NEPPA eNewsletter
December 2010
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After four years of hands-on and formal classroom training, 15 students received certificates showing that they completed the NEPPA Apprentice Lineworker Program. ##SHARELINKS##
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For the past 18 years, NEPPA has offered its members a professional development program known as "Public Utility Management." This program was conceived in the early 1990s by a small group of public power officials who believed that managing consumer-owned electric utilities successfully required a unique combination of skills, aptitude and experience. Unlike private companies, which are driven by the need to make profits, public power systems are driven to achieve other purposes, which are not always so easy to identify and measure. Providing reliable electric service at a reasonable cost is the fundamental goal, but as public enterprises owned by their own customers, other purposes also come into play, such as community involvement, environmental stewardship and collaborations with other municipal officials and agencies. To successfully balance all of these goals while coping with the demands of a rapidly changing industry, required—it was believed—a very special manager. To this end, the NEPPA Public Utility Management Program has evolved into a sort of graduate school for public power managers. While it still addresses some of the fundamental skills associated with supervising and directing people in the workplace, it now includes other competencies that have been shown to be essential for successful public power managers. These include such abilities as: Self-Motivation and Personal Initiative; Critical Thinking; People Skills; Communication Skills; Negotiation Skills; Strategic Planning Skills and; Political Skills. In 2011, the NEPPA Public Utility Management Program will continue to provide a unique opportunity for New England public power officials to develop and/or strengthen these capabilities. The program will once again be divided into two sessions—one in March and one in November. Each session will run from Wednesday afternoon to Friday and will consist of four half-day classes focusing on specific management skills. The location of next year’s program has been changed, due to the closure of the New England Center in Durham, N.H., which has been our home since the program began in 1993. We have, however, secured another great facility for the program—the Cranwell Conference Center in Lenox, Mass. It will meet all of our requirements and should be a comfortable location for classes, meals and lodging. And so, we are now inviting NEPPA members to register for this outstanding program and to join your professional colleagues for a unique learning experience. As our brochure conveys, the program will change the way in which you see yourself, your organization and your career. Circle your calendar, send in your registration and head for the Berkshires on March 23. ##SHARELINKS##
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Throughout the year, we rely on our corporate and associate members for support when planning association activities. Besides generous contributions through sponsorship and equipment donations, these members provide their time and expertise and are a constant source of advice and guidance. We'd like to thank these members and welcome all our readers to CLICK HERE and peruse this list of valuable resources, and refer to it often throughout the coming year.
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On April 7, 2011, the NEPPA Regional Power Supply Committee will host a day-long workshop on wholesale power market operations in New England, designed to enhance the understanding of basic market features, rules and responsibilities for public power managers, commissioners and others not directly involved in day-to-day market operations. The "basics" of ISO-New England’s energy, capacity and ancillary markets will be reviewed, along with regional transmission tariffs and the major governance features of ISO-New England and the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL). Presentations on these topics will be made by public power officials and consultants who are directly involved in the planning and operation of regional power markets in New England. The workshop will open with a keynote presentation by Commissioner Mark Spitzer of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), who will discuss the FERC’s perspective on wholesale market operations around the country, and his own views of the challenges facing grid operators and electric utilities in 2011. Detailed plans for the workshop are underway, and registration information will be forwarded to all NEPPA members early in 2011. The NEPPA website (www.neppa.org) will also provide information on the workshop as plans are finalized. ##SHARELINKS##
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Collection Practices Roundtable Billing and Termination of Utility Services in Massachusetts A Business Forum Electronic Billing and Payment Solutions Electronic Bill Presentation and Technologies Data Security and Freedom of Information Challenges Dealing with Customer Bankruptcies ##SHARELINKS##
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Noble Americas Gas & Power of Four Stamford Plaza, 107 Elm St., Stamford, Conn., has joined NEPPA as a corporate member. The main contact is Dana Volpe, vice president. He may be reached at (203) 326-3570. Noble Americas is a wholesale electricity supply and purchase firm which, also does trading and marketing. ##SHARELINKS##
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2011 March 23-25, 2011 June 8-9, 2011 ##SHARELINKS##
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From now until Jan. 31, the American Public Power Association is accepting proposals for changes to its safety manual in preparation for the 15th edition.The association strongly encourages all members who would like to be a part of this process to submit a change proposal. Proposals can be uploaded through a link on the APPA’s website or by clicking Kevin Sullivan, engineering and operations manager for the Reading Municipal Light Department, has been appointed as the northeast regional representative to the APPA Task Force charged with updating the manual. Please e-mail Kevin Sullivan for any additional information. He can be reached at ksullivan@rmld.com or 781-942-6407. ##SHARELINKS##
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12/1/10 NEPPA e-Report Congress Returns for More "Lame-Duck" Activity Cantwell, Feinstein and LeMieux Send Letter, with 24 other Senators, on 1603 TGP Shaheen and Sanders Request Senate Oversight Hearing on Transmission Incentives Senators Sign Letter to Prevent Cut in LIHEAP Funding Senate Homeland Security Holds Hearing on Cyber Security House and Senate Elect Leadership for 112th Congress; Committee Chairs to Follow Energy and Resources Committee Leadership Takes Shape To view articles, click here. ##SHARELINKS##
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In a municipal electric utility, customer service representatives are usually the ones who interact with the public most often, but they are not the only ones. Other personnel—engineers, meter readers, lineworkers, even management—at times meet with and answer questions from residents. In 2010, I conducted safety meetings on "Dealing with the Public" with lineworkers and other departments at nine utilities: Holden, Peabody, North Attleboro and Ipswich, Mass.; Houlton, Calais and Madison, Maine; Jewett City, Connecticut and Johnson, Vt. I concluded each session with a final question: "What’s the most important piece of advice you would give a new hire about working successfully with the public?" Their responses covered a lot of ground, and I thought I would summarize them for you. Here are the most common pieces of advice:
What Not to Do
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