Easton Utilities President and CEO Hugh Grunden Recognized For Leadership
December 15, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
December 15, 2021
The Maryland Daily Record has selected Hugh Grunden, President and CEO of Maryland public power utility Easton Utilities, as an Icon Honors Award recipient.
Established in 2017, Icon Honors recognizes Maryland business leaders, over the age of 60, for their notable success and demonstration of strong leadership within and outside their fields.
The honorees have moved their businesses and the state of Maryland forward by growing jobs and making a difference in the community.
Under Grunden’s direction, Easton Utilities has become a competitive, multi-service provider committed to customer satisfaction, solving rural broadband issues in Talbot County, encouraging the use of renewable energy and resource conservation, and maintaining critical infrastructure for reliability.
Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area.
The Daily Record publishes a print and online edition five days a week.
LCRA Awards More Than $730,000 In Community Grants
December 11, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
December 11, 2021
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) recently awarded more than $730,000 in Community Development Partnership Program (CDPP) grants for a wide range of projects across LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas.
CDPP grants are awarded twice a year for capital projects for volunteer fire departments, emergency responders, cities and counties, schools, libraries, civic groups, museums, and other tax-exempt non-profit organizations.
The grants will help fund 32 community projects, including the purchase of a new firetruck for the Wall Volunteer Fire Department in Tom Green County and renovation of the Wharton Civic Center in Wharton County. Other grants will help fund a new public park alongside the Colorado River in Smithville; the construction of a live-fire training facility in Coleman; and the completion of renovations to public art galleries in downtown Llano.
LCRA serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River, generating and transmitting electric power, providing a clean, reliable water supply and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.
LCRA noted in a Dec. 10 news release that fourteen of the projects will support first responders by providing new protective gear, emergency vehicles and other critical resources. One grant will help pay for a 40,000-gallon water tank that firefighters can use in the Spicewood area, where the nearest fire hydrants are several miles away. Another will provide a new thermal imaging camera and smoke evacuation fans to aid firefighters in Kerr County.
LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson said providing these grants to volunteer fire departments and other first responders is important to help keep communities safe.
“By helping supply new protective gear and better, up-to-date equipment, we can make it easier for first responders to get to emergencies quickly, with top-notch gear at their sides as they work to protect people who need help,” Wilson said.
To date, LCRA and its wholesale electric customers have awarded 1,852 community grants totaling nearly $48 million. When combined with more than $228 million in community-raised matching funds, the program has invested more than $276 million in local communities.
The complete list of the 32 grants awarded in the most recent grant cycle are available here.
Lincoln Electric System Annual Holiday Event With Local Zoo Fosters Customer Engagement
December 6, 2021
by Vanessa Nikolic
APPA News
December 6, 2021
Nebraska public power utility Lincoln Electric System (LES) partnered with the Lincoln Children’s Zoo (LCZ) to provide a holiday event for the community – Zoo Lights Powered by LES. The event offers an energy-efficient light show to the Lincoln community.
Zoo Lights Powered by LES was launched in 2019 and attracted 36,945 attendees. In 2021, the event continues to be LES’ main holiday engagement effort and remains one of the largest light shows in the area. The event is 100% lit by energy-efficient LED bulbs.
After LCZ transitioned from being open seasonally to open year-round, LES staff wanted to support the zoo’s new hours and approached LCZ staff with its idea to sponsor a community lighting event for the holidays. Both LES and LCZ saw the benefits of a community partnership.
The event continues to show many benefits to LES’ communications efforts from general brand awareness to customer outreach and community engagement. LES staff members volunteer by distributing handouts and answering customer questions during the event.
During the event’s inaugural year, the LES communications team developed a model gingerbread house to use as a platform to educate visitors about energy-efficient technologies, energy-saving tips, and rewards programs that LES offers. LES aims to expand its presence at the zoo and think of new ways to engage attendees.
LES says the event gives the utility a platform to speak to the community about electricity through the lens of holiday lights.
The “Zoo Lights” experience includes a 40-foot Christmas tree, over 30 lit animal silhouettes, holiday train rides, a tree canopy light walk, a 60-foot light tunnel, s’mores and hot chocolate stations, and more. Visitors can also take photos with two life-sized LES lineworker nutcrackers, Volts and Watts.
The event is open to the public through December 30 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. local time. For more information, visit LES.com/ZooLights.
Proceeds from Zoo Lights Powered by LES directly supports LCZ and its animals in the winter months.
To watch a preview of Zoo Lights Powered by LES, visit LES’ YouTube page.
Nebraska’s Omaha Public Power District Celebrates 75th Anniversary
November 30, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
November 30, 2021
Nebraska public power utility Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) on Dec. 2 will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its creation.
“OPPD has powered the communities it serves through wars, floods and pandemics,” OPPD’s newsletter, The Wire, notes in an article about the anniversary.
The history of OPPD dates back to 1917, when the Nebraska Power Company was incorporated. On June 1 of the same year, the newly formed company acquired the property of the Omaha Electric Light and Power Company. In 1946, its customers numbered 83,507, gross revenues totaled $10,828,000, kilowatt-hour sales were 552,000,000 and generating capability had reached 119,000 kilowatts.
On Dec. 2, 1946, the state legislature created OPPD as a political subdivision of the state of Nebraska, which acquired the properties operated by the Nebraska Power Company.
In January 1965, the Eastern Nebraska Public Power District merged with OPPD, doubling the size of our service area to 5,000 square miles. With the merger, four counties were added to OPPD’s service area, which now covers all or part of 13 counties in southeastern Nebraska.
Click here for milestone and anniversary-related content posted on The Wire’s webpage.
A 75th anniversary video OPPD created for an employee celebration is posted here,
WPPI Energy Member Utilities Partner With Local Theatre To Help Educate Students on Energy Efficiency, Electricity
November 16, 2021
by Vanessa Nikolic
APPA News
November 16, 2021
Wisconsin-based joint action agency WPPI Energy and its member utilities recently partnered with The National Theatre for Children (NTC) to work on educating students and families on energy efficiency and electricity.
Founded in 1978, NTC is a Minnesota based theatre company that holds free programs at schools across the country to educate and inspire future generations on a variety of topics from financial literacy to energy conservation. Over the years, NTC has expanded its offerings to include virtual events as well.
Member utilities of WPPI Energy and NTC developed “The Energized Guyz,” a new program that will be livestreamed this fall and delivered virtually. This virtual offering aims to accommodate students whether they are learning in the classroom or remotely from home.
The program brings information on energy efficiency and electricity to more than 80 schools in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa. The presentations focus on what energy is, the uses of energy, how energy is wasted, and how to conserve energy.
The livestream features a host who introduces the program, sets up a series of comedic videos, and leads a Q&A session in which students and teachers can ask questions for the host to answer during the presentation. The educational videos tell a superhero-themed story about science, energy efficiency, and electricity.
Stacie Running, energy services manager at WPPI Energy said the program provides a unique learning opportunity for students.
“We are excited to partner with NTC and the local schools to provide this opportunity for students,” Running said. “The performances provide a fun and entertaining platform that encourages students to learn more about energy.”
Livestream events accompany a digital curriculum including games, e-books, interactive lessons, and assessments for educators. The utilities sponsor every aspect of the program, providing free supplemental materials for teachers looking to enhance their educational resources this school year.
For more information about “The Energized Guyz” livestream, visit nationaltheatre.com.
WPPI Energy is a member-owned, not-for-profit organization that serves 51 locally owned electric utilities in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Upper Michigan.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Electrical Director Reflects on Heritage, Community Growth
November 9, 2021
This story, to help commemorate National Native American Heritage Month, is courtesy of Justin David Whitecotton, Electrical Director, Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) – Oklahoma.
I grew up in Shawnee, OK, the oldest child of David and Margie Whitecotton. I began working with my father and uncle’s electrical business, Cotton Electric, when I was 10. I enjoyed getting to work with my family and learning the ins and outs of the electrical trade. As a young man I continued to hone my craft working in the electrical industry in Seattle, WA, the Tulsa metro area, then finally returning to Shawnee where I currently serve as Electrical director for CPN.
From a young age, I spent time every summer with my grandparents Janet and Bill Whitecotton. I loved hearing my grandma share about her childhood and experiences growing up in the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She would share stories about her family and heritage and the struggles she had growing up in a predominantly white school. My grandma always taught me to be proud of my Indian heritage and to honor my ancestors. Growing up in Shawnee, some of my favorite memories include attending the annual Citizen Potawatomi Nation festival. It was an opportunity to highlight and celebrate our culture and to spend time with all our tribal family. I always loved history and spent a great deal of time learning about the history of our world and country. Although our people have experienced great loss and hardship, the bravery and leadership of our elders as well as the unity of our tribal families, allow us to grow and prosper.
Since working for CPN, I have been most proud of all the support we provide not only for our CPN citizens, but also to all our surrounding communities. We have built facilities that allow safe places for all our community citizens to enjoy. We have provided our citizens opportunities to easily receive COVID vaccines, we install generators and power restoration during storms and are always willing to be on site and ready to help whenever there are any issues.
“Public Power.”
As an electrician I see this and immediately think of all the work we have been doing through the years working with neighboring cities and the [Grand River Dam Authority] to create an electrical grid that will support not just our citizens, but the entire state. We believe in efficiency, and in my time with the tribe have found ways to utilize clean energy. We will always need electricity and understand, we must continue to seek out renewable sources to protect our earth. Our continued partnerships with other electrical utilities will not only be good for our citizens, but ultimately our environment.
My advice for young people is to get educated. Whether it’s at a university, vocational school or job training, learning a trade can provide a fulfilling career.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation: Our Heritage, Our Future
The story of the Potawatomi stretches back to times lost to history, beginning on the East Coast of what is now North America. By the time Europeans arrived, the Great Migration of prophecy was complete and the tribes were living around the Great Lakes, with a social structure that included a strong communal lifestyle.
Early European contact brought fur trade and a short-lived time of prosperity for the Potawatomi people. The first account of the Potawatomi people was by Samuel de Champlain, a French explorer traveling the Great Lakes in 1615.
Years of warfare between colonizers further escalated tensions between the tribes of the Great Lakes, their Indian neighbors and settlers, because European colonial forces pressured native communities to choose sides. The Potawatomi were signatories to more treaties with the United States than any other tribe. Despite signing more than 40 treaties during this time, the period between 1700 and 1900 was a time of conflict and removal for the Potawatomi people. Between war and forced removal these years were a dark time for Potawatomi people and culture.
The scattered Potawatomi settlements were consolidated onto one reservation in northeast Kansas as a result of an 1846 treaty. From 1847 to 1861 the Potawatomi in Kansas managed to survive as a people, but they did not thrive. Tribal members largely adapted to a sedentary lifestyle, but they did not assimilate to the degree desired by the federal government.
On Nov. 15, 1861, eight designated “chiefs” and more than 70 other members of the Potawatomi Nation met with federal agents to sign a treaty that would forever alter their community’s relationship with other Potawatomi and the U.S. government. The 1861 treaty initiated the process for acquiring fee-simple land allotments and U.S. citizenship for almost two-thirds of its members. This group, which became known as the Citizen Potawatomi, was among the first tribes to enter into a treaty agreement that included both conditions.
The provisions for the Citizen Potawatomi’s move to Indian Territory were stipulated in a treaty signed on February 27, 1867. In 1869, a party of Citizen Potawatomi traveled to Indian Territory and selected a tract of land that became the site of the Citizen Potawatomi reservation. They chose a section of land that encompassed 576,000 acres between the north and south forks of the Canadian River. The land lay just west of the Seminole reservation and had an eastern boundary at the Indian Meridian. The earliest families to make the journey to their new reserve arrived in Indian Territory in 1872.
On August 16, 2007, the voters of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation overwhelmingly ratified a new constitution, expanding legislative representation to its approximately 20,000 members outside Oklahoma, where 10,000 Citizen Potawatomi live. Since then, CPN’s Nation operates the business of the tribal government on through a clear division of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches.
Platte River Power Authority Uses Vehicles for Student Engagement, Community Outreach
November 8, 2021
by Peter Maloney
APPA News
November 8, 2021
Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) is using model car racing to speed up its community outreach efforts.
For the past couple of years, the Colorado public power utility has sponsored NoCo Time Trials, a program in which student teams compete to have the fastest solar and battery powered model cars. Winners have the opportunity to participate in statewide races sponsored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
NREL has hosted the Junior Solar/Battery Middle School Car Competition in Golden, Colo., for the past 30 years.
The aims of the program are threefold. “It supports STEM [Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics] education while providing a line of sight for kids and their parents for careers in the utility industry, and it expands our brand beyond their four walls,” Steve Roalstad, communications and marketing manager at PRPA, said.
The program is open to middle school students in the PRPA communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland, and interest has been growing, despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The utility began the program in 2019. Thirty-five student teams from seven schools participated. The time trials were canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19, but PRPA nevertheless made grants to the schools that had signed up for the program. Ordinarily PRPA gives grants to the participating schools at the conclusion of the time trials to help support STEM education.
NREL canceled its program last year, but PRPA held its time trials although they were virtual. A total of 85 student teams from 10 schools participated. The event concluded on May 13 with a virtual awards ceremony for three middle school teams with winning solar and battery cars.
Under the program PRPA provides the teams with model car kits the students use to build solar and battery power cars. The kits are standardized, but with the aid of teacher coaches, the students tweak them and experiment with their cars in an effort to make them go faster.
There are a variety of things they have tried, Roalstad said. They can try to lighten the chassis or optimize the gearing. In one case, students used PopSockets used to support smart phones to adjust the solar panels to maximize exposure to sun, he said.
PRPA’s budget for the program is “a little north of $20,000 a year,” which includes grants to the participating schools and, mostly, the cost of purchasing the model car kits.
It is a “tremendous experience to see the problem solving skills the children employ,” Roalstad said. “Those are the kinds of attributes we are looking for in the future.”
And for the students, “it helps them to connect the dots to the kind of career they could have. It also connects the dots for the parents, as well.”
The use of solar and battery power also aligns the program with the direction the utility industry is going, Kendal Perez, communications and marketing specialist at PRPA, said. “We tell them that is also what we are working on. It is very impactful.”
Roalstad admits that PRPA also has a “selfish” reason for sponsoring the program. By the time the participating students get out of college or trade school, up to 50% of the utility work force will be ready to retire. “We are opening our recruiting now,” he said.
PRPA has reached out to NREL, and they are planning to host a state tournament next May, Perez said. So PRPA has reached out to the teachers in its territory to gauge the interest in the program next year, she said.
The event is memorable enough for the kids that teachers are asking if Platte River would consider doing it for high schools, Perez said. For now, the focus is on organizing an in-person event for middle school students next year at Platte River’s newly-constructed headquarters campus.
Maine Chapter Of Sierra Club Backs Public Power Effort In The State
November 4, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
November 4, 2021
The Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club has endorsed Our Power’s effort to create a statewide, consumer-owned utility.
A 2022 ballot referendum would create the Pine Tree Power Company, a locally-owned, not-for-profit electric utility for parts of Maine currently served by Central Maine Power (CMP) and Versant.
Our Power is a coalition of ratepayers, businesses, energy experts, conservationists, community members, and dozens of grassroots organizations coming together for lower rates and a more reliable, cleaner grid.
The Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club noted that the Pine Tree Power Company would be governed by a publicly chosen board and focused on meeting goals for clean energy independence, lower costs and increased reliability.
The environmental group also noted that consumer-owned utilities are leaders in reducing carbon emissions and combating climate change.
Our Power is recruiting volunteers to gather signatures to put the Pine Tree Power proposal on the ballot. The goal is 80,000 signatures by January.
In related news, Our Power said that on Nov. 2 it fanned out across the state with over 200 volunteers collecting signatures at hundreds of polling locations.
Campaign manager Stephanie Clifford said, “Our signature collecting results exceeded expectations.”
Maine Rep. Seth Berry, who sponsored legislation that called for the creation of Pine Tree Power, discussed the legislation in a recent episode of the American Public Power Association’s Public Power Now podcast.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the summer vetoed the bill.
CPS Energy Partners With Zpryme On Educational Augmented Reality App
October 29, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
October 29, 2021
Zpryme, an Austin, Texas-based based energy research company, on Oct. 20 announced a partnership with San Antonio, Texas-based public power utility CPS Energy to roll out an educational augmented reality (AR) application.
The dual language AR app, called Electrify San Antonio, will help students to learn about the energy production and distribution cycle. The app is available in Spanish and English.
Electrify San Antonio starts by exploring the inner workings of a CPS Energy power plant and its recycling systems, and demonstrates the process for creating distributed, renewable energy.
The app then provides an overview of three separate renewable energy sources and their frameworks and concludes with a unique user experience on how electricity is transmitted and distributed to local communities and businesses.
Electrify San Antonio is free and available for download in the Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Customer Connections Group Selects New Planning Committee Officers
October 29, 2021
by APPA News
October 29, 2021
New officers for the Customer Connections section and planning committees were named at the closing session of the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) 2021 Customer Connections Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., which was held in October.
Nicki Parker, Customer Care Manager, Farmington Electric Utility System, New Mexico, will chair APPA’s Customer Connections Section in 2022. Palma Lough, Member Relations & Training Manager, Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority, is vice chair.
Alice Tucker, Customer Service Manager, Easley Combined Utilities, South Carolina, will chair the Customer Service Planning Committee; Lily Burgess, Office Manager, Stowe Electric Department, Vermont, will serve as vice chair. Caitlin Aburrow, Senior Director, Global Product Marketing, Oracle Utilities will serve as an advisory officer.
Koral Miller, Energy Services Manager, Mason County PUD 3, Shelton, Washington, will chair the Energy Innovation Planning Committee; Kristofor Sellstrom, Energy and Gas Resources Manager, Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, New York will serve as vice chair. Samantha Hart, Senior Project Manager, Sales and Innovation, Milepost Consulting will serve as an advisory officer.
Dale Odom, Supervisor, Business Development Services, ElectriCities of North Carolina will chair the Key Accounts Planning Committee; Andy Pollard, Electric Superintendent, Harrisonville Municipal Utilities, Missouri will serve as vice chair. Mary Malone, Director, Account Development, Questline Services will serve as an advisory officer.
Heather Contant, Director of Government & Community Relations, Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation will chair the Public Communications Planning Committee; Valerie Larson-Holmes, Director of Communications, Missouri River Energy Services, Sioux Falls, South Dakota will serve as vice chair.
For more information on APPA’s Customer Connections sections and committees, contact CustomerConnections@PublicPower.org.