FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Feb. 8, 2010
LAST WEEK
2011 Budget Season
Budget season officially began last Monday. Ellen Lindsay is preparing a draft budget calendar detailing events leading up to approval of the fiscal 2011 budget in July. Agency budget inputs are due from FMPA staff by Feb. 19. Contact: Mark Larson
Executive Consultant Monthly Report
Bud Boudreaux’s member visit report for January was posted in the Member Services section of FMPA’s Member Portal last Monday. Bud’s report details his visits to Starke and FMPA in the month of January.
Public Utility Resource Center
Ann Beckwith traveled to Gainesville last Wednesday and Thursday to attend the Public Utility Resource Center Conference sponsored by the University of Florida. Participants attended sessions on topics such as “smart technology vs. smart policy and the implications of carbon cap and trade restrictions.
Economic Stimulus Work Group
Members of the Economic Stimulus Work Group met last Wednesday by conference call to discuss a new funding opportunity called Florida’s Clean Energy Grant. The grant application form has not been released yet. Participants also discussed finalizing applications for Florida’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants. The Work Group will meet again by conference call on Tuesday at 9 a.m. to finalize applications. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Safety Program Steering Committee
Members of the Safety Program Steering Committee met last Thursday to discuss the future of the lineman’s safety training program. Participants agreed to try to continue working with Electric Cities of Georgia. FMPA staff is evaluating cost-allocation options for the program and looking at ways to expand participation. The future of the program will be discussed at an upcoming meeting of the Member Services Advisory Committee. Contact: Tom Reedy
3 Phase Times
FMPA’s Power Resources Division last week published the inaugural issue of a new monthly report called 3 Phase Times. The report will be e-mailed around the 20th of each month to Executive Committee members, and it is available in the Power Resources section of the Member Portal. 3 Phase Times will be a monthly report designed to provide information on the operations of the All-Requirements Project (ARP). Contact: Tom Reedy
Cane Island Unit 4 HRSG
The first module for the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) at Cane Island Unit 4 was delivered last week, 41 days ahead of schedule. Congratulations to the project team for accomplishing this significant milestone. Contact: Steve Carroll
St. Lucie Project RFP
FMPA is preparing to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for the long-term investment of St. Lucie Project funds. FMPA’s Finance Division and Dunlap & Associates, FMPA’s financial advisor, expect to finalize the RFP and issue it within a couple weeks. Contact: Janet Davis
Software Upgrade
The Accounting and Treasury departments last week kicked off an upgrade to the newest version of the Integra-t software used to interface with banks, manage debt and manage cash flow. Accounting and Treasury staff will work with the IT Department and representatives from SunGuard, Inc. to facilitate the transition. Contact: Janet Davis
THIS WEEK
ARP Rate Workshop
The ARP Executive Committee meets Tuesday via conference call at 11 a.m. for the monthly All-Requirements Project rate workshop. The workshop agenda includes: 1) an update on natural gas markets and liquidity, 2) an overview of January loads, costs and rate calculations, and 3) estimated rates for March through April. Contact: Jim Atz
FMEA-FMPA Federal Legislative Briefing Webinar
FMPA and FMEA will host a Webinar Friday at 1 p.m. to prepare attendees for this year’s APPA Legislative Rally. FMPA encourages all Rally attendees to participate. The session will brief participants on legislative issues that will be discussed at the Rally, including climate change legislation, the possibility of an energy-only bill and EPA action on regulating carbon dioxide. Mark McCain will also present information discussed at APPA’s CEO Climate Change Task Force last week. Anyone who wishes to attend must register online prior to the Webinar. Contact: Skye Guthrie
EECBG Applications Due
Applications for Florida’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants are due Friday. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
FMEA Bill Comparison Task Force
Florida Municipal Electric Association’s (FMEA) Bill Comparison Task Force will meet Friday from 9:30 a.m. to noon at FMPA. Participants will review data from FMEA’s rate comparison survey. Questions regarding this meeting should be directed to Barry Moline, Executive Director of FMEA.
Member Portal Spotlight: Feedback Request
FMPA’s Public Relations Department is asking for users’ suggestions to enhance the content and organization of the Member Portal. Please contact Skye Guthrie or Diane Nelson with your ideas.
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 Feb. 7. Contact: Jim Atz
Service Anniversaries
Congratulations to Dan O’Hagan, who celebrates five years with FMPA on Sunday, Feb. 14.
COMING UP
Member Relations FAQ
The launch of FMPA’s 2010 Member Relations Survey is coming soon. To prepare members to participate in the survey, which is a strategic plan action item, FMPA has answered some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the survey and posted them on the Member Portal. View the answers now or contact Diane Nelson for more information.
Business Planning and Budget Committee
The Business Planning and Budget Committee will meet March 12 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Board room to begin work on the fiscal 2011 budgets. Contact: Ellen Lindsay
ARP Business Model Working Group
FMPA’s ARP Business Model Working Group will meet Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. in the Board room. The Group will continue its discussion of FMPA’s rate-setting process. Contact: Nick Guarriello
Member Services Visits
Bud Boudreaux and Fred Bryant will visit the cities of Newberry and Ocala Feb. 10. Bud will also visit OUC on Feb. 18 and Leesburg on Feb. 23.
Member Services Advisory Committee
FMPA’s Member Services Advisory Committee meets March 2 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Board room. Participants will discuss the future of the lineman’s safety training program and discuss the development of a best practices program for electric utility operations, which is an action item in FMPA’s Strategic Plan. Contact: Mike Siefert
Climate Change Workshop
FMPA will host a Climate Change workshop March 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Board room. The workshop will help participants understand the issues surrounding proposed climate change legislation, as well as the operational and financial impacts for utilities. Robert Kappelmann, energy and environmental policy consultant with RLK Associates, will lead the course. http://fmpa.com/index.php/component/registrationpro/?view=event&did=16>Registration; is $250 for FMPA members. Contact: Mike Siefert
INDUSTRY NEWS
Obama Budget Calls for Climate Change Bill
President Obama sent Congress a proposed fiscal year 2011 budget last Monday that assumes enactment of a climate change bill and proposes eliminating subsidies for fossil fuels. The budget includes $32 million for activities to control greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear power received a $36 billion increase for loan guarantees for construction of nuclear power facilities. The Energy Department’s (DOE) budget also has $500 million to support loan guarantees for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Research, development and demonstration activities to modeize the grid, including smart-grid technologies, would get $144 million. As part of the budget process, DOE set goals for 2011, including: doubling renewable energy generating capacity by 2012; assisting in the development and deployment of capacity to support 500,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles a year by 2015; working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to enable energy retrofits of 1.1 million housing units through 2011; and committing to loan guarantees for two nuclear power facilities to add new capacity of at least 3,800 MW during 2010. More detailed information is available from the web” rel=”nofollow”>http://cleanefficientenergy.org/>web resource launched last week by the Clean and Efficient Energy Program (CEEP) encourages the sharing of experiences, best practices and educational resources among energy efficiency program managers at public power utilities. CEEP’s online community allows stakeholders to lea about and discuss aspects of energy efficiency program design, implementation and evaluation, while making connections with peers and energy efficiency experts. CEEP, a nationwide initiative with a mission to promote and support the energy efficiency efforts of locally owned utilities, is a partnership of the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Public Power Association and the Large Public Power Council. The new web platform includes a comprehensive resource library where users can access decades’ worth of advice, how-to guidance and case studies, researched by and gathered from public and private sector leaders. Through ratings and comments, the user community can be involved in defining best practice strategies, CEEP says.
FMPA Weekly is published by FMPA for employees and goveing boards of FMPA member utilities. Questions or comments about this newsletter may be directed to Skye Guthrie or Diane Nelson in FMPA’s Public Relations Department.
Want more background on the names and terms used in this newsletter? Check out FMPA’s Glossary, which features some of the most frequently mentioned committees, companies, places and terms, or contact the person named in each FMPA story to lea more. (Click here for the Staff Directory).
Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Skye Guthrie or Diane Nelson