temporary injunction from

the county chancellor to block integration of the school, charging that it “could lead to violence.” Federal

District Judge Ronald Davies nulli�ed the injunction on August 30. On September 2, Governor Orval Faubus—

a staunch segregationist—called out the Arkansas National Guard to surround Central High School and

prevent integration, ostensibly to prevent the bloodshed he claimed desegregation would cause. The next

day, Judge Davies ordered integrated classes to begin on September 4.

That morning, 100 armed National Guard troops encircled Central High School. A mob of 400 white civilians

gathered and turned ugly when the black students began to arrive, shouting racial epithets and threatening

the teenagers with violence. The National Guard troops refused to let the black students pass and used their

clubs to control the crowd. One of the nine, 15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford, was surrounded by the mob,

which threatened to lynch her. She was �nally led to safety by a sympathetic white woman.

Little Rock Mayor Woodrow Mann condemned Faubus’ decision to call out the National Guard, but the

governor defended his action, reiterating that he did so to prevent violence. The governor also stated that

integration would occur in Little Rock when and if a majority of people chose to support it. Faubus’ de�ance

of Judge Davies’ court order was the �rst major test of Brown v. Board of Education and the biggest challenge

of the federal government’s authority over the states since the Reconstruction Era.

The stando� continued, and on September 20 Judge Davies ruled that Faubus had used the troops to

prevent integration, not to preserve law and order as he claimed. Faubus had no choice but to withdraw the

National Guard troops. Authority over the explosive situation was put in the hands of the Little Rock Police

Department.

On September 23, as a mob of 1,000 whites milled around outside Central High School, the nine black

students managed to gain access to a side door. However, the mob became unruly when it learned the black

students were inside, and the police evacuated them out of fear for their safety. That evening, President

Eisenhower issued a special proclamation calling for opponents of the federal court order to “cease and

desist.” On September 24, Little Rock’s mayor sent a telegram to the president asking him to send troops to

maintain order and complete the integration process. Eisenhower immediately federalized the Arkansas

National Guard and approved the deployment of U.S. troops to Little Rock. That evening, from the White

House, the president delivered a nationally televised address in which he explained that he had taken the

action to defend the rule of law and prevent “mob rule” and “anarchy.” On September 25, the Little Rock Nine

entered the school under heavily armed guard.

Troops remained at Central High School throughout the school year, but still the black students were

subjected to verbal and physical assaults from a faction of white students. Melba Patillo, one of the nine, had

acid thrown in her eyes, and Elizabeth Eckford was pushed down a �ight of stairs. The three male students in

the group were subjected to more conventional beatings. Minnijean Brown was suspended after dumping a

bowl of chili over the head of a taunting white student. She was later suspended for the rest of the year after

continuing to �ght back. The other eight students consistently turned the other cheek. On May 27, 1958,

Ernest Green, the only senior in the group, became the �rst black to graduate from Central High School.

Governor Faubus continued to �ght the school board’s integration plan, and in September 1958 he ordered

Little Rock’s three high schools closed rather than permit integration. Many Little Rock students lost a year of

education as the legal �ght over desegregation continued. In 1959, a federal court struck down Faubus’

school-closing law, and in August 1959 Little Rock’s white high schools opened a month early with black

students in attendance. All grades in Little Rock public schools were �nally integrated in 1972.

Fifty-Nine-Year-Old Satchel Paige Pitches Three Innings

September 25, 1965

On September 25, 1965, the Kansas City Athletics start ageless wonder Satchel Paige in a game against the

Boston Red Sox. The 59-year-old Paige, a Negro League legend, proved his greatness once again by giving up

only one hit in his three innings of play.

Leroy Page was born on July 7, 1906, in Mobile, Alabama. Page’s family changed the spelling of their name to

Paige to di�erentiate themselves from John Page, Leroy’s absent and abusive father. “Satchel” got his

nickname as a boy while working as a luggage carrier at the Mobile train station. When he was 12, his

constant truancy coupled with a shoplifting incident got him sent to the Industrial School for Negro Children

in Mount Meigs, Alabama. It turned out to be a lucky break, as it was there that Paige learned to pitch. After

leaving the school, he turned pro.

From 1927 to 1948 Paige served as the baseball equivalent of a hired gun: He pitched for any team in the

United States or abroad that could a�ord him. He was the highest paid pitcher of his time, and he wowed

crowds with the speed of his fastball, his trick pitches and his considerable bravado. Just for fun, Paige would

sometimes call in his out�eld and then strike out the side. From 1939 to 1942, the Kansas City Monarchs paid

up for his services and were justly rewarded: Paige led the team to four consecutive Negro American League

pennants from 1939 to 1942. In the 1942 Negro League World Series, Satchel won three games in a four-

game sweep of the Homestead Grays, led by famed slugger Josh Gibson.

Paige’s contract was bought by Bill Veeck’s Cleveland Indians on July 7, 1948, his 42nd birthday. He made his

major league debut two days later, entering in the �fth inning against the St. Louis Browns with the Indians

trailing 4-1. He gave up two singles in two innings, striking one man out and inducing one batter to hit into a

double play. The Indians lost the game 5-3 in spite of Paige’s contribution. That year Satchel Paige went 6-1

with a solid 2.48 ERA for the World Champion Cleveland Indians and was named to Major League Baseball’s

All-Star Team for the American League in 1952 and 1953, when he was 46 and 47 years old respectively.

On September 25, 1965, Paige’s three innings for the Kansas City Athletics made him, at 59 years, 2 months

and 18 days, the oldest pitcher ever to play a game in the major leagues. Before the game, Paige sat in the

bullpen in a rocking chair while a nurse rubbed liniment into his pitching arm for the entire crowd to see. Any

doubts about Paige’s ability were put to rest when he set down each of the Red Sox batters he faced except

for Carl Yastremski, who hit a double.

Arguably the greatest pitcher of his era, Paige was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.

The Partridge Family Premieres on ABC Television

September 25, 1970

Unwilling to rest as a one-hit wonder when its �rst big hit, The Monkees, went o� the air in 1968, the

television production company Screen Gems wasted no time in trying to repeat its success. On this day in

1970, in the 8:30 p.m. time slot immediately following The Brady Bunch, ABC premiered a program that

would give Screen Gems its second TV-to-pop-chart smash: The Partridge Family.

If the Beatles served as the inspiration for The Monkees, it was the real-life family act the Cowsills that

inspired Screen Gems to dream up The Partridge Family. Originally made up of four teenage brothers (Bill,

Bob, Barry and John), the Cowsills scored their �rst top-40 hit with “The Rain, The Park & Other Things” (1967)

after adding their mother to the lineup. They earned three more hits in 1968 with “We Can Fly,” “Indian Lake”

and “Hair” after adding two additional younger siblings, and it was in this con�guration that they caught the

eyes of the folks at Screen Gems. In fact, Screen Gems approached the Cowsill family about having the

children star in the show that would eventually become The Partridge Family, but the family demurred when

it learned that actress Shirley Jones, and not Barbara Cowsill, would be playing the role of Shirley Partridge.

Undaunted, Screen Gems hired four non-singing child actors for the roles of Laurie, Danny, Chris and Tracy

Partridge and one future teen idol, David Cassidy, for the role of Keith.

In the pilot episode of The Partridge Family, the �ve children of a widowed single mother convince their mom

to join them in their garage recording sessions and then watch their �rst record, “I Think I Love You” become

a #1 pop hit. In a case not so much of life imitating art as of a brilliant marketing machine replicating its

earlier success, the song “I Think I Love You” raced to the top of the real-life pop charts less than two months

after its television debut.

However, hits like “I Think I Love You” and “I Woke Up in Love This Morning” were not actually recorded by

�ve siblings and their mom in a garage. The Partridge Family’s hits were recorded by some of the best

professional musicians working in Los Angeles at the time, including drummer Hal Blaine and the other

studio musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. The Partridge Family did, however, launch David Cassidy on a

short-lived career as an actual pop singer, and it also, according to news reports, inspired some misguided

runaways to show up on Shirley Jones’ Beverly Hills lawn in the hopes that she might adopt them into her

television family.

O’Connor Takes Seat on Supreme Court

September 25, 1981

Sandra Day O’Connor becomes the �rst female U.S. Supreme Court justice in history when she is sworn in by

Chief Justice Warren Burger.

Sandra Day was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1930. She grew up on her family’s cattle ranch in southeastern

Arizona and attended Stanford University, where she studied economics. A legal dispute over her family’s

ranch stirred her interest in law, and in 1950 she enrolled in Stanford Law School. She took just two years to

receive her law degree and was ranked near the top of her class. Upon graduation, she married John Jay

O’Connor III, a classmate.

Because she was a woman, no law �rm she applied to would hire her for a suitable position, so she turned to

the public sector and found work as a deputy county attorney for San Mateo, California. In 1953, her

husband was drafted into the U.S. Army as a judge, and the O’Connors lived for three years in West Germany,

with Sandra working as a civilian lawyer for the army. In 1957, they returned to the United States and settled

down in Phoenix, Arizona, where they had three children in the six years that followed. During this time,

O’Connor started a private law �rm with a partner and became involved in numerous volunteer activities.

In 1965, she became an assistant attorney general for Arizona and in 1969 was appointed to the Arizona

State Senate to occupy a vacant seat. Subsequently elected and reelected to the seat, she became the �rst

woman in the United States to hold the position of majority leader in a state senate. In 1974, she was elected

a superior court judge in Maricopa County and in 1979 was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals by

Governor Bruce Babbitt, a Democrat.

Two years later, on July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated her to the Supreme Court to �ll the seat

of retiring justice Potter Stewart, an Eisenhower appointee. In his 1980 presidential campaign, Reagan had

promised to appoint a woman to the high court at one of his earliest opportunities, and he chose O’Connor,

out of a group of some two dozen male and female candidates, to be his �rst appointee to the high court.

O’Connor, known as a moderate conservative, faced opposition from anti-abortion groups, who criticized her

judicial defense of legalized abortion on several occasions. Liberals celebrated the appointment of a woman

to the Supreme Court but were critical of some of her views. Nevertheless, at the end of her con�rmation

hearings on Capitol Hill, the Senate voted unanimously to endorse her nomination. On September 25, 1981,

she was sworn in as the 102nd justice–and �rst woman justice–in Supreme Court history.

Initially regarded as a member of the court’s conservative faction, she later emerged from William

Rehnquist’s shadow (chief justice from 1986) as a moderate and pragmatic conservative. On social issues, she

often votes with liberal justices, and in several cases she has upheld abortion rights. She is known for her

dispassionate and carefully researched opinions on the bench and is regarded as a prominent justice

because of her tendency to moderate the sharply divided Supreme Court.

On July 1, 2005, O’Connor announced her retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court. She was replaced by

Justice Samuel Alito in January 2006.

 

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