FMPA Weekly | Oct. 3, 2016 | Member Edition

FMPA Weekly

 

A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members

 

Oct. 3, 2016

 

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LAST WEEK

 

United Way’s Day of Caring

For the eighth year, FMPA employees participated last Friday in Heart of Florida United Way’s Day of Caring, Central Florida’s largest volunteer event. This year’s project involved painting accent walls at Community Coordinated Care for Children in Kissimmee. Special thanks to our nine volunteers: Ann Beckwith, Luis Cruz, Ryan Dumas, Konrad Lisiewicz, Carter Manucy, Mark McCain, Brandon McCormick, Peter Moore and Rattanak Srun.

 

Lake Worth Appoints New Board Member

The city of Lake Worth appointed John Borsch, electric utility director, as its representative to FMPA’s Board of Directors last week. He will also serve on the Stanton and St. Lucie project committees. Walter Gill, assistance electric utility director, will serve as the alteate. Contact: Jacob Williams

 

Market Research Task Force

The Market Research Task force met last Wednesday and selected Great Blue Research, Inc. to provide market research services for the solar photovoltaic project. A contract will be negotiated with Great Blue and placed on the Board of Directors agenda for approval at the October meeting. Contact: Sharon Smeenk


APPA Legislative Rally

FMPA filled all 14 slots last week for the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) annual Legislative Rally scheduled for Feb. 27 to March 1, 2017, in Washington, D.C. to encourage participation in the federal legislative process, FMPA’s goveing boards have budgeted funds to pay the travel expenses for up to 14 members to attend the Rally. If other members are interested in attending, email Mark McCain to be put on the waiting list.

 

Year-End Inventory

David Schumann, Tim Jackson and Rich Popp visited Stock Island and the Treasure Coast Energy Center last week for year-end inventory counts. They also participated in Stock Island’s quarterly operating committee meeting.

 

All-Requirements Project September Load Statistics

The All-Requirements Project’s non-Contract Rate of Delivery peak for the month of September was 1,105 MW, which occurred Sept. 19 between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. The project’s load factor for September was 70%. Load factor is a ratio of actual energy (MWh) used during the period versus what would have been consumed if demand was at peak for the entire period. A higher load factor indicates more effective system utilization and results in lower average costs. The monthly peak was 105% of the budgeted peak, and energy was 109% of the budget. A graph showing the All-Requirements Project hourly load for September is available on the Portal. Contact: Jim Arntz

 

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THIS WEEK

 

Meal Per Diem Calculator

FMPA’s Meal Per Diem Calculator updated for fiscal 2017 will be available later this week on the Portal and on FMPA’s staff intranet. The meal rates for Florida are the same as fiscal 2016. In other parts of the lower 48 continental states, the Federal Govement’s GSA could have made minor updates that affect some per diem rates. Richard Montgomery, the creator of FMPA’s calculator, has made a few user enhancements to the latest version, including: 1) the selection boxes for state and city have a type-ahead feature that eliminates scrolling to find the location alphabetically, 2) for a multi-day trip to the same location, the calculator asks for the city and state once before auto-populating the rest of the days, 3) the calculator allows users to input travel dates in the future without a waing notice, 4) on the rare occasion when a trip spans two fiscal years, the calculator recognizes this and select the appropriate per diem rate, if it varies by fiscal year, and 5) for FMPA staff, a new button emails the completed form to SharePoint for generating an expense report. Contact: Mark McCain

 

Public Power Week

Municipal electric utilities across the nation celebrate Public Power Week this week. This annual event is a great time for local utilities to reach out to citizens in their communities to communicate the unique benefits of public power. FMPA would like to highlight your events. Send your Public Power Week stories to Jeff Grainger or Nikki Bloomfield to have your utility’s celebration featured in FMPA Weekly and on the Portal.

 

Member City Visits

Jacob Williams and Mark McCain travel to Green Cove Springs on Tuesday for a member city visit. They will meet individually with City Council members and make a presentation that evening at the Council meeting. On Wednesday, they will visit Starke, Gainesville and Newberry.

 

Lineman’s Roundtable

FMPA’s Lineman’s Roundtable will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at Bushnell City Hall. The roundtable provides a forum for lineworkers to exchange ideas on operating practices, safety, training, tools, equipment and more. Contact: Sharon Samuels

 

ARP Telephonic Rate Workshop

The ARP Executive Committee meets Thursday at 2 p.m. via conference call for the monthly All-Requirements Project Rate Workshop. The agenda includes: 1) natural gas markets update, 2) liquidity update, 3) an overview of September operations, loads, costs and rate calculations, and 4) estimated rate ranges for October and November. Contact: Jim Arntz

 

Energy Auditors Roundtable

Thursday is the deadline to register for FMPA’s Energy Auditors Roundtable scheduled for Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Tallahassee. The roundtable provides a forum for participants to discuss work procedures, policies, practices and other topics of interest. The roundtable is open to any utility staff member who has an interest in energy audit topics. Contact: Sharon Samuels

 

APPA Requests Selfies
The American Public Power Association (APPA) is asking members to send in Snapchat selfies for potential use on the cover of an upcoming issue of Public Power magazine that will focus on workforce issues. The selfies can be taken with any filter, including those provided by APPA for Public Power Week, which can be found on APPA’s website. Submissions can be emailed to Meena Dayak at APPA. The deadline is Friday at 9 a.m.

 

All-Requirements Project Weekly Load Statistics

The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project historical load graph has been posted on the Portal. The graph is updated through Oct. 2. Contact: Jim Arntz

 

Special Dates

Congratulations to Jody Finklea, who celebrates 15 years with FMPA on Saturday, Oct. 8.

Congratulations to Jaye Godin, who celebrates four years with FMPA on Saturday, Oct. 8.

 

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COMING UP

 

Governing Board Meetings

FMPA’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee will meet Oct. 20 in the Board room at FMPA’s Orlando office. The Board of Directors will meet at 9 a.m. and the Executive Committee will meet at 9:30, or immediately following the Board of Directors meeting. Contact: Jacob Williams

 

FMEA Energy Connections Conference

The early registration deadline for the Florida Municipal Electric Association’s (FMEA) Energy Connections Conference is Oct. 21. The conference is scheduled for Oct. 27-28 at the Orlando Airport Marriott Lakeside. The program is designed for technical personnel, safety managers, customer service representatives, managers and supervisors from all lines of the public power business. The cost for FMEA members is $250. Registration is available on FMEA’s website.

 

APPA Customer Connections Conference

There’s still time to register for the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Customer Connections Conference to be held Nov. 6-9 in Nashville, Tenn. The conference is APPA’s annual meeting for professionals in customer service, energy services, key accounts and public communications. Registration is available on APPA’s website through Oct. 14.

 

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INDUSTRY NEWS

 

FDEP Issues Emergency Rule on Public Notice of Pollution Incidents

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) issued an emergency rule last Monday that establishes new requirements for public notification of pollution incidents. Gov. Rick Scott directed FDEP to develop the rule in response to an August incident when a sinkhole drained a retention basin containing contaminated water from a fertilizer processing plant in Polk County. The emergency rule is effective for 90 days, during which time FDEP will develop a final rule. The rule significantly expands who must be notified following an incident of pollution to include local govement officials, news media and property owners. FMPA staff is reviewing the rule’s implications and will be available to assist members with compliance.

 

Oral Arguments Heard on Clean Power Plan

A federal appeals court heard nearly seven hours of testimony last Tuesday in a case challenging the legality of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan. The Clean Power Plan seeks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Ten judges, the full bench of active judges in the D.C. Circuit, heard oral arguments. Chief Judge Merrick Garland recused himself after he was appointed by President Obama to the U.S. Supreme Court. More than two dozen states, led by West Virginia’s Attoey General, argue that the rule should only apply to coal-fired plants and that the EPA does not have the authority to require a utility to switch from one form of generation to another. Whichever side prevails, the case is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court. A decision is not expected until March 2017.

 

Gov. Scott Convenes Dinner for Utility Leaders

Gov. Rick Scott has invited leaders from Florida’s electric utilities to a dinner at the Goveor’s Mansion on Oct. 13. An agenda has not been announced, but the topic is expected to be how utilities can work together following a natural disaster, like a hurricane. Barry Moline from the Florida Municipal Electric Association and FMPA’s Jacob Williams will attend. Other representatives from municipal electric utilities who received an invitation are encourage to participate.

 

Florida Voters Support Solar Amendment, Poll Shows

Two-thirds of Florida voters support Amendment 1 on solar energy while 16% of respondents said they would vote against it, according to a survey from the Florida Chamber Political Institute. The Florida Chamber and the state’s investor-owned utilities support passage of the amendment, which is on the November ballot. The measure, if approved by 60% of voters, would put into the state’s constitution existing law regarding solar power. Consumers for Smart Solar, a proponent of the amendment, raised more than $2.3 million between Aug. 27 and Sept. 16 of this year, including $900,000 from Florida Power & Light, $250,000 from Duke Energy and $325,000 from Gulf Power. Since July 2015, the committee has raised nearly $21.2 million.

 

PSC Begins Hearing on FPL’s Plan to Buy a Coal Plant for $451 Million

The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) will begin a two-day hearing on Monday about Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) proposal to buy a 330 MW coal-fired power plant in Martin County for $451 million. FPL currently has a long-term power purchase agreement from the Indiantown Cogeneration facility, which is owned by Calypso Energy Holdings, LLC. If the purchase is approved, FPL plans to reduce output from the plant and eventually decommission it. FPL says the plan will save money for its customers and reduce emission. After decommissioning, the utility said it might use the plant site for future natural gas or solar generation. The proposal is similar to a previous case the PSC approved in 2015 for FPL to purchase the coal-fired Cedar Bay power plant in Jacksonville. The Office of Public Counsel and the Florida Industrial Power Users group filed objections with the PSC, saying FPL has not shown that its plan to close the plant is the most costeffective option and that it would shift the risk of operating a coal plant to ratepayers.

 

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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 Jeff Grainger or Nikki Bloomfield 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.

 

Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Jeff Grainger or Nikki Bloomfield.

 

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