FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Oct. 17, 2011
LAST WEEK
Mock Audit
Greg Welker traveled to Gainesville last week to assist the city’s electric utility in preparing for an upcoming Florida Reliability Coordinating Council (FRCC) audit regarding North American Electric Reliability Corporation standards. Greg conducted a mock audit on select standards, provided feedback and advised the city on questions FRCC may ask. Contact: Frank Gaffney
Managing Natural Gas Storage Assets
Rich Popp traveled to Houston, Texas, last Thursday for a PGS Energy training seminar on how to manage natural gas storage assets for maximum profits and minimum risk. The seminar discussed the benefits of storage ownership and how storage assets can create value. The fundamentals needed to balance cost versus benefit was discussed, as well as the daily optimization and the practical exploitation of hidden storage opportunities.
Lake Worth Gas Dispute
The Leon County Circuit Court held a hearing last Thursday to discuss three motions related to the city of Lake Worth’s lawsuit against FMPA. The case conces who should pay for certain natural gas transportation for the city’s Smith Plant. The judge listened to three separate motions. The first motion was filed by FMPA to dismiss one of the four counts in Lake Worth’s lawsuit. The second motion was filed by Lake Worth to dismiss FMPA’s counterclaim. The third motion was filed by Lake Worth to strike some of FMPA’s defenses against the lawsuit. The judge will issue orders on the three motions in the coming weeks. The next hearing date has not been scheduled. Contact: Jody Finklea
THIS WEEK
Board Room Audio Visual Design and Installation
Mark Larson, Mark McCain, Jerusha Gibson and Jeff Hanson will begin listening to presentations this week from companies that responded to FMPA’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for audio visual design and installation services in the Board room. Five companies responded to the RFQ, and the short list has been narrowed down to four. Each company will present two alteatives: one that is creative and another that is cost conscience. Both alteatives must fulfill FMPA’s overall needs. The group hopes to award the bid the first week of November. Contact: Mark Larson
Member City Visits
Bud Boudreaux travels to Havana on Monday to meet with City Manager Howard McKinnon and Florida Municipal Electric Association’s Director of Public Affairs Amy Zubaly.
Reputation Management Plan
The Public Relations Department will hold a strategic planning session Monday afteoon to assess the progress of its reputation management program and make plans for future efforts. This year marks the five-year anniversary of FMPA’s program, and FMPA’s Strategic Plan strategy 5.1 is to “project a strong, positive FMPA reputation. The PR Department will be joined in its efforts by Robin Schell of Jackson Jackson & Wagner, a New Hampshire-based public relations consultant who will be in Orlando for a public relations conference. Robin has worked with FMPA previously on its biennial member relations survey. Contact: Mark McCain
McCain Celebrate 25 Years of Employment with FMPA
FMPA Assistant General Manager of Member Services, Human Resources and Public Relations Mark McCain celebrates 25 years of employment with FMPA on Thursday. Mark joined FMPA in 1986 and is currently the longest tenured employee of the Agency. Part of FMPA’s vision statement is to be the company of choice for employees. Current statistics show that FMPA is on its way to achieving its goal. Out of FMPA’s 64 current full-time employees, 28% have been employed with the Agency for more than 10 years. Of these individuals, five have more than 15 years of service. FMPA thanks Mark for his 25 years of dedication and service to the Agency.
All-Requirements Project Weekly Load Statistics
The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project historical load graph has been posted on the Member Portal. The graph is updated through Oct. 16. Contact: Jim Atz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Mark McCain, who celebrates 25 years with FMPA on Thursday, Oct.20.
Congratulations to Liyuan Woeer, who celebrates three years with FMPA on Thursday, Oct. 20.
COMING UP
Policy Makers Liaisons Committee
FMPA’s Policy Makers Liaisons Committee will meet Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. in FMPA’s first-floor conference room. Contact: Mark McCain
Florida Energy Summit
The Florida Energy Summit is scheduled for Oct. 26 to Oct. 28 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando. Topics include renewable energy technologies, solar energy, the future of alteative vehicles and more. Visit the Registrationhttp://www.fmpa.com/index.php/component/registrationpro/?view=event&did=37>Registration; is requested and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Underground Distribution Certification
The Underground Distribution Certification program is scheduled for Nov. 8 through Nov. 10 in Adele, Ga. Program information is available on the Member Portal. Contact: Mike Siefert
APPA Smart Grid, Safety and NERC Compliance Symposium
The American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Smart Grid Summit is Nov. 14 and Nov. 15 at the Orlando Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. Featured speakers will include cyber security expert Annabelle Lee and Smart Grid Interoperability Panel representative Stephen Muchlinski. The two will discuss the status of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulations, interoperability standards and other proposed cyber security regulations. In conjunction with the Smart Grid Summit, APPA will hold a National Electrical Safety Code Training on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15 and a NERC Compliance Plan Development Workshop on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17. Information on all three events is available on ECG’s” rel=”nofollow”>http://www.ecoga.org/>ECG’s website. Contact: Mike Siefert
INDUSTRY NEWS
Utility Group, States Seek Extension for Final Utility MACT Rule
The Utility Air Regulatory Group (UARG)—backed by 25 states including Florida—asked a federal court for a one-year extension of the deadline for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue the final Utility MACT rule, which requires power plants to reduce emissions. In an Oct. 11 amicus brief, the states and Guam requested a new deadline of Nov. 16, 2012. UARG told the court that since the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved a settlement and established the 2011 deadline, it has become clear that the timetable is not feasible or workable. UARG said in an Oct. 7 motion that when the court approved the settlement, it had no reason to believe that EPA would fail to comply with its statutory rulemaking obligations, and would fail to seek an extension of time for which the court expressly provided. UARG said those reasonable expectations now have been proven wrong. The 2011 deadline would preclude EPA from considering critical information about how its regulatory proposals would endanger local electric reliability, an issue that EPA itself identified as relevant in the proposed rule but then all but ignored, apparently due to time constraints, the utility group said.
FERC Technical Conference to Look at Reliability Conces of EPA Rules
As part of a broader technical conference on reliability policy issues, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will look at reliability conces caused by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. The Commission has been under pressure from Sen. Lisa Murkowski and House Republicans to conduct a full assessment of the potential plant retirements and reliability impacts of recent and pending EPA rules. An informal FERC staff assessment said that up to 81 GW of coal-fired generation was likely or very likely to be retired due to the EPA rules. The Nov. 29 and Nov. 30 conference will explore the progress made on the priorities for addressing risks to reliability that were identified in earlier technical conferences. The conference also will discuss emerging issues, including processes used by planning authorities and other entities to identify reliability conces that may arise in the course of compliance with EPA regulations, and the tools and processes available to address any identified reliability conces.
Most Americans Unaware of Energy Efficiency Incentives, Survey Finds
Rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives are available to encourage Americans to use energy more efficiently, but few people are taking advantage of those incentives, says a survey conducted last month by Harris Interactive. Half of the survey respondents said they had made home improvements to save energy and money, but 71% said they did not take advantage of rebates, tax credits or other incentives, and 61% said they did not know that such incentives existed.
Key West Elects Utility Board Members
Keys Energy Services Utility Board members Barry L. Barroso, Jr., Charles A. Bradford, Jr., and Mona C. Clark were swo in to office last Tuesday. Bradford and Clark were re-elected to their seats on the Board, and Barroso was newly elected, filling the seat previously held by Ty Symroski.
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 Ryan Dumas or Ashley Henderscheid This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 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: Ryan Dumas or Ashley Henderscheid
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