FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Nov. 30, 2009
LAST WEEK
Conservation DVDs
FMPA sent a letter to All-Requirements Project members last week with information on how to order the project’s Energy Efficiency DVDs. DVDs will be customized with the logo of the member city that orders them. Members will soon be sent more information about how to publish the videos on their Web sites. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Solar Photovoltaic Project
Jim Hay and Sharon Smeenk met with representatives from Advanced Roofing last week to discuss construction of a solar photovoltaic project at the Eco Discovery Center in Key West, Fla. FMPA, Advanced Roofing, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and Keys Energy Services will hold a project kickoff meeting Dec. 9. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin the week of Dec. 14.
CR3 Outage Update
Repair work to fix cracks in the containment building of Crystal River Unit 3 will extend the nuclear plant’s refueling outage beyond the planned Dec. 28 on-line date. A repair plan for the cracks was approved last week by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Teams will remove and replace all of the affected concrete to ensure a solid bond around the building. A contractor to perform the work will be chosen by Tuesday and will begin repairs in mid-December. The new scheduled on-line date will be determined once the repair activities have been placed on the outage schedule. Contact: David Schumann
Heavy-haul Deliveries
Construction teams at Cane Island Unit 4 completed a successful practice run for delivering heavy-haul equipment to the site last Tuesday. This is one of several measures taken by FMPA to ensure that heavy-haul trucks will cross the railroad tracks according to plan. This week, teams will transport the first two of 20 heavy-haul pieces of equipment to the site. Contact: Jim Hay
THIS WEEK
Bond Pricing
Pricing for FMPA’s upcoming bond issuance is set for Tuesday. The total issuance of $60.58 million will provide funds for the Stanton, Stanton II, St. Lucie and Tri-City projects. Pre-closing is planned for Dec. 9, and closing is scheduled for Dec. 10. Contact: Janet Davis
IT Steering Committee
FMPA’s IT Steering Committee meets Wednesday to continue its discussion of action items from the Protiviti audit and the KPMG report. Contact: Carter Manucy
Member Services Advisory Committee Cancelled
The Member Services Advisory Committee meeting originally scheduled for Wednesday has been cancelled. Contact: Mike Siefert
FMEA Board Meeting
The Florida Municipal Electric Association’s Board of Directors will meet Thursday at 7:30 a.m. in FMPA’s Board room. Contact: Sue Utley
Audit and Risk Oversight Committee
FMPA’s Audit and Risk Oversight Committee meets Thursday at 9 a.m. in the Board room. The committee will discuss an action item to approve the natural gas hedging recommendation of FMPA’s ARP Business Model Working Group. Contact: Rich Popp
Board of Directors
FMPA’s Board of Directors meets Thursday at 10 a.m. in the Board room. The Board will consider action items, including: 1) approval of bond underwriting firms, 2) the General Counsel’s performance review, 3) approval of a bonus for the Interim General Manager as Executive on Loan, 4) a St. Lucie Project bond resolution, and 5) a lobbying contract with William Peebles. Contact: Sue Utley
ARP Executive Committee
FMPA’s All-Requirements Executive Committee meets Thursday in the Board room at 10:30 a.m. or immediately following the Board of Directors meeting. The Committee will discuss action items, including: 1) setting meeting dates and start times for 2010, 2) a waiver of notice period for Key West generation, 3) approval of bond underwriting firms, 4) a lobbying contract with William Peebles, and 5) payments for Lake Worth gas transportation. Contact: Michelle Pisarri
Member Portal Spotlight: New Feature
Wondering what’s new on the Member Portal? Wonder no more thanks to a handy feature on the Portal’s home page. In the lower right-hand coer of the home page is a box titled, “Latest Documents. Every time a new document is posted to the site, it shows up on the list, so you can see with one quick glance what has been recently updated. Check it out now.
All-Requirements Project Load
The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project historical load graph has been posted on the Member Portal. The graph is updated through Nov. 29. Contact: Jim Atz
Service Anniversaries
Congratulations to Amy Deese, who celebrates one year with FMPA on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
Congratulations to Joe McKinney, who celebrates nine years with FMPA on Friday, Dec. 4
COMING UP
Compliance Workshop
FMPA will host two sessions of a compliance workshop Dec. 7 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Dec. 8 from 8 a.m. to noon in the Board room. The workshop will also be webcast for those who cannot attend. Space in the Board room is limited, so contact Cara Gowan today to reserve your seat.
Audit and Risk Oversight Committee
FMPA’s Audit and Risk Oversight Committee will hold a special meeting Dec. 14 at 9 a.m. in the Board room. The Committee will discuss year-end audit work with exteal auditor Purvis, Gray & Company. Contact: Kristi Knight
Bond Status Workshop
FMPA will host a bond status workshop Dec. 16 following the ARP Business Model Working Group for members of the St. Lucie Project. Information will be presented regarding the Agency’s upcoming bond issuance to refinance pooled loans and fund capital improvements. Participants will also discuss Regions Bank’s offer of $75 million in bank credit for use on the St. Lucie Project. Regions has extended its deadline for a response from FMPA to Dec. 21. Contact: Mark Larson
INDUSTRY NEWS
Climate Bill May Hit Senate Floor in Spring 2010
The full Senate will try to pass climate change legislation “sometime in the spring, says Majority Leader Harry Reid, according to APPA’s Public Power Daily. Changes to the bill appear certain as supporters try to round up the 60 votes needed to ensure passage. Prime candidates for revision include the bill’s 50/50 formula for allocating free emission allowances to electric distribution utilities (half based on emissions and half based on sales) and its complex cap-and-trade system. Sen. John Kerry, who has taken the lead on the bill, wants action as early in the spring as possible. Three other major issues appear to be higher on the Senate’s agenda: health care, financial reform and job creation. Some observers say the delay jeopardizes the legislation’s chances, as senators will be reluctant to take up a controversial, complex bill with midterm elections looming. Read more about the legislation in