SRP Substation Troubleman Helps Save The Life Of A Car Crash Victim
August 3, 2020
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 3, 2020
Salt River Project Substation Troubleman John Boyle recently helped to save the life of a car crash victim in Mesa, Ariz.
Forrest Smith, Deputy Chief for the Mesa Fire and Medical Department, noted during a virtual presentation for a certificate of appreciation given to Boyle that the victim of the car crash was rescued “thanks to the quick actions” of Boyle.
Boyle was performing a line patrol inspection on July 6 when he came upon a car that had crashed into a ravine. When he saw movement in the vehicle he called 911.
“To help identify where the scene is, I am in a marked SRP single cab vehicle on top of the canal,” Boyle told a 911 operator.
Boyle approached the vehicle and administered first aid. He told the car crash victim that help was on the way.
Mary Cameli, Fire Chief for the Mesa Fire and Medical Department, told Boyle that “it’s folks like you that make the difference in terms of taking action when you see something and take the time needed to get us there to the call. You truly, truly made a difference in saving a life.”
“At SRP, we exist to serve our customers, and are stewards of the community,” said Nate Tate, SRP’s Director of Substation Design, Construction and Maintenance. “We take the health and safety of our community very seriously and the actions that you took that day exhibit our values,” Tate told Boyle. “We’re extremely proud of you.”
Boyle also received plaudits for his efforts from Craig Perez, SRP Section Supervisor, and Barry Kropp, SRP Manager of Field Maintenance.
“I’m just really proud of the training that I’ve had to provide situational awareness, public safety, the stewardship of some of the job roles that I have, both as a person, an employee, a community member,” Boyle said.
Boyle received the certificate of appreciation from the City of Mesa, the Mesa Fire and Medical Department and the Mesa Police Department.
Calif. CCAS Reach Agreement To Install Up To 20 MW Of Solar And Battery Backup Power
August 3, 2020
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
Posted August 3, 2020
Three California community choice aggregators have reached agreement with Sunrun to install up to roughly 20 megawatts of solar and battery backup power to 6,000 households vulnerable to emergency power shutoffs during the state’s wildfire season.
East Bay Community Energy, Peninsula Clean Energy and Silicon Valley Clean Energy have agreed with Sunrun to increase renewable power, reduce overall peak demand and improve grid reliability by putting this increased capacity online on a rolling basis from 2020 through 2022.
All three agencies have carve outs in their contracts for low-income customers, disadvantaged communities and vulnerable residents in Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, including those hit by last year’s Pacific Gas & Electric emergency power shutoffs.
The contracts are part of a joint solicitation last November from the three CCAs and Santa Clara municipal utility Silicon Valley Power that was issued shortly after emergency power shutoffs last fall affected hundreds of thousands of customers in the Bay Area.
By reducing peak power demand, these contracts will effectively enable the use of local resources to help fulfill state resource adequacy requirements.
This requirement has historically been filled through purchasing resource adequacy supplies from distant power plants.
The new contracts will shift the purchase of resource adequacy to new local solar power and battery storage systems that provide the benefits of backup power directly to local homes and businesses, the CCAs noted in a July 30 news release.
“The wildfires that disrupted our power and lives last fall have given us an opportunity to find ways to better protect our most vulnerable customers from losing essential supplies and comfort during emergency outages. By partnering with Sunrun and our local non-profit agencies, we can identify those customers who can benefit the most from this program,” Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Jan Pepper said.
Additional information about Sunrun is available here.
The American Public Power Association has initiated a new category of membership for community choice aggregation programs.
FERC, NERC White Paper Aims To Help Identify Supply Chain Vendors To Mitigate Possible Risks
August 3, 2020
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
Posted August 3, 2020
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) on July 31 published a joint white paper to help the electric utilities identify specific vendors of components on their networks so that they can take any necessary action to mitigate potential risks to the bulk power system (BPS).
The purpose of the white paper is to provide example approaches on assessing infrastructure and the deployment of specific foreign adversary components that could be used to impact the BPS. While there are several noninvasive methods highlighted in the document, industry may have other methods to identify foreign vendor equipment or components, FERC and NERC noted.
“In addition, industry should consider developing and implementing a process to not only initially identify vendor suppliers, but also to implement an overarching process that could be periodically re-performed and assessed against previous results.”
The white paper notes that in 2012, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence released a bipartisan report assessing the security threat posed by Chinese telecommunication companies. This report recommended against the use of Huawei or ZTE equipment by U.S. government agencies and federal contractors and encouraged the private sector to exclude such equipment as well.
Due to the pervasiveness of these manufacturers throughout the marketplace, the electric sector may unknowingly be using devices from foreign adversaries that could negatively impact the BPS, FERC and NERC said.
To facilitate the identification of these devices, this report details possible techniques that noninvasively identify one component, the network interface controller (NIC), which generally takes the form of an integrated circuit chip integrated into a motherboard or upon a host bus adapter card.
According to the white paper, research has demonstrated numerous avenues to compromise systems using NICs as a method for undetected access for an attacker. “While the techniques described in this report will aid in identifying the NIC vendor, please note that the presence of foreign vendor equipment does not necessarily indicate malicious activity,” FERC and NERC said.
The report identifies the noninvasive techniques that security professionals may employ to identify a vendor of a NIC. “This approach selects the NIC as a well-known and often-targeted component and contemplates methods for easy identification of devices often not readily labeled by suspect vendors or that may integrate suspect vendor components.”
The techniques described in the report are not the only methods of detection nor do they encompass the only concerns industry should have about malicious activity and attacks, the white paper said.
FERC and NERC said that before implementing any approach detailed in the white paper, “caution dictates complete testing in a non-production network to minimize or eliminate operational impacts. If a vendor of concern is identified, it does not confirm there is malicious activity in the network. Actions should be taken to determine if the device or component exhibits malicious activity.”
The white paper is available here.
MEAG Power, JEA, And Jacksonville Unveil Settlement of Litigation Tied to Vogtle PPA
July 31, 2020
By Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
Posted July 31, 2020
Florida public power utility JEA, the City of Jacksonville and the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power) on July 30 announced a settlement of all disputed issues relating to the new Units 3 and 4 of the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, a nuclear power generating facility in Georgia, and an amended and restated power purchase agreement.
The JEA board, the City of Jacksonville and the MEAG Power Board approved the settlement.
Terms of the settlement include JEA and the City of Jacksonville dismissing their civil action against MEAG Power currently pending in U.S. District Court, and MEAG Power dismissing its lawsuits against JEA currently pending in U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Also, JEA, the City of Jacksonville and MEAG Power agree to accept without challenge or appeal a June 17 order entered by U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen, including without limitation his determination that the JEA PPA is valid and enforceable. Terms also include certain provisions that will create additional future value to both JEA and MEAG Power, JEA and MEAG Power said in a news release.
In his June 17 ruling, Cohen said that a power purchase agreement between JEA and MEAG Power tied to the expansion project at Plant Vogtle was valid and enforceable.
Under the terms of the PPA, which was signed in 2008, and amended and restated in 2014, JEA committed to purchase all of the energy generated by the new units 3 and 4 of the Vogtle plant, as part of “Project J,” during their first 20 years of operation, as well as to pay for approximately 41 percent of MEAG Power’s share of the construction cost for the new units during those 20 years.
JEA and the City of Jacksonville, Fla., in 2018 filed a complaint in Florida state court for declaratory judgment regarding the PPA. The complaint was filed in the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida on the same day that MEAG Power filed a breach of contract lawsuit against JEA.
Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 are two 1,100-megawatt Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactors being constructed in Burke County, Ga.
MEAG Power’s co-owners in the Vogtle expansion project are Georgia Power (45.7 percent), Oglethorpe Power (30.0 percent) and Dalton Utilities (1.6 percent).
MEAG Power provides wholesale electricity to 49 member communities in Georgia, who own their local distribution systems. JEA, which is located in Jacksonville, Fla., serves an estimated 478,000 electric, 357,000 water, 279,000 sewer customers and 15,000 reclaimed water customers.
EPA Final Rule Makes Changes To CCR Regulations, Finalizes Deadline For Units To Initiate Closure
July 31, 2020
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
Posted July 31, 2020
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 29 finalized several changes to the regulations for coal combustion residuals, known as CCR or coal ash.
The final rule released by EPA implements a court’s vacatur of certain closure requirements as well as adds provisions that enhance the public’s access to information about the management of coal ash at electric utilities, EPA said.
Under the final rule, the revised deadline for all unlined CCR surface impoundments and surface impoundments that fail an aquifer location restriction to initiate closure or retrofit is April 11, 2021. This date replaces the existing October 31, 2020 date. The new date is based on data APPA members and utility interest groups provided EPA during the proposed public comment period, which outlined technically feasible planning and construction timelines.
The rule is also known as the Part A rule is just one of a suite of rules EPA is in the process of issuing in response to court orders. On a call with stakeholders to roll of the final rule Administrator Wheeler also noted the EPA is working to issue its final rule Part B rule, to provide a new liner equivalency provision allowing facilities to demonstrate that certain clay-lined units and other alternative liner systems perform as well as the composite liner criteria in the rule later this year.
The final rule, “Hazardous and Solid Waste Management System: Disposal of Coal Combustion Action: Residuals from Electric Utilities; A Holistic Approach to Closure Part A: Deadline to Initiate Closure,” expressly extends the existing alternative closure provisions to include both CCR and non-CCR waste streams.
Under the final rule, requests to qualify for an alternative closure extension must be submitted to EPA or an authorized state by November 30, 2020.
In addition, the maximum amount of time available to continue operation under the site-specific alternative closure provision for unlined impoundments is October 15, 2023.
However, the date is October 15, 2024 for unlined impoundments that meet all location restrictions, the safety factor assessment, and have not detected a statistically significant increase above an applicable groundwater protection standard.
The timeframes for the alternative closure provision involving the cessation of coal-fired generation remain the same as in the existing rule. Unlined impoundments that are 40 acres or smaller would have to cease the receipt of waste and complete closure by October 17, 2023, while unlined impoundments larger than 40 acres would have to cease the receipt of waste and have completed closure by October 17, 2028.
Meanwhile, EPA is finalizing two of the proposed amendments from the August 2019 rule — the addition of an executive summary to the annual groundwater monitoring and corrective action reports and the amended requirements to the publicly accessible CCR Internet sites.
The final rule becomes effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. A pre-publication version of the Federal Register notice is available here.
APPA files comments on proposed CCR permit program
In related news, the American Public Power Association on July 20 filed comments on EPA’s proposed federal CCR permit program.
APPA is generally supportive of the proposed rule as it would establish a federal permitting backstop as opposed to the self-implementing 2015 CCR rule.
In a related matter, EPA is reopening the public comment period for the proposed Federal CCR Permit Program for an additional 7 days.
EPA decided to reopen the comment period to allow submittal of additional comments on the proposal due to an error involving the premature closing of the docket on www.regulations.gov, the electronic portal through which comments can be submitted on agency rulemakings.
The comment period for the federal permit program proposal was closed on Sunday, July 19 instead of Monday, July 20.
APPA said that members may want to re-submit their comments via the www.regulations.gov portal even if they previously emailed or mailed comments. Comment will be due on or before August 7, 2020. Click here for the Federal Register notice.
APPA, Other Groups Ask Court To Review FCC 6 GHz Report And Order
July 30, 2020
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
Posted July 30, 2020
The American Public Power Association, the Utilities Technology Council (UTC) and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) on July 27, asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Report and Order (R&O) to open the 6 GHz band of spectrum to unlicensed usage.
The FCC issued its R&O to open the 6 GHz band of spectrum to unlicensed usage in May, which went into effect July 27.
The R&O allows two types of unlicensed operations, low powered indoor use and outdoor use protected with automated frequency coordination technology.
APPA, along with a broad coalition of incumbent license holders, offered extensive comments during the R&O consideration raising concerns regarding interference to operations that could result from opening the band to unlicensed users and requesting further testing and protections from the FCC.
The petition seeks review by the court that the FCC R&O violates the Administrative Procedures Act “on the grounds that it is arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion.”
The petition asks the court to hold that the FCC’s R&O unlawfully authorizes unlicensed low power indoor operations without sufficient safeguards to prevent harmful interference to licensed operations.
APPA, UTC and NRECA also want the court to hold that the FCC was arbitrary and capricious in failing to adequately consider studies on the record that show that unlicensed operations will cause harmful interference to licensed systems.
In addition, the court should vacate those portions of the R&O it finds to be arbitrary and capricious or otherwise unlawful or defective, the petition said.
The court should also remand to the FCC for proceedings consistent with the court’s findings and/or “provide such other relief as the court deems appropriate.”
No timetable has been set by the court, but it is unlikely the court will hear the case before 2021 at the earliest.
In recent joint comments submitted to the FCC, APPA and several other trade groups argued that the FCC should refrain from further expansion of unlicensed operations in the 6 GHz band “until such time that additional testing has been conducted to prove that unlicensed operations will not cause harmful interference to licensed microwave systems.”
Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency Issues RFP For Intermediate Capacity And Energy
July 30, 2020
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
Posted July 30, 2020
The Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency (KYMEA) is seeking proposals to supply intermediate electric capacity and energy to it starting June 1, 2022 for terms of three to 20 years.
KYMEA on July 24 said that it prefers to purchase capacity and energy from resources delivered by a seller to MISO Zone 6, the LGE/KU transmission system or a distribution system of one of KYMEA’s members.
KYMEA, an inter-local agency which provides electric power and related services to municipal utilities, anticipates considering purchases ranging from 30 megawatts to 60 MW.
This invitation and all proposals are subject to the provisions of KYMEA’s request for proposals (RFP), which provides specifications for the solicitation.
The RFP specifically provides that prospective proposers must contact only Rob Leesman at KYMEA to obtain information about this solicitation, KYMEA noted.
Contacts by prospective proposers with KYMEA Board members and other representatives of KYMEA or its members will be a cause for disqualification of proposals as further explained in the RFP.
The RFP requires submittal of a proposal responsive to the solicitation and containing data at a level sufficient for KYMEA to screen alternatives to determine if the proposal is reasonably susceptible of being accepted for award based upon the evaluation factors set out in the RFP.
Potential proposers may request a copy of the RFP by emailing KYMEA at: rleesman@kymea.org.
Those requesting the RFP are asked to provide the organization’s legal name and address and a primary contact name, email address and phone number.
Proposals must be received by email no later than 2 pm EDT on August 19, 2020.
Ground Broken On Community Solar Project In Ames, Iowa
July 29, 2020
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
Posted July 29, 2020
A groundbreaking event was held on July 24 for the SunSmart Ames Community Solar Project in Ames, Iowa.
Speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony included Donald Kom, Director of Ames Electric Services, and John Haila, the Mayor of Aimes (a video of the speakers and the groundbreaking is available here).
Implementing a community solar project has been a long-established goal of the Ames City Council.
“A community solar project allows all residents to invest in renewable energy,” said Kom earlier this month. “This 2-megawatt community solar farm will add clean, solar energy to our renewable energy portfolio, which includes refuse-derived fuel.”
SunSmart is on track to be producing electricity by the end of the year.
The solar generation facility will be built and operated by ForeFront Power of San Francisco, Calif., and Ames Electric Services will purchase all electricity provided by the solar panels.
Additional information on the project is available here.
Senate Republicans Unveil Pandemic Response Proposals
July 29, 2020
by APPA News
Posted July 29, 2020
Senate Republicans this week released a set of proposals to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The seven separate bills will be combined into the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act.
The Senate will not take up the measure. Instead, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Senate Republicans and the White House hope House and Senate Democrats will immediately start negotiations on compromise legislation.
The bills include provisions regarding:
* Unemployment insurance and employment tax incentives;
* Education and healthcare;
* Small business and the Paycheck Protection Program;
* $306 billion in emergency appropriations;
* Liability protections for employers;
* Reinstatement of the business meal deduction;
* U.S. manufacturing of PPE, semiconductors, and critical minerals; and
* Public debt and federal trust funds.
Under the Senate Finance Committee’s “American Workers, Families, and Employers Assistance Act,” the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) program would be modified to allow expenditures from up to 90 days after the last day of a government’s fiscal year 2021 — rather than December 31, 2020 — and allow some CRF funds to be used to cover revenue shortfalls.
On the latter, to use CRF to cover revenue shortfalls, a direct recipient (a state or large city or county) must certify that it has distributed at least 25 percent of its CRF funds.
Also, no recipient may use more than 25 percent of CRF funds to cover revenue shortfalls.
In addition, the legislation states that CRF funds cannot be used to pay for pension or post-employment benefits or to replenish rainy day funds. A recipient that distributes CRF to another recipient cannot oppose additional restrictions beyond those already provided under the law or regulations.
The legislation would also require the Department of Treasury’s Office of the Inspector General in its audit determination to prioritize audits of:
* Governments that did not distribute at least 25 percent of the total amount of the payments received under this section to localities within the jurisdiction, if any; or
* Governments that imposed a condition, requirement, or restriction on funds distributed to a locality that do not align with either the CARES Act or the provisions in this act.
Under the “Safe to Work Act,” all state laws, including common law, that impose liability for coronavirus exposure would be preempted, creating a single cause of action for gross negligence or willful misconduct.
The cause of action governs any covered claim against almost any defendant, including natural persons, schools, colleges, charities, churches, government agencies, associations, and businesses. A similar regime is established for coronavirus medical liability claims.
The emergency supplemental spending bill would provide $1.5 billion in additional funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
It also provides $105 billion to help get students back to school and provide for the continued learning of all students in elementary and secondary education and higher education, with two thirds of funding reserved for public and private schools that plan to conduct in-person classes.
Line Workers In The City of Purcell, Okla., Go Above And Beyond As Firefighters
July 2, 2020
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
Posted July 29, 2020
One of the many things that makes public power utilities unique are the strong bonds that they have forged with their communities.
People who work at public power utilities are always ready to pitch in and help in any way they can when their community needs them. Job descriptions don’t matter. It’s all about going above and beyond to help out.
An example of this can be found in the City of Purcell, Okla., where three of the Purcell Public Works Authority’s linemen also serve as volunteers for the Purcell Fire Department.
On July 22, Brian Morris, a Purcell Journeyman Lineman, changed into his firefighting gear to help put out a fire.
Trey Phillips, Electric Supervisor for the City of Purcell, noted that a tractor bailer burned up a bearing and caused hay in a field to catch fire.
When asked to detail what kinds of fires Purcell typically sees during this time of year, Phillips said that most of the time its grassfires and wildland fires and maybe fires that are controlled but get out of hand.
“We also respond to wrecks if they need us for traffic control or whatever the captain and chief decide. We are trained to respond in the same way as we do our lineman duties,” Phillips noted.
The Purcell Fire Department “also helps our department out by responding to electric lines down and also being ground hands during storms,” he said.
Purcell Fire Department Chief Greg Cypert “is always out when we are during the storm season assisting us as well as the Emergency Manager Kevin Rhodes.”
In Purcell, Phillips said that “it takes all departments working together to keep our city great.”