FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
April 15, 2019
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LAST WEEK
Wood Poles Award
The Wood Poles Bid was awarded last Wednesday to both Ace Poles and Koppers Industries. The procurement process followed FEMA reimbursement requirements, and the award is good until April 2024. Contact: Sharon Samuels
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THIS WEEK
APPA CEO Roundtable
Jacob Williams attends the American Public Power Association’s CEO Roundtable through Tuesday in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference brings public power’s executives together to discuss hot topics, hear from visionary thinkers and exchange ideas with peers.
Pole Line Hardware Bid
FMPA is developing an Invitation to Bid (ITB) for pole line hardware. This is the first time these products have been jointly bid through FMPA. The ITB will include FEMA-required language and a price-fluctuation mechanism that allows participants to take advantage of market-price reductions during the life of the agreements. Members interested in participating should contact Sharon Samuels by Monday.
Member City Visits
Cairo Vanegas travels to Key West on Monday to provide training on the installation, operation and programming of TripSaver reclosers. Jacob Williams and Chris Gowder travel to Green Cove Springs on Tuesday evening for a City Council meeting to discuss a supplemental power agreement and potential solar project participation.
Lineman Safety Training Program
A conference call will be held Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. to review the preliminary fiscal 2020 budget for the FMPA-ECG Lineman Safety Training program. Contact: Mike McCleary
ARP Telephonic Rate Workshop
The ARP Executive Committee meets Tuesday at 3 p.m. via conference call for the rescheduled monthly All-Requirements Project Rate Workshop. The agenda includes: 1) natural gas markets update, 2) overview of loads, 3) resource update, and 4) review of ARP rate calculation. Contact: Jason Wolfe
FCG Meeting
Susan Schumann travels to Tampa on Tuesday to attend the Florida Electric Power Coordinating Group’s monthly planning meeting for the Legislative Task Force and Environmental Committee.
Plant Visits
Luis Cruz and the IT team travel to Treasure Coast Energy Center on Tuesday to tour the plant and meet plant staff for whom they provide IT support. David Schumann visits Treasure Coast Energy Center on Wednesday to meet with plant managers about the budget and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s Critical Infrastructure Protection standards.
NERC Annual Strategic Meetings
Carl Turner travels to Austin, Texas, on Tuesday through Wednesday to attend the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s Planning Committee and Executive Committee annual meetings. Strategies and prioritizing workload for committees and subcommittees for the coming year will be discussed.
Policy Makers Liaisons Committee
FMPA’s Policy Makers Liaisons Committee meets Wednesday at 1 p.m. in FMPA’s Orlando office. The committee will hear four information items: 1) update on an electric deregulation proposal in Florida, 2) retail rate design and solar subscription strategies, 3) update on the Florida Municipal Solar Project (FMSP) and FMSP Phase II, and 4) a round table discussion by policy makers on the most important electric issue in their communities. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Lunch will be served at noon. Contact: Mark McCain
Finance Committee
FMPA’s Finance Committee meets Wednesday at 3 p.m. in FMPA’s Board room. The committee will review the fiscal 2020 Agency budget. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Linda Howard
Board of Directors
FMPA’s Board of Directors meets Thursday at 9 a.m. in the Board room. The Board will consider two action items: 1) approval of strategic priorities and revisions to FMPA’s vision, mission and values, and 2) approval of a resolution for the Pooled Loan Project. The full agenda package is available 0n the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
ARP Executive Committee
The Executive Committee meets Thursday in the Board room at 9:15 a.m. or immediately following the Board of Directors. The committee will consider three action items: 1) approval of an extension for the Load Attraction Incentive Rate, 2) approval of ARP Conservation Program funding for fiscal 2020, and 3) approval of FGU direction for Black Belt Energy prepaid gas transaction. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
All-Requirements Project Weekly Load Statistics
The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project historical load graph has been posted on the Portal. On April 12 HE17 the ARP load exceeded the budgeted load for the month. The graph is updated through April 14. Contact: Steve Ruppel
Special Dates
Happy anniversary to Luis Cruz, who celebrates seven years with FMPA on Tuesday, April 16.
Happy anniversary to Amie Erickson, who celebrates 19 years with FMPA on Tuesday, April 16.
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COMING UP
Lineman’s Roundtable
FMPA will host a Lineman’s Roundtable on April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kissimmee Utility Authority. The roundtable provides a forum for line crews to exchange ideas on operating practices, safety, training, tools, equipment and other common issues. The roundtable 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, but registration is required. Lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Samuels
ABB Training
ABB will host a training session at its manufacturing facility in Lake Mary on April 30. The training will cover ABB’s product offering for magnetic-actuated feeder breakers and metal-clad switchgear. Twenty-nine attendees from six FMPA member cities have signed up. Attendance is free, but space is limited. Contact: Cairo Vanegas
Distribution Reliability Roundtable
FMPA will host a Distribution Reliability Roundtable on June 5 at 10 a.m. in FMPA’s Orlando office. The roundtable is an opportunity to review details of FMPA’s Distribution Reliability Measurement Program and discuss best practices for enhancing electric system reliability. Registration is free, and lunch will be provided. A webcast will be available for those not able to attend in person. Contact: Cairo Vanegas
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Electric Deregulation Proposal Continues to Raise Money, Gather Signatures
While Florida lawmakers debate whether to make it harder to amend the state’s Constitution, several proposed amendments for the 2020 ballot continue to raise money and gather petition signatures. One amendment idea that continues to move forward is deregulating the electric utility industry. Supporters of any amendment must initially submit 76,632 valid petition signatures to trigger a review of the ballot wording by the Florida Supreme Court. If justices sign off, an initiative then needs to submit 766,200 valid signatures to reach the ballot. The electric deregulation proposal has cleared the first signature threshold and is ready for Supreme Court review. In addition, it has continued to raise money and collect signatures. The political committee Citizens for Energy Choices pushing for electric deregulation brought in an additional $237,000 in March and has submitted 188,404 petition signatures to the state, according to a report last week from the News Service of Florida. In the current Florida legislative session, bills are moving forward in the Senate and House that could place additional restrictions on the petition-gathering process. Also, lawmakers are considering a proposal that would require approval from two-thirds of voters to pass a constitutional amendment, up from the current 60%. Those proposal would not affect the 2020 initiatives.
PSC to Review Federal Tax Overhaul Effect on FPL
The Florida Public Service Commission will hold a hearing this Tuesday at 1 p.m. on the impact of a 2017 federal tax overhaul on Florida Power & Light (FPL). The tax overhaul included lowering the corporate-income tax rate, which provided savings for companies such as FPL.
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FMPA Weekly is published by FMPA for employees and governing boards of FMPA member utilities. Questions or comments about this newsletter may be directed to Carolyn Dingley 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 learn more.
Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Carolyn Dingley
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Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
www.fmpa.com
Community Power. Statewide Strength. ®
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