FMPA Weekly | Nov. 14, 2016 | Member Edition

FMPA Weekly

 

A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members

 

Nov. 14, 2016

 

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LAST WEEK

 

ARP Conservation Program

Retail customers in cities served by the All-Requirements Project could potentially save 1.6 million kWh per year and more than 17,500 MWh over the life of the energy conservation measures funded in fiscal 2016 by the project’s Conservation Program. The program’s quarterly report was emailed to members last week. Reimbursement from FMPA to members for expenses in the recent quarter should be provided in the next week or so. Additional funds for fiscal 2017 are available as of Oct. 1, and several members have rollover funds from fiscal 2016 in their accounts. Contact: Sharon Smeenk

 

Cane Island Unit 1

Cane Island Unit 1 came back online last Thursday after a four-day planned maintenance outage. Contact: David Schumann

 

FMPA-ECG Safety Training Program

Participants in the FMPA-ECG Safety Training Program met last Wednesday via conference call for the annual review and discussion of the program. Last fiscal year, 234 employees received regular safety training through 170 meetings conducted in the cities. In addition, 63 students attended specialized training programs through ECG’s Powerline School. The city of Bartow joined the program effective Oct. 1, so there are now 18 cities with a total of 252 employees participating. Contact: Sharon Smeenk

 

Distribution Services and Lineworker Staffing

Staff from FMPA and the Florida Municipal Electric Association met last Thursday to discuss organizing a roundtable on distribution services and lineworker staffing. These are two common conces that Jacob Williams is hearing from members on his visits around the state. A roundtable is being planned for Jan. 25. More details will be announced soon. Contact: Sharon Smeenk

 

Treasure Coast Energy Center

Treasure Coast Energy Center Unit 1 was taken off line Saturday for a planned maintenance outage. It is scheduled to return to service on Nov. 27. Contact: David Schumann

 

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THIS WEEK

 

Market Research Task Force

The Market Research Task Force meets Tuesday at 2 p.m. via conference call to finalize plans for the survey of retail customers. The meeting agenda includes: 1) review revised survey questions, 2) confirm customer data submittal or need to purchase call lists, 3) discuss the customer notification process, 4) discuss process and schedule for the test sample, and 5) review the survey schedule and next steps. The full agenda is available on the Portal. Contact: Sharon Smeenk

 

Board of Directors

FMPA’s Board of Directors meets Thursday at 9 a.m. via conference call. The Board will hear information items, including: 1) an update on the survey and RFP for a joint action solar PV project, 2) FPL St. Lucie Project transmission service agreement, and 3) FMPA draft 2017 top 10 management goals. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams

 

ARP Executive Committee

The ARP Executive Committee meets via conference call on Thursday at 9:15 a.m., or immediately following the Board of Directors meeting. The agenda includes: 1) an action item to consider FMEA funding of a special assessment, and 2) an information item discussing draft management goals for 2017. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams

 

Energy Auditors Roundtable

FMPA will hold an Energy Auditors Roundtable on Thursday at 10 a.m. The roundtable has been moved to a new location, Tallahassee Community College, because of the of interest in the program. This semi-annual roundtable provides a forum for participants to discuss topics such as work procedures, policies, practices, industry changes, equipment, materials and more. Contact: Sharon Samuels

 

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 Nov. 13. Contact: Jim Arntz

 

Special Dates

Congratulations to Ryan Dumas, who celebrates six years with FMPA on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

 

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COMING UP

 

Thanksgiving

FMPA’s offices will be closed Nov. 24-25 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

Purchasing Roundtable

The deadline to register for FMPA’s Purchasing Roundtable is Nov. 23. The roundtable will be held Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. in FMPA’s Orlando office. The roundtable is free and open to any utility staff member with an interest in procurement topics, such as work procedures, policies, practices, industry changes and other topics. Registration is available on FMPA.com. Contact: Sharon Samuels

 

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INDUSTRY NEWS

 

Barry Moline to Leave FMEA
Barry Moline, the executive director of the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA), announced last Thursday that he will leave the organization by early January to become the executive director of the Califoia Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA). Based in the state’s capitol of Sacramento, CMUA represents the interests of 65 municipal electric and water utilities. Moline has been with FMEA since 1996.

 

Pollution Notification Rule Continues to Draw Objections

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released some changes last Monday to a draft pollution notification rule but continued to hear objections from affected businesses and govemental organizations. The proposed rule, ordered by Gov. Rick Scott after high-profile pollution incidents in Pinellas and Polk counties, requires any business, county or city govement responsible for a pollution incident to notify the public within 24 hours. Revisions to the rule were made after advocates for utility companies testified at a series of workshops about conces the proposal would burden them with substantial new compliance costs. According to the revised language, the parties would have an additional day to release specifics of the pollution’s likely effects. Despite the ongoing conces, the public comment period formally ended last Wednesday, and DEP indicated it will continue according to its plan to immediately finalize the rule.

 

Controversial Solar Amendment Falls Short of Passage

A controversial solar-energy ballot initiative fell short of the 60% voter approval required for ratification in last Tuesday’s election, concluding one of the most expensive constitutional amendment campaigns in Florida’s history. The measure was back principally by Florida’s investor-owned utilities. Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy, Tampa Electric Co. and Gulf Power reportedly contributed more than $20 million to support Amendment 1, which sought to place existing regulations regarding solar energy into the state Constitution. The measure’s advocacy group, Consumers for Smart Solar, spent more than $25.47 million to get the measure on the ballot and to campaign for passage, but only gaered 51% approval. Amendment 1 was launched after a rival group, Floridians for Solar Choice, proposed a measure that would ease restrictions on rooftop solar. That proposal failed to obtain enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

 

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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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