From the Desk of RMEL Executive Director Rick Putnicki

The RMEL Fall Convention is Next Week!
RMEL FALL CONVENTION - October 10-12, 2022, Hilton Denver Inverness Hotel, Denver, Colorado
Register Now!

There’s still time to register for the RMEL Fall Convention! Attend one of the premier events for electric energy leaders and connect with your electric utility industry peers for lively and enjoyable conversations driven by a program that focuses on strategic discussions to address today’s hot topics that are top of mind for our electric utilities. Register Now!

Check out the Fall Brochure and see more details about the solid lineup of keynotes, the popular CEO Panel, an Electric Power Research Institute Industry Update, Small Nuclear Reactors, an Energy Storage Technology Panel, the latest updates on the SCOTUS EPA Ruling, a Water Resource Challenges in the Colorado River Basin presentation, and a Gallup presentation on Knowledge Transfer/Workforce. 

Support Scholarships and Participate in the RMEL Foundation Auction (Virtual OR In-Person!)
RMEL Foundation Auction – Tuesday, October 11, 2022 – 6-8:30 p.m. MDT

Over the years, RMEL membership has been very committed to drawing and building talent for our industry. Since 2000, the RMEL Foundation, with support from the RMEL membership, has raised more than $1M, awarded to students interested in pursuing a career in our industry. Many of those scholars are now working in your companies. You have an opportunity to continue that support by participating in the Annual RMEL Foundation Auction, either through donating an auction item or making a small cash donation to become a Friend of RMEL (FoRMEL). The auction will be held during the 2022 Fall Convention on October 11 and is a primary resource for the 501c3 charity to support the funding of scholarships for the next generation of electric energy industry professionals. We will use the same bidding app that we have used for the past couple of years. Your support is needed to continue the Foundation's scholarship efforts. Even if you are unable to attend the Fall Convention, you can join the auction VIRTUALLY and bid on any donated items. To participate and bid virtually is easy, just follow the below steps:

1. Access the RMEL Foundation Auction webpage
2. Click “Login/Register to Bid”
3. Click “Create Account” and follow the prompts to create a username and password, and enter your payment information on the secure Silent Auction Pro website. You'll have the option to enter your cellphone number to receive text message updates when you're outbid.
4. Happy bidding! As soon as you're done signing up, click the link to view the auction items. When you find an item you like, you can click the green "Place a Bid" button and/or you can click the blue "Watch an Item" button. The minimum bids and bid increments are pre-populated for you.

Access On Demand Spring Conference Sessions, Plus Many More On-Demand Offerings
Register for RMEL On Demand Offerings (Many Are Complimentary)

If you didn’t get the chance to join us at the Spring Conference, more than 20 On-Demand Spring Conference Sessions are now available for your viewing. We recorded video, audio and presentations slides for most of the sessions, and you can sign up to access those now. These sessions include Day 2 Keynote Brad Jones, CEO, ERCOT; the Executive Panel General Session; plus many of the sessions from the Generation, T&D and Management tracks! Take a look at the Spring Conference brochure to get more details on the On-Demand sessions available. If you attended the Spring Conference, you already have access to these sessions. Use your Swapcard login to access the sessions. Please contact us if you need assistance logging in.

Upcoming Events
RMEL is pleased to host two workshops and a roundtable in November. We hope you can participate in these events and learn more about these extremely timely and exciting topics as 2022 winds down.

NOVEMBER SAFETY ROUNDTABLE - SHIFT WORK & SLEEP HEALTH PROMOTION
November 3, 2022 – 9 a.m.-2 p.m. MDT – Fort Collins, CO
Join us for a deep dive into best-practice research on what has made Sleep the ‘Third Pillar of Health.’ Following a review of key risks and opportunities presented by Shift Work, we will broaden the discussion to share how all phases of the 24-hour cycle – both sleeping and waking – contribute to physical and psychosocial health and well-being. With international standards now recognizing the fundamental importance of psychosocial health and well-being within organizational management (ISO/ANSI 45003), we will discuss the opportunity to address many of these concerns with one ‘velvet hammer:’ Sleep Health Promotion in the Workplace. Learn how to debunk myths about insomnia and other sleep disorders and identify actionable interventions to share with your workforce - from high-level education, awareness and surveillance to small group and one-on-one support when indicated. Learn how to integrate active ‘brain breaks’ throughout any shift to support the sleep system and understand the challenges of poor sleep to health and safety at work and at home. 

WORKSHOP: WATER SUPPLY CHALLENGES FACING POWER GENERATION
November 10, 2022 – 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. MST – Tempe, AZ
Energy and water have an inherent interdependency and both are facing rising demands. Surface water supplies are dropping, putting a higher demand on already-constrained groundwater resources. The search for sustainable energy sources reveals that low-carbon doesn't necessarily mean low water usage. These issues beg answers to many questions:
- How do we balance the competing needs between water and low carbon?
- Will my power plants have enough water to continue to operate?
- What will be the impact when existing generation is retired?
- How did we get here and what do we do now to get to a reliable future?

VIRTUAL WORKSHOP: NESC UPDATES
November 10, 2022 – 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. MST – Virtual
Major Changes and General Overview of the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) is a one-day class focusing on the major changes in the 2023 edition of the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC). The class will cover in detail the major changes to the NESC 2023 edition and will provide a general overview of each part of the NESC. During this one-day class, you will learn:
Scope and purpose of the Code:
- Major changes and general overview of the substation rules
- Major changes and general overview of the overhead line rules
- Major changes and general overview of the underground line rules
- Major changes and general overview of the work rules