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From the Desk of RMEL Executive Director Rick Putnicki

RMEL Fall Convention Recap

Thank you to the nearly 900 attendees and to the speakers who helped us make the 2021 Virtual Fall Convention a success last month! The speakers presented their thought-provoking insights to help us all prepare for the future and Find Solutions to Tomorrow’s Challenges. We had hoped to all get together for an in-person Convention, but I was so glad we could still have a virtual forum to turn off all the noise and focus on critical content and excellent presenters. We will soon be starting the planning for the Spring Conference and Fall Convention with the thought of hosting these events as in-person conferences (and possibly hybrid) in 2022. The safety of our membership is paramount and we will continue to monitor the situation as we proceed. 

I truly believe the success of the Convention can be attributed to the timeliness of the topics and the quality of speakers we were able to assemble. I especially want to thank our CEO Panelists who took time from their hectic schedules to prepare and speak at our Convention. Thank you, Aram Benyamin (Colorado Springs Utilities), Gary Hoogeveen  (Rocky Mountain Power), Tracey LeBeau (Western Area Power Administration), and Barbara Sugg (Southwest Power Pool) for sharing your vision and insight of your organizations, and our industry.   

To all of you that registered for the Convention, I would encourage you all to schedule some “me” time to access those available presentations from the event - you have until November 12th to watch them on the platform. Please let us know if you need your login information for the Fall Convention Platform. Whether it is one you heard, or one you missed, I am confident you will gain a few nuggets of valued information.   

All of the following presentations are available to registered Fall Convention attendees until November 12th:

Fall Convention Keynote: Seeing Around the Corner – A View of What’s to Come
John Ellis, Technology and Futurist Keynote Speaker, Best-Selling Author, Software Expert, and Former Global Technologist with Ford Motor Company

CEO Panel
Panelist: Aram Benyamin, CEO, Colorado Springs Utilities 
Panelist: Gary Hoogeveen, President and CEO, Rocky Mountain Power
Panelist: Tracey LeBeau, Administrator and CEO, Western Area Power Administration
Panelist: Barbara Sugg, President & CEO, Southwest Power Pool
Moderator: Neal Walker, President, Texas New Mexico Power & RMEL 2022 President 
Sponsored by POWER Engineers, Inc. 

How Crypto Mining Operations and Utilities WIN Together
Dave Perrill, CEO, Compute North
Nicole Sedlacek, CEcD, Economic Development Manager, Nebraska Public Power District

What the Heck is Going On: A Guide to the Climate Debate in Washington
Phil Musser, VP Federal Government Affairs, NextEra Energy, Inc.

Cost-Effective Resiliency-As-A-Service: A Critical Facility Microgrid Case Study at Salt River Project
Dan Sowder, Co-Founder and Principal, Sound Grid Partners
Tess Williams, Co-Founder and Principal, Sound Grid Partners 

Grid Security: Key Questions and Answers with PacifiCorp
Daniel Marvin, Director, Cyber Security, Berkshire Hathaway Energy 

Renewable Policy and the Implication to Energy Markets
Eva Liu, Manager, Market Analysis, NextEra Energy Resources 

Anirban Basu and the Chamber of Data (Economic Update)
Anirban Basu, Chairman & CEO, Sage Policy Group, Inc. 

Powering Decarbonization: Strategies for Net-Zero CO2 Emissions
Geoffrey J. Blanford, Ph.D., Senior Technical Executive, EPRI 

Emergency Response – it is not “if”, it is “when” Roundtable Discussion
John Bowerfind, COO, Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association
Ruth Marks, VP of Transmission Maintenance, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association
Art Wiese, VP Energy Delivery, Nebraska Public Power District
Moderator: Ken Wilmot, Sr. VP and Chief Operations Officer, Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

A highlight of the Fall Convention is the opportunity to recognize key members for their contributions to our Association and Industry. This year, we honored six individuals with RMEL’s top service awards, and we had the chance to hear from Thomas J. Kent, President & Chief Executive Officer, Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), who received RMEL’s highest honor, the 2021 Distinguished Leadership Award. This award recognizes an individual that has demonstrated significant contributions to the electric energy industry, their respective organization, and an advocate for the RMEL Mission.

Doug Bennion, Retired, PacifiCorp, received RMEL’s Honorary Life Membership Award. Honorary Life Membership is conferred upon an individual “whose knowledge and accomplishments in the electric energy field entitle him/her to special recognition.” This award recognizes their years of service and dedication.  Doug retired this past Spring with a 40+ year career at PacifiCorp and served as an active RMEL Board Director for over 13 years. 

Four individuals received the Industry Leadership Award. The Industry Leadership Award recognizes individuals whose leadership has made an impact within their organizations. The 2021 recipients are: Keith Carman, Vice President of Transmission Operations, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association; Nicholas Peters, Manager, Operating Engineering Group, Colorado Springs Utilities; Angela Piner, Vice President, HDR, Inc.; and John Quintana, Supervisory Electrical Engineer, Western Area Power Administration. 

Congratulations again to these outstanding individuals!

The 2022 RMEL Foundation Scholarship Application is Now Open!
Application Deadline is February 25, 2022

The 2022 RMEL Foundation Scholarship Application is now open! Spread the word, and please let us know if you have college/trade school/university contacts who would like to receive the scholarship information. We are thankful for the solid year of scholarship fundraising our members provided the RMEL Foundation during this year. Thank you for the Corporate and Individual Cash Donations! The Virtual RMEL Foundation Auction Raised $25,000 and an additional $15,000 has been raised in cash donations. Learn more about 2022 Named Scholarship Sponsor opportunities for your company.

You can still become a Friend of RMEL – your donation of $100 or more will go directly to a 2022 Friends of RMEL scholarship!

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a great time to pause and reflect on the blessings we have been given. I thank all of you for your continued engagement in RMEL. You truly represent what our Association is all about. May you and your families have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday! 

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Alltricity Network Member Information
RMEL's trusted network is now accessible on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. These are forums intended for RMEL members only. Working side-by-side in a cooperative manner, RMEL members band together for the common goal of bettering the industry and improving service for utility customers. For more than 100 years, these key principles have proven successful, and more importantly, are tried and true methods for building strong business relationships.
 
RMEL Champions is a prestigious group of RMEL supporters with access to useful and beneficial promotional opportunities. Thank you 2021 RMEL Champions!
Industry Information
  
The New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) is leading a protest asking federal regulators to reject a proposal that would give incumbent utilities a path to building certain transmission upgrades planned by third-party transmission developers.
There are potentially more than $200 billion in electric transportation investments contained in President Joe Biden's jobs and infrastructure plans, including purchase incentives that could immediately accelerate the United States' electrification plans, according to electrification advocates watching negotiations in Congress.
  
The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) has released a new standard, IEEE 1147-2021 – IEEE Guide for the Rehabilitation of Hydroelectric Power Plants.
  
Moments after Siemens Gamesa announced that it would build a $200 million offshore wind blade finishing facility at the Port of Virginia, the first of its kind in the U.S., Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm playfully nudged the company to do even more to support a burgeoning domestic supply chain.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm announced the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) new goal to remove gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and durably store it for less than $100/ton of net CO2-equivalent. 
UK Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng met with US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm at the UN COP26 summit in Glasgow, where they discussed strengthening cooperation to accelerate the global transition to clean energy and build back better ambitions.
In our International Energy Outlook (IEO2021) Reference case, we project that residential buildings outside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will consume more electricity than all residential and commercial buildings combined in OECD countries by 2050.
 
  
A new report released last week by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) outlines how better energy efficiency and a robust demand response program using distributed energy resources (DER) already on the grid could provide up to 11 GW of “flexible generation” to ERCOT, the Texas grid operator, when the grid is strained.
  
German multinational MAN Energy has announced a milestone that is expected to help accelerate decarbonization through the increased use of hydrogen in power generation.
Despite all of the bad press and attacks from the climate alarm lobby they receive, “fossil fuels” have powered a rapid expansion of the global economy and enabled vast improvements in the standard of living across the globe for well more than a century.
  
The digitalization of our world has accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and nowhere is it more apparent than the workplace.
As companies around the world seek to burnish their green credentials, plans for a rigorous and regulated international carbon market to help countries and businesses reach their climate goals are becoming a key part of the fight against climate change.
Member Announcements
After extensive, multi-year negotiations with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), Austin Energy has been unable to reach mutually agreeable terms that would allow the utility to affordably retire its share of Fayette Power Project (FPP) coal plant as originally envisioned.
  
Nearly 6 million people visit the Grand Canyon every year to see beauty that has been labeled one of the seven natural wonders of the world. 
Basin Electric is ranked among the nation’s top cooperatives by the National Cooperative Bank in its annual NCB Co-op 100® list, which names the nation’s top 100 revenue-earning cooperative businesses.
  
The CPS Energy Board of Trustees voted to appoint Rudy D. Garza as Interim President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective November 8, 2021. Garza will serve in this role while the search for the permanent President & CEO takes place.
Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc. (Mitsubishi Power) and El Paso Electric (EPE) have signed a joint development agreement (JDA) creating a collaboration framework to jointly develop projects that will enable EPE to achieve its clean energy goals.
Evergy issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for wind energy to supply the needs of its customers. The RFP solicits bids for Evergy’s purchase of wind resources of up to 1,000 megawatts (MW) that will be in service by 2026. Projects that achieve commercial operation by mid-2024 and year-end 2025 will be given preference. 
This summer, LES Peak Rewards participants helped LES reduce peak summer demand by approximately 4 megawatts.
A Time-of-Use (TOU) program has been on the minds of Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) for several years and is now a reality for NPPD retail customers. NPPD retail customers are those who receive an electric bill and pay NPPD directly.
  
At their monthly public meeting, the Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors approved the selection of Jeff Bishop to serve as the utility’s chief financial officer and vice president of Finance. He brings more than 20 years of experience in energy and consulting.
  
NextEra Energy Resources, LLC and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association celebrated the commissioning of Colorado’s newest wind project – the Niyol Wind Energy Center – with a dedication ceremony near Fleming, Colo.
SRP continues to experience significant increases in customer electricity demand as Phoenix and Maricopa County lead the nation in population growth and economic development.
Unified Greeley County completed the site certification process for a light industrial property in Tribune, Kan. Unified Greeley County, in conjunction with Greeley County Community Development, submitted the necessary information to qualify it for certification through Sunflower Electric Power Corporation’s Certified Sites Program.
At the turn of the past century (1900, not 2000) there were as many electric vehicles as gas powered cars. The EVs of the day were more expensive, but quieter, cleaner and easier to start and drive.
Tucson Electric Power is a powerhouse when it comes to leveraging the strength and skills of veterans.
 
​​I​​n August, the Power Marketing Administration Human Resources Shared Service Center launched the HR Strategic Partnership Award, an annual award for leaders who demonstrate outstanding skill in partnering with HR. The group also announced the award’s inaugural recipient, Administrative Officer Kellie Petty. 
Xcel Energy announced that it is aiming to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its natural gas business by 2050. 
White Paper
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Colorado School of Mines are applying a new technique to identify defects in silicon solar cells that cause a drop in efficiency. The lessons learned at the atomic level could lead to improvements in the way manufacturers strengthen their products against what is known as light-induced degradation.