FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
March 13, 2017
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LAST WEEK
Temporary Housing Services RFP
FMPA issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) last Wednesday for housing out-of-area utility workers in the event they are needed for storm restoration. Following Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew, some residents who sustained storm damage to their residence were unable to find hotel accommodations. As a result, the Florida Division of Emergency Management is asking utilities to evaluate other options for housing line crews. The RFP is available for download at FMPA.com. Bids are due April 18 at 10 a.m. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
APR Bond Refinancing RFP
A Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued last Thursday seeking financial institutions to refinance variable rate bonds issued in 2011 for the All-Requirements Project. The RFP is available for download on FMPA.com. Bids are due March 24 at 2 p.m. Contact: Linda Howard
Consulting Engineer of Record RFQ
A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued last Friday for professional engineering firms. FMPA is seeking firms that would be designated FMPA’s consulting engineer of record, as well as firms interested in providing engineering services described in the RFQ. The RFQ is available for download on FMPA.com. Responses are due April 25 at 10 a.m. Contact: Michele Jackson
Sunshine Law Member Training
Jody Finklea and Amanda Swindle traveled to Key West last Wednesday to conduct open records training for the Key West Utility Board.
All-Requirements Project February Load Statistics
The All-Requirements Project’s non-Contract Rate of Delivery peak for the month of February was 825 MW, which occurred Feb. 28 between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. The project’s load factor for February was 66%. 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 82% of the budgeted peak, and energy was 95% of the budget. A graph showing the All-Requirements Project monthly load for February is available on the Portal. Contact: Jim Arntz
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THIS WEEK
Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise
FMPA will hold a cybersecurity incident response plan tabletop exercise on Tuesday. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection Plan requires utilities, like FMPA, to test plans on a regular basis. The exercise will role play a scenario to see how well FMPA staff, power plant operators and managers communicate in the event of a cybersecurity incident. After the exercise, feedback will be collected to identify any areas for improvement. Contact: Carter Manucy
Audit and Risk Oversight Committee
The Audit and Risk Oversight Committee (AROC) meets Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in the Board room of FMPA’s Orlando office. The committee will consider four action items: 1) revisions to the asset management and operations risk policy, 2) piggyback provision guidelines for FMPA’s Procurement Policy, 3) fuel portfolio management risk policy, and 4) St. Lucie swap diversification exception. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Rich Popp
Board of Directors
FMPA’s Board of Directors meets Thursday in the Board room at FMPA’s Orlando office at 9:30 a.m., or immediately following the AROC meeting. The Board will hear information items on: 1) summary of strategic plan items, priorities and resource realignments, 2) update on vision, mission and values, 3) St. Lucie Project swap diversification exception, 4) status of items from the Auditor General’s audit, 5) solar project update, and 6) report on Board officers’ telephonic meeting for input from the Board for the six-month evaluation of the General Manager and CEO. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee meets Thursday in the Board room at FMPA’s Orlando office at 10 a.m., or immediately following the Board of Directors meeting. The committee will consider one action item conceing cost sharing with Beaches Energy for JEA backup transmission. Information items on the agenda include: 1) Vero Beach update, 2) updated rate schedule B-1 for fiscal 2017, 3) proposal for a load attraction incentive rate, 4) summary of strategic plan items, priorities and resource realignments, 5) update on vision, mission and values, 6) revisions to the asset management and operations risk policy, 7) fuel portfolio management risk policy, 8) natural gas management update, and 9) quarterly regulatory compliance update. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
Electric Substation Exchange
Ian Beason travels to Jacksonville on Thursday to participate in a two-day forum about common distribution issues facing municipal electric utilities. Contact: Carl Turner
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 March 12. Contact: Jim Arntz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Karen Culpepper, who celebrates 14 years with FMPA on Friday, March 17.
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COMING UP
Member Services Advisory Committee
FMPA’s Member Services Advisory Committee will hold a telephonic meeting March 30 at 10 a.m. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
FMEA Legislative Rally
The Florida Municipal Electric Association’s (FMEA) annual state Legislative Rally will be held March 27-28 in Tallahassee. This is an opportunity for members to meet with state legislators on electric utility issues. More information is available on FMEA’s website. Contact: Amy Zubaly at FMEA.
Human Resources Roundtable
FMPA will host a roundtable discussion April 6 at FMPA’s Orlando office for Human Resources topics, including benefits, recruiting, retention, training, policies and more. Admission is free, and lunch will be provided. Register online by March 24. Registrants are asked to include issues of interest when they register. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Linemen Roundtable
Registration is open for FMPA’s Linemen Roundtable to be held May 4 in Bushnell. The roundtable provides a forum for line crews to exchange information on operating practices, safety, training, tools, equipment and other common issues. The session is open to all levels of utility line crew personnel, as well as any utility staff member who has an interest in transmission and distribution topics. Attendance is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
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INDUSTRY NEWS
More Than 150 U.S. House Members Sign Letter Supporting Tax-Exempt Bonds
A letter supporting tax-exempt financing was sent last Wednesday to leaders of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee supporting this critical tool used by state and local govements to finance infrastructure. The letter was signed by 156 bipartisan House members from 39 states, including 18 from Florida. During public power’s legislative rally two weeks ago in Washington, D.C., this was the top conce of utilities. As Congress prepares to take on the issue of comprehensive tax reform, public power asked lawmakers to reject any proposal to cap or eliminate the deduction on tax-exempt municipal bonds. The Florida representatives that signed the letter included: Bilirakis, Caster, Christ, Deutch, Diaz-Balart, Frankel, Hastings, Lawson, Mast, Murphy, Posey, Rooney, Ross, Rutherford, Soto, Wasserman Schultz, Wilson and Yoho. The American Public Power Association has urged its members to use social media to thank representatives who signed the letter.
Florida Municipal Utilities Honored for Hurricane Restoration Efforts
Twenty municipal electric utilities in Florida received an award last Thursday for power restoration efforts following Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew. The Restoring Communities Award was presented by the Florida Municipal Electric Association recognizing the tireless efforts of municipal utilities to quickly and safely restore power to Florida communities. Those that received recognition included municipal electric utilities affected by the hurricanes and utilities that rushed to the aid of their fellow municipals. Members were selected based on restoration times, customer communications efforts and the level of mutual aid provided. The awards will be presented to recipients during the 17th Annual Florida Lineman Competition on April 22 in Lakeland.
Revised Version of Small Cell Pole Attachment Bill Passes First Committee
A bill in the Florida Legislature that would prohibit local govements from regulating small cell wireless facilities in public rights-of-way passed its first Senate committee last week, but it was revised and more revision is expected. Senate Bill 596 was heard in the Senate Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee. The original filed version of the bill allowed the use of small cell wireless devices without local prohibition on the poles of municipal electric utilities, in addition to any other local govement poles, like street lights, street signs and traffic signals. The bill only applied to municipal electric utilities, not investor-owned utilities or electric co-ops. A strike everything amendment was offered in the Senate Committee last week that attempted to remove municipal electric utilities from the bill. Unfortunately, the language exempting municipals is still ambiguous, according to the Florida Municipal Electric Association, which is working to improve the measure. The bill incorporating the strike-all language was passed by the committee with comments from Senators that it needs to be improved before its next hearing, which is scheduled for the Govemental Oversight and Accountability Committee.
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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 Sean Murtha 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 Sean Murtha
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Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
http://www.fmpa.com
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