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4230 Hatwai Road • PO Box 997Lewiston, ID 83501(888) 743-1501(888) 798-5280 (Propane)www.clearwaterpower.com
Board of Directors:Richard E. Butler, Culdesac, Idaho PresidentAlan Lansing, Lenore, Idaho Vice-PresidentKenneth Weiss, Asotin, Washington Secretary-TreasurerM.M. Harris, Saint Maries, Idaho Assistant Secretary-TreasurerPamela Anderson, Potlatch, IdahoRobert Callison, Kendrick, IdahoThomas Hutchinson, Craigmont, Idaho
Management & Staff K. David Hagen
General ManagerEdwin Ausman
Director of Purchasing and WarehousingLisa Hall
Manager of Financial and O� ce ServicesDouglas Pfa� Manager of EngineeringRobert Pierce Manager of Member ServicesScott Seegmiller Manager of Information SystemsCynthia Tarola Director of AccountingLisa Tuell Director of Member ServicesStanley Vannoy Manager of Operations
Business Hours:Monday - Thursday7:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.Closed Fridays
This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.If you wish to � le a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_� ling_cust.html, or at any USDA o� ce, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Offi ce of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at [email protected].
ID-1
32 AU G U S T 2014
10:10 AMCarrier 10:10 AM
10:10 AMCarrierCarrier
See for yourself with the SmartHub app:
-or-
Visit our NEW web site
www.clearwaterpower.com
Download for iPhone Download for Android
How Much
Electricity Do You Use?There’s an app for that.
Board of DirectorsPresident Lori Anderson, Condon Vice President John Qualls, HeppnerSecretary/Treasurer Roy Carlson, Fossil
Gary Wilde, OlexTodd Lindsay, Heppner Gerry Arnson, HeppnerDeacon Heideman, Ione
ManagerJerry Healy, Heppner
171 Linden WayP.O. Box 398
Heppner, OR 97836 (541) 676-9146
http://[email protected]
Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative’s main objective is to provide reliable electric service to its members at the lowest cost consistent with good business practice.
OR-2
32 Au G u s T 2014
Don’t Be Surprised!
Dial 811 toll free to be connected to Oregon’s statewide one-call center
Before picking up a shovel, pick up the telephone. Electric, water, sewer, natural gas, telephone and cable television lines often are buried underground. One wrong move can cause you and your neighbors to be cut off from vital services—or cause death or injury to you, from an electric shock or an explosion. At least two business days before you plan to dig, call Oregon’s one-call center, or your local utilities. Affected utility companies will come out and use color-coded paint to mark the locations of underground utilities. Calling ahead not only is common sense, it’s the law.
Know what’s below.Call before you dig.
Board of DirectorsBarbara Nagle, PresidentDan Williams, Vice PresidentClay Smith, SecretaryMilt Skov, TreasurerHoward Gonser, Director
ManagerDwight D. Langer
Board MeetingsUsually the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the PUD offices, 2345 River Rd. The public is always welcome.
Our MissionTo provide reliable, competitively-priced energy and related services that benefit our customers, in the tradition of public power.
Our Core Values and BeliefsLocal citizens championed and fought to create our People’s Utility District. They believed—and we believe—in the public’s right to own and control its electric utility.
Today, our values are a legacy from our public power heritage, as well as guideposts for a changing future.
We believe in: Public ownership and local control. Integrity. Keeping power rates as low as possible.
Providing quality essential services. Quality customer service. Community involvement.
2345 River RoadThe Dalles, OR 97058(541) 296-2226 FAX 298-3320www.nwasco.com Dear Customers—Our Friends and Our Neighbors,
The Northern Wasco County PUD Board of Directors, management and employees have been and continue to be very interested in energy excellence—both the construction of meaningful projects and the development of energy policy. We study the policies and practices of other utilities and countries as a means to learn from their experiences—both positive and negative. In our evaluation, we consider whether the project or policy makes sense, if it is economically feasible, how it will impact system reliability and whether the cost implications to customers are fair and equitable.
In last month’s Ruralite, we contrasted two extreme approaches of electric generation policy—those of China and Germany. In our view, both approaches do not pass the litmus test. Instead, we advocated for a middle-of-the-road approach to this issue in the U.S.
We have also reviewed Australia’s consideration of a carbon tax. Whether it is called a carbon tax, cap and trade or some other name, this will be an issue all of us will be hearing and reading a lot about in the near future. In Australia’s case, they wanted to do something to combat climate change right now, even if it was expen-sive. Well expensive it was, and now the country is rethinking and retooling its policy and approach. Between 2006 and 2013, the average Australian’s household power bill increased more than 85 percent according to the Grattan Institute, an Australian pub-lic policy think tank.
Here again, the U.S. can take an extreme approach to this issue and the results inev-itably will be either ineffective, overly costly, a jobs killer, or all three. Whatever your views on this topic, we think we need to allow for holistic public input in order to develop an approach that can be successful not only in its results, but also in terms of affordable costs by all segments and regions of our nation and result in the betterment of our country over time.
Obviously, this is a complex issue. As a nation, we need to be smart, practical and consider all the costs and consequences to our businesses and citizens before we impulsively board one train rather than another in search of an answer.
Until next time have a great day. Dwight LangerGeneral Manager
OR-3
Manager’s Report
32 AU G U S T 2014
Board of Trustees President Ralph RiseDistrict 2, Elmer City
Vice President Albert PreugschatDistrict 8, Bridgeport
Secretary/Treasurer Monte JosephDistrict 5, Nespelem
Cindy CorpeDistrict 1, Coulee Dam
Brad DudleyDistrict 3, Belvedere
Dorothy PalmerDistrict 4, Nespelem
Patrick Morin Jr.District 6, Nespelem
Gilbert Desautel Jr.District 7, Disautel
Chuck GoldmarkDistrict 9, Okanogan
Board meetings are the fourth Tuesday of every month.
P.O. Box 31 • 1009 F St.Nespelem, WA 991558 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (M-F)Phone: (509) 634-4571Fax: (509) 634-8138 email: [email protected]: www.nvec.org
For after-hours emergencies, call 634-4571 to page an on-duty employee.
WA-5
32 AU G U S T 2014
Don’t Be Surprised!
Dial 811 toll free to be connected toWashington’s statewide one-call center
Before picking up a shovel, pick up the telephone. Electric, water, sewer, natural gas, telephone and cable television lines often are buried underground. One wrong move can cause you and your neighbors to be cut o� from vital services—or cause death or injury to you, from an electric shock or an explosion. At least two business days before you plan to dig, call Washington’s one-call center, or your local utilities. A� ected utility companies will come out and use color-coded paint to mark the locations of underground utilities. Calling ahead not only is common sense, it’s the law.
Know what’s below.Call before you dig.
The arrival of fall also ushers in the CPI annual meeting. This year’s event is Saturday, September 13. It provides an opportunity for you, our mem-ber-owners, to elect your board of directors, hear what took place during 2014 and get a glimpse of what the future holds for our industry.
This year, we are privileged to hear from Jose Reyes, co-founder and chief technology officer of NuScale Power. Reyes is also the co-designer of the NuScale passively cooled small nuclear reactor. At Oregon State University, Reyes served as head of the nuclear engineering and radiation health physics department. He directed the Advanced Thermal Hydraulic Research Laboratory and was co-director of the Battelle Energy Alliance Academic Center of Excellence for Thermal Fluids and Reactor Safety in support of the Idaho National Laboratory mission. Come hear the latest news about the nuclear industry and NuScale’s role in its future.
CPI annually selects one of our high school students to attend the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Washington, D.C., Youth Tour. This year’s event had a record participation rate of more than 1,600 students. Come hear this year’s participant tell about this magnificent experience in our nation’s capital.
Local business partners will be here to tell you about the products and services they provide. We also will have activities for the kids, including bucket truck rides and a live electric safety demonstration.
Enjoy the free lunch, door prizes, attendance gifts and the business meeting. See pages 4, 5, 28 and 29 for more details.
We look forward to seeing you Saturday, September 13.
OR-6
Annual MeetingMAILING ADDRESS
P.O. Box 1180Philomath, OR 97370(541) 929-3124(800) 872-9036
LOCAL OFFICES
6990 West Hills Rd.Philomath, OR 97370
1900 W Oak StreetLebanon, OR 97355
Russ Sapp CHAIRMAN
Thad Springer VICE CHAIRMAN
Terry Plagmann SECRETARY
Kevin ChristopherASSISTANT SECRETARY
Roman Gillen PRESIDENT/CEO
Tony Wilson TREASURER/CFO
www.cpi.coop
CPI Annual MeetingSeptember 13
32 AU G U S T 2014
Dear Members:
With summer winding down and a new school year approaching, we’re reminded of the many scholarships Benton REA has provided to our member’s children. Five $8,000 academic or vocational scholarships are o� ered each year to help o� set the cost of college or technical school for our next generation of leaders in the community. Below is a list of the current and past outstanding students we have had the pleasure to support:
Rebecca Linton Erik Von Reis Kimberly Parish Shane Wolf Jesalyn Landa Mark Anderson Monesh Kapadia Melissa Gamache Brian Long Elizabeth Evans Chad O’Biren Erica Scott Lindsay Gra� Peter Kannberg Lori Kay Miller Nisha Kapadia David Panther Jennifer Veiga Geo� rey Hunsaker Kyle Rattray Brian � ornock Ann Fiedler Amanda Peden Anthony Hillard Laura Shuler Kaelyn Lommers Brent � ielges Gary Brown Greta Jones Paige Elegy Ben � urgood Wynne Auld Lindsey Grow Andrea � onney Lisa Fiedler Benjamin Meyer Rocky Ulk Adrienne Hilliard Maira Perez Alys Hugo James Peden David Starkey Stephanie Suhadolnik Stephanie Zediker Wade Baker Allison Grow Robert � onney Benjamin Dekker Juhi Jain Jake Knox Kelly Kobes Marc Rollins Carrie Dotson Leilanie Anderson James Weisz Mary Schmick Daniel Tixier Sara Deibler Tiana Steckler Elizabeth Anderson Mark Garber Kayla Hatchell Shauna Maple Brandon Oswalt Grace denHoed Hannah Hatchell Hannah Horner Krista O’Neill Wyatt Baker Bailey LePage Katie McTighe Alana Peters Sean Stephens Callie Jane Bailey Spencer Anderson Michael Carlson Michael Koslowski Christopher Wiley Madison Whitlock
Our members should be proud that their cooperative has supported each one of these individuals and their continuing education.
Sincerely,
Clint GerkensmeyerGeneral [email protected]
Main Offi ce402 7th StreetP.O. Box 1150
Prosser, WA 99350www.bentonrea.org
Phone: (509) 786-2913toll free (800) 221-6987
Fax: (509) 786-0291
Toppenish Offi ce410 South G Street
P.O. Box 744Toppenish, WA 98948Phone: (509) 865-2600
West Richland Offi ce6095 W. Van Giesen
West Richland, WA 99353Phone: (509) 967-2921
WA-7
Benton REAThe Board meets the last Wednesday
of each month at 6:00 p.m.Trustees:President.........................................Virgil BoyleVice -president...................................Kyle ShinnSecretary/Treasurer............................Mark PlattTrustee, District #1....................Buddy TreadwayTrustee, District #2..................Michael FreeponsTrustee, District #3 ..............................Jim MoonTrustee, District #5..............................Tim Grow Trustee, District #7..........................Connie Krull Trustee, District #8..................Catherine Russell
Staff:Manager..............................Clint GerkensmeyerEngineering Manager.....................Derek MillerSpecial Services Manager...........Mike BradshawManager of Finance & Admin.............John PorterOperations Manager............................Jeff EkrutI. T. Manager.....................................Jeff BastowMember Services Manager...........Troy BerglundAttorney.......................................Terry MundorfConsulting Engineer...................................HDRAuditor....................Blodgett, Michelson & Naef
Manager’s MessageEducating the Next Generation
32 AU G U S T 2014
OR-8
O� cesHermiston O� ce750 W. Elm St.541 567-6414
Boardman O� ce203 E. Boardman Ave.541 481-2220
Toll-Free1-800-452-2273
To Report An OutageCall 888-465-5701 any time day or night
DirectorsPresidentJe� Wenholz
Vice PresidentBryan Wolfe
Secretary-TreasurerBob MacPherson
RoseEtta Ansotegui Lee DockenJohn Otis Glenn Rohde
General ManagerSteve Eldrige
MissionUmatilla Electric Cooperative is a member-owned business that sells energy and other services to improve the quality of life in our communities.
umatillaelectric.com
32 AU G U S T 2014
Facing a Problem? Think CooperativelyBack when Umatilla Electric Cooperative was founded, rural areas had a problem. They did not have access to electricity, so a group of neighbors and friends set out to form a co-operative solution. Folks in 1,000 other rural communities throughout the United States did the same thing, creating rural electric coop-eratives.
Folks in urban areas also were also form-ing co-ops—not electric or farm co-ops, but credit unions and housing co-ops. Coopera-tives start when the “market” fails to offer a good or service or does so at prices few people can afford.
During the Great Depression, banks were not interested in extending credit to people of modest means, so people got together, col-lected a $5 membership fee and formed more than 23,000 credit unions. They solved their problem with a cooperative solution.
Today, mostly due to mergers, there are about 6,800 credit unions with nearly 100 million members.
Meanwhile, in New York City, folks need-ed safe and affordable housing. Their answer was to form a housing co-op. They did by the hundreds. Today, there are more than 3,000 housing co-ops nationwide. While most are in urban areas, they are a growing solution in rural areas—and a number of mobile home parks are being converted to cooperative ownership.
Is reliable child care a concern? More than 1,000 preschool cooperatives operate in the U.S. While some require parents to volunteer
a certain number of hours a month, these cooperatives have been a great solution for families.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are even co-ops covering funeral needs. By join-ing the co-op—which has pre-negotiated the price of the funeral based on your preferenc-es—consumers can save up to 40 percent off the average cost of a funeral and burial. From cradle to grave, co-ops have you covered.
Perhaps you own a small business and are looking to lower the cost of the goods you sell, or maybe you are one of 50,000 small business owners who is a member of a purchasing cooperative. Through coopera-tives, small locally owned businesses are able to compete against big-box retailers. Dollars spent locally stay in the community six times longer than dollars spent at stores owned out-side the community, according to the Small Business Administration.
What do all of these businesses have in common? Local people coming together to solve a problem with a cooperative solution. One of the reasons co-ops are popular in so many different industries is they answer the question, “What’s in it for me?” and provide a solution that also serves the community.
The next time you face a problem, think cooperatively and, chances are, there will be a cooperative solution.
Courtesy of Adam Schwartz, founder of The Cooperative Way, a consulting fi rm that helps co-ops succeed.
OR-9
32 au g u s t 2014
105 E. 4th St.The Dalles, OR 97058Office phone: (541) 296-2740Toll-free phone: (800) 341-8580www.wascoelectric.com
Board of DirectorsRon Holmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PresidentMichael Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vice PresidentJim McNamee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . secretaryH . Kelly Mcgreer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . treasurergary Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DirectorRobert Durham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DirectorRobert “Bob” Hammel . . . . . . . . . . . . . DirectorNeal Harth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DirectorDeOra Patton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director
StaffJeff Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . general ManagerMarie Wilson . . . . Executive admin . assistantshannon Bessette . . . . . . . . . . . . . accountantJim Bailey . . . . . . . . . . . . Engineering assistantJim green . . . . . . . . . Engineering techniciantraci Brock . . . Marketing & Member servicesLaura Correia . . . . . . . Customer service Rep .Jennifer Lindsey . . . . Customer service Rep .Casey McCleary . . . . . . . Operations ManagerMichael North . . . . . . . . . the Dalles ForemanRobert gridley . . . . . . . . . the Dalles LinemanWesley Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . servicemanBrewster Whitmire . . . . . . . . . . . Field technicianDan Funkhouser . . . grass Valley Line Foremangerald Haeffelin . . . . Maupin Line ForemanFrank Roeder . . . . . . . . . . . . Maupin LinemanRay Kindley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . attorney
Mission Statement“Wasco Electric Cooperative Inc.will provide its members withcompetitively priced, reliable energyand related services.”
Office Hours:Monday - Thursday,7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2014 Annual MeetingAlthough November is far away, preparations for Wasco Electric Cooperative’s 75th annual meeting are underway. The meeting is Saturday, November 15, at the Civic Auditorium.
During the meeting, members will vote on three director positions that are expiring—one from each of the three districts.
At its August meeting, the board of directors will appoint the member committee that nominates candidates to run for those positions. The committee will meet in early September.
If you are a member willing to serve on the board of directors, please let us know. We will give your name to the nominating committee members for consideration. See page 8 of this issue for more information.
Current directors running for re-election this year are Ron Holmes, District 2, serving on the board since 2008 and as the current president; and DeOra Patton, District 3, serving on the board since 2005.
District 1, representing The Dalles and Dufur areas, will be an open position this year with the retirement of Neal Harth. Neal will retire at this year’s annual meeting following 29 years of service on the board.
August EventsAugust is a busy time of year for many end-of-summer activities. Below is a list of several signature events happening this month. I hope you are able to take in some, if not all, of these great events.• Friday, August 1, through Sunday, August 3: 28th annual
Shaniko Days• Friday, August 8, through Sunday, August 10: Cruise the
Gorge, The Dalles• Saturday, August 9, and Sunday, August 10: Dufur
Threshing Bee• Thursday, August 14, through Sunday, August 17: Wasco
County Fair and Rodeo, Tygh Valley• Wednesday, August 20, through Sunday, August 24: Sherman
County Fair and Rodeo, Moro
As always, if you have any questions about your cooperative, please feel free to call or stop by the office.
Jeff Davis, General Manager
Manager’s Message
Dear Member,
Every once in awhile, it’s good to revisit the reasons we are different from other electric utilities. We are a cooperative... your cooperative... not-for-profit, and owned by those we serve. You have local control, setting rates and policies. So as a reminder, here is an abbreviated version of the Cooperative Principles.
Voluntary and Open MembershipCooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination.
Democratic Member ControlCooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who ac-tively participate in setting policies and making decisions.
Members’ Economic ParticipationMembers contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative.
Autonomy and IndependenceCooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members.
Education, Training, and InformationCooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representa-tives, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives.
Cooperation Among CooperativesCooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national and regional and structures.
Concern for CommunityWhile focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable develop-ment of their communities through policies accepted by their members.
Best Regards,
Dave SabalaGeneral Manager
OR-10
Cooperative Principles - Revisited
OwnedBy ThoseWe ServeDouglas Electric Cooperative Inc.,Roseburg, OregonPhone (541) 673-6616 (800) 233-2733
O� cersPresident. . . . . . . Terry NelsonVice President . . Robert PoageSecretary. . . . . . . Shirley CairnsTreasurer . . . . . . . Dick McHa� eDirector . . . . . . . . Larry ShipleyDirector . . . . . . . . Evan BarnesDirector . . . . . . . . Carey Weatherly
ManagerDave Sabala(541) 637-0342
Assistant General ManagerCameron Frasnelly(541) 430-7676
SuperintendentTodd Sherwood(541) 580-7205
O� ce ManagerPaul Leonard
Member ServicesTodd C. Munsey
Douglas FastnetTodd Way
Mission StatementThe mission of Douglas ElectricCooperative, a member-owned and operated cooperative, is to provide a� ordable, reliable electric and other compatible services that enhance the quality of life for its members, using progressive marketing in con-junction with sound � nancial and management principles.
32 AU G U S T 2014
P.O. Box 97Monument, OR 97864
(541) 934-2311Toll free (888) 203-7638
DIRECTORS President Paul WaltonVice President Adam TempleSec./Treasurer Tom Campbell Dan CannonDave Humphreys Cheryl JenisonLaReta Jones
MANAGERTroy Cox
The board of directors meets the second Monday of each month.
Columbia Power Co-op
POWER OUTAGE NUMBERSCo-op office . . . . . . . . . 934-2311Ed Andersen . . . . . . . . . 934-2255Guy Andersen . . . . . . . 934-2098Troy Cox . . . . . . . . . . . . . 934-2155Josh Hamilton . . . . . . . 934-2133Mike Osborne . . . . . . . . 934-2067Joe Ringering . . . . . . . . 934-2198Gary Warner . . . . . . . . . 934-2961Brian Woodell . . . . . . . . 934-2260
OR-11
32 AU G U S T 2014
Don’t Be Surprised!
Dial 811 toll free to be connected toOregon’s statewide one-call center
Before picking up a shovel, pick up the telephone. Electric, water, sewer, natural gas, telephone and cable television lines often are buried underground. One wrong move can cause you and your neighbors to be cut o� from vital services—or cause death or injury to you, from an electric shock or an explosion. At least two business days before you plan to dig, call Oregon’s one-call center, or your local utilities. A� ected utility companies will come out and use color-coded paint to mark the locations of underground utilities. Calling ahead not only is common sense, it’s the law.
Know what’s below.Call before you dig.
Cooling Summer’s Hot Weather Power BillsWith Central Oregon’s hot summer weather and more people turning to air condi-tioning to beat the heat, some co-op members’ electricity bills may be higher than they are used to. Since weather is the No. 1 influence on our electricity use, we need to be wise consumers if we want to keep our costs in check.
Central Electric offers several ways to help you do this dur-ing summer. For starters, visit the Save Money, Save Energy sec-tion of our website, www.cec.coop. You will find a link to Easy Summer Cooling Tips in the Energy Efficiency Library. You can read about a number of simple heat-reducing and energy-saving tips, such as going with cooler compact fluorescent or LED lighting over heat-emitting incandescent lights, seeking out ways to cook using less heat, shifting laundry duty to the day’s cooler hours and using fans rather than air conditioners whenever possible.
As for that last tip, we all know there are definitely times when you just can’t do without air conditioning. That’s when you might think about a high-efficiency appliance that increases comfort and saves energy. Ductless heat pumps produce savings of 25 to 50 percent on winter heating costs, but because they are also air conditioners you may find their appeal particularly attractive this time of year. A CEC energy-efficiency rebate of $800 or $1,200—depending on the type of electric heat in your home—supplies an extra financial incentive. Our website has additional information about this program.
One of the most important parts of becoming a more efficient electricity user is better understanding your consumption patterns. The CEC website can help in this area, too. By signing into the SmartHub application, you can access the MyUsage fea-ture. It lets you see how your electricity use shifts in direct relation to the outdoor temperatures: As the mercury climbs, so do the number of kilowatt-hours consumed. Because you also can view use by the hour, day, week or month, you have an impor-tant piece of information to diagnose what is driving your use.
We sometimes receive calls from members who do not understand how outdoor temperatures affected their bill—especially when there was a heat wave or cold snap several weeks before the bill arrived. That is why it is so helpful to both consumers and the co-op when members keep a close eye on their electricity consumption while it is taking place.
Hoping you are staying cool and comfortable,
Dave Markham, President and CEO
OR-12
Central IssuesCentral Electric CooperativeDIRECTORS:
Chairman Tom Strand, TerrebonneVice Chairman Dan Steelhammer, BendSecretary/Treasurer Kip Light, Madras Beverly Clarno, RedmondDavid C. Clemens, SistersBoyd Keeton, TumaloShirley McCullough, Prineville Kelly McFarlane, Powell ButteKenneth H. Miltenberger, Alfalfa
Attorney Robert E. Maloney Jr.Lane Powell PC, Portland
STAFF:President Dave Markham
Chief Financial Officer Rawleigh White
Operations & Engineering Director Bob McConnell
Corporate Information Officer Lisa Cutter
Member Services Director Jeff Beaman
Bend District ManagerKaren Lewis
24-HOURPHONE NUMBERS:
Redmond .............(541) 548-2144Bend ......................(541) 389-1980Madras ..................(541) 475-3266Prineville ..............(541) 447-5321Sisters ....................(541) 549-5698
Board meets the third Thursday of each month at the CEC office, 2098 N. Highway 97, Redmond, OR.
www.cec.coop
Mission StatementThe aim of Central Electric Co-op is to make electric energy available to its members at the lowest cost consistent with sound economy and good management.
President’s Report
32 AU G U S T 2014
Electricity has transformed life on the southern Oregon Coast. Seventy-five years ago, people’s lives and their life-styles were very different.
Coos-Curry Electric has a history rich with stories of the men and women who, through vision, determination and hard work, took control of and defined their future. Ignoring rejection and overcoming challenges, they organized a cooperative that would bring electric-ity to rural areas that had been denied a lifestyle that people living in America’s populated areas enjoyed.
More than just a story about Coos-Curry Electric, this book presents sto-ries about the people who dreamed of a better life in rural America, politicians who paved the way for that better way of life and just a few local people—then and now—who have made life in Coos-Curry Electric’s service territory interesting and memorable.
As I’m sure you’ve heard, your electric cooperative is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. In preparing for our 75th year, we captured many of the stories about the men and women who, through vision, determination and hard work, took control of and defined their future—a life that included electricity. “Follow the Line” is a book about this coop-erative’s beginnings and the events that happened through the years to shape life as we know it today. I think you will find this history book an interesting read. You may even be surprised about who owned the original generator in Gold Beach and Brookings, or how long ago it was that members experimented with renewables such as solar and wind.
There is a short excerpt below. If you want to read more, get your copy at any of our offices for a small fee intended to offset the cost of printing. Be sure to write down your own story in the back of the book. If you want to tell your story to us, we will put it in our archives to possibly be shared with others one day. We appreciate the vision and determination of people such as Ivan Laird, Fred Adams and Vern Kolen. And, we appreciate you—our members—each and every day.
Roger MeaderGeneral Manager
OR-13
Special MessageTo those we are committed to—and serve electrically—every day.
Board of Directors PresidentCheryl McMahan, Southern At-Large
Vice PresidentJohn G. Herzog, Brookings/Harbor
Secretary/ TreasurerGeorgia A. Cockerham, Brookings/Harbor
Edward Dowdy, Northern At-Large Jim Kolen, Gold Beach Peter C. Radabaugh, BandonDaryl C. Robison, Port Orford/Langlois
Attorney—Tyler Pepple
Sta� General Manager/CEORoger Meader
Corporate Services/CFOFrank Corrales
Operations ManagerC. Dale Wilson
Manager of System Planning & EngineeringAndrew McBride
Marketing and Member Services ManagerChristine L. Stallard
Local numbersCoquille ........................... (541) 396-3118Port Orford ..................... (541) 332-3931Gold Beach ..................... (541) 247-6638Brookings ....................... (541) 469-2103
Area o� ce hours 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Closed Friday.
After-Hours Outage Number (866) 352-9044
Call Before You Dig811
www.ccec.coop
“People just seem to follow the line,” Ivan Laird, the founder of Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative used to say.
The development potential of this majestic coastal area had been there all along. Electricity transformed lives and lifestyles into what is enjoyed today.
A story of Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative, Inc. and how one man’s vision and determination changed lives and lifestylesLINE
Follow the
C H R I S T I N E L . S T A L L A R D
32 AU G U S T 2014 www.ccec.coop
OR-14 652 Rose Ave.
P.O. Box 69Vernonia, OR 97064
(503) 429-3021 Toll free (800) 777-1276
www.westoregon.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORSPresident Robert VanNatta (Dist. 2 – Mist, Apiary, Birkenfeld)
Vice President Bob Paleck (Dist. 5 – Timber, Buxton)
Sec./Treasurer Marty Van Dyken(Dist. 3 – Vernonia, Keasey)
Brian Baker(Dist. 1 – Jewell, Elsie, Hamlet)
Dan Murphy(Dist. 4 – Vernonia)
Rosemary Lohrke (Dist. 6 – Chapman, Scappoose)
Larry Averitt(Dist. 7 – Manning, Hagg Lake,Yamhill County)
GENERAL MANAGERBob Perry
Contact the Board: [email protected]
Board meetings are the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.Members are welcome.
West Oregon Electric Co-op
32 AU G U S T 2014
Please join us as West Oregon Electric Cooperative celebrates its 70th anniversary.
The WOEC Annual Meeting is Saturday, August 16, at the Vernonia Scout Cabin. Registration begins at 10 a.m. The meeting will be called to order at 11 a.m. A catered barbecue lunch follows the meeting.
All members are welcome to attend the annual meeting, but for planning purposes, please RSVP so we know how many people will be attending. To RSVP, call the office at (503) 429-3021 or email [email protected].
You should receive your official annual meeting notice and ballot in the mail by the first week of August. Please take the time to read the candidate information and fill out the ballot so you can cast your vote for the directors in Districts 3 and 7.
As a member-owned electric utility, this is your chance to be an active part of the co-op through your vote for representation on the board of directors. At the meet-ing, you will hear reports on the financial status, operations and management of your cooperative.
We look forward to seeing you. We welcome the opportunity to visit with our members and make sure your questions and input are heard. Please join us for a great meeting, lunch and fun door prizes.
Bob PerryGeneral Manager
Annual Meeting 2014
Surprise Valley Electrification Corp.516 U.S. Hwy. 395 E.Alturas, CA 96101
Phone (530) 233-3511Toll-Free: (866) 843-2667www.surprisevalleyelectric.org
Office open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.Monday through Friday
After hours and outages:Call office numbers above
Staff
Brad Kresge, General ManagerJohn Minto, EngineerDennis Reed, Line SuperintendentLynn Culp, Member Service Manager
Board of directorSCraig Joiner, PresidentLookout
Dennis Flynn, Vice PresidentAdel
Raymond Cloud, Secretary/TreasurerNew Pine Creek
Wesley CookCedarville
Scott WarnerLakeview
John ErquiagaLake City
Duane McGarvaLikely
Board meets the fourth Thursday of the month at the SVE office.
Recently a number of Surprise Valley Electric members have received a phone call from a person stating he is an employee of Surprise Valley Electric and then demand-ing payment within one hour and requesting payment by a debit or credit card.
These calls have not been made by actual Surprise Valley Electric staff, but are being made by an individual or group that is committing a crime and trying to steal from unsuspecting members. They also have identified themselves as PacifiCorp. employees demanding payment from their customers.
If you are receiving one of these calls, ask for the caller’s name and a call back num-ber and request your account number and balance owing. If they are not able to give you this information, hang up. Do not provide your debit or credit card information unless you have initiated the call with Surprise Valley Electric.
If you have received a suspicious call, please contact our office or the Modoc County Sheriff as we are working with the sheriff concerning these incidents.
Beware of Phone Scam
Please join us at our annualmembership meeting on September 6!
The Surprise Valley Electrification Board of Directors and General Manager Brad Kresge invite you to the annual meeting September 6. From left, Kresge, President Craig Joiner, Vice President Dennis Flynn, Scott Warner, Duane McGarva, Secretary Raymond Cloud, John Erquiaga and Wes Cook.
CA-15
32 AUGUST 2014
32 AU G U S T 2014
Dear Member:
During all the years I have shared my thoughts and ruminations on this page, at no time is the headline for this column more fitting than now. Soon after you read this message I will be heading “Down the Line -----” as I begin a new chapter in my life – Retirement.
The next chapter will commence after Labor Day. How will I occupy my time? Well, it may sound familiar since initial plans include relaxing with family and friends, polish my golf game along with my fishing skills, and travel. I would be remiss if I did not also mention the “Honey-Do List”
awaiting me at home. As I collected my thoughts in preparation of writing my final message to you, I was instantly
reminded of the many acquaintances and friends I have had the privilege of making over the past 37 years that I have been with Lane Electric Co-op. In spite of the of the countless number of memorable events that have occurred during the past four decades that that are worthy of mention, it is the people I have had the opportunity to know that are most meaningful to me.
Throughout my time with the Co-op, the last 19 years as General Manager, the members (i.e., You) were a constant source of motivation for me. To see the Co-op exceed your expectations has always been a fundamental objective. The measure of how well the Co-op was meeting expectations came in the outward expression of appreciation, confidence and support from the members; even when we fell short. How can someone not be inspired to do their best for such people?
Obviously, my relationship with the Co-op’s members has been very important, but the depth of that association has extended beyond simply a “customer service” perspective. A warm and friendly greeting received at a Co-op meeting, or on a weekend when shopping says so much more. For me, it speaks to Trust. That is a measure that I am so grateful. The confidence and support that ya’ll have demonstrated means more than you can imagine to me. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to serve you.
All of this gives me pause and the realization of how much I will miss the day-to-day interaction with the Co-op’s members. However, there will always remain the opportunity to chat when we cross paths at Costco some weekend or have a chance to share a cup of coffee at a local café. A warm and friendly greeting should extend well beyond the end of this summer.
Until we meet again, Thank You and Take Care.
Down the line
787 Bailey Hill Road / P.O. Box 21410Eugene, Oregon 97402
O� ce Phone: (541) 484-1151Website: www.laneelectric.com
BOARD OF DIRECTORSChris Seubert, President; Central District
Jeri Nelson, Vice-President; Oakridge District
Ed Bangle, Secretary; Row River District
Pat Dymock, Treasurer; McKenzie District
Jack Billings, Central District
Chuck Leighter, Central District
Susan Knudsen Obermeyer, Oakridge District
MANAGEMENT STAFFTony Toncray; Mgr. Construction & Maintenance
Doug Stockdale; Mgr. Engineering Services
Debi Wilson; Mgr. O� ce & Sta� Services
Dave D’Avanzo; Mgr. Member & Regional A� airs
BOARD MEETINGS4th Monday of each month(Unless otherwise noted)Lane Electric’s O� ce at 11 a.m.
Rick CrinklawGeneral Manager
~Our Mission~In the cooperative spirit, Lane Electric provides safe, economical, and reliable
energy services to its members.
OR-16
Crinklaw Bids LEC Farewell...
McKenzie Chainsaw Art Festival...
Notice of Director Vacancy In Three-Districts...
Power Lines...
Down the Line...
In this issue...Feature: Page #
4-5
8
25
28-29
32
A Touchstone Energy® Cooperative
Dear Members,Blachly-Lane Electric Cooperative held a special members’ meeting on July 13. The meeting was in Blachly-Lane’s equip-ment shed. Fifty-one members attended. The members enjoyed hot dogs, side dishes and each other’s company on a surpris-ingly cool and breezy July evening.
Ballots were counted for two director positions and proposed changes to the cooperative’s bylaws.
Incumbent District 2 Director Bob Sikes was re-elected over challenger Jeff Rutherford. Marlene Northrup ran unopposed in District 4. Congratulations to the successful candidates.
All of the bylaw changes were approved by a majority of votes of the members.Drawings were held for one $100 and two $50 electric bill credits.
BPA Proposes Another Rate IncreaseBlachly-Lane purchases wholesale electricity from PNGC Power. PNGC purchases its wholesale electricity from the Bonneville Power Administration. BPA announced a proposed rate hike commencing October 1, 2015, which ultimately will be passed onto Blachly-Lane and its members. This is the beginning of an approximately year-long review process for BPA customers.
The proposed rate increases are 8.7 percent for electricity and 6.1 percent for trans-mission services. These figures are averages for all BPA customers combined. The actual increase for each BPA customer will vary based on their electrical use.
Last year, wholesale power purchases were 62 percent of Blachly-Lane’s total expenses.
We will keep you informed of further developments in the BPA rate process and how it may affect Blachly-Lane’s rates.
In the meantime, have a happy and safe summer.
Joe JarvisGeneral Manager
OR-17
Special Members’ Meeting,Election a Success
TM
Blachly-LaneElectric Cooperative90680 Highway 99Eugene, OR 97402(541)-688-8711(800)-446-8418www.blachlylane.coop
Mission Statement: Blachly-Lane’sprimary objective is to provide safe, cost-e� ective, reliable, and competitive electrical energy and service to its members.
General ManagerJoe [email protected]
Board of Directors:Ernie Jacksch, Vice Chairman(ph: 927-3466) District [email protected](Low Pass, Blachly, Deadwood andIndian Creek areas)
Bob Sikes, Director(ph: 935-7602) District 2(Fern Ridge and Elmira-rural areas)
Cheryl Haskell, Secretary/Treasurer(ph: 998-3954) District [email protected](Junction City-rural and Hwy 99N)
Marlene Northrup, Director(ph.998-1216) District [email protected](Hwy 36, Hall Road andNorth Poodle Creek Road)
Cliff Kelley, Chairman(ph: 935-5728) District [email protected](Warthen, Sheffler and Walton areas)
32 AU G U S T 2014
Board of Commissioners
Dan G. GunkelPresidentRay A. MosbruckerVice PresidentRandy L. KnowlesSecretary
Jim SmithGeneral ManagerRon IhrigChief Operating OfficerGwyn Miller Human Resources Manager
Holly DohrmanPower Manager
Ron SchultzChief EngineerJeff ThayerOperations Manager
Mike DeMottCustomer Service Supervisor
www.klickitatpud.com
Goldendale Office1313 S. Columbus Ave.Goldendale, WA 98620(509) 773-5891(800) 548-8357
White Salmon Office110 NE Estes Ave. P.O. Box 187White Salmon, WA 98672(509) 493-2255(800) 548-8358
WA-18
32 AU G U S T 2014
We just received our completed financial audit from Moss Adams for 2013. I want to give you access to that report and provide some highlights.
I am pleased to announce that Moss Adams’ report states there were no deficiencies in our internal financial controls that they consider to be a material weakness. They did make recom-mendations in two areas, and their suggestions already have been implemented.
As of the end of 2013, your PUD had ownership of plant in service totaling $297,195,055. This is essentially the equipment and facilities we use to serve you as customers on our electric, water and waste water systems, and our transmission and generation facilities.
The PUD had $2.8 million in rate stabilization funds and $21.3 million in current assets, which includes cash, receivables, materials and supp lies, as well as accounting for a prepaid power contract. This does not include restricted bond reserve funds, which we are required by our bond holders to have on hand. These funds total an additional $12.8 million.
On the other side of the ledger, we had $133 million in long-term debt and $10.5 million in current liabilities, which includes accounts payable and other accrued liabilities.
Operating revenues for 2013 were $41.5 million, and operating expenses were $39 million. Net operating income was $2.5 million. After including nonoperating revenues and expenses, our net change in position was -$1.24 million. Our actual 2013 year-end net position is $100.5 million, and our nonrestricted cash position and rate stabilization position was $12.7 million. This pencils out to about 150 days of operating cash on hand. Our debt service coverage was 1.40.
The complete financial audit by Moss Adams can be found at our website at www.klickitatpud.com/topicalMenu/about/financialReports.aspx.
Jim SmithGeneral Manager
2013 Financial Audit
I hope you all are enjoying the summer as much as I have been. Summer is my favorite time of the year. It comes and goes all too quickly. I remind myself often to slow down, take it all in and enjoy it while it lasts.
The NLI Board of Directors has appointed a new director to District 7, taking the place of former director Vern Hollett. Congratulations and a warm welcome to Jim Woodward. Jim joins the NLI Board with extensive engineering and business experience. His knowledge and skill set make him an excellent addition to the board.
The Role of NLI DirectorsBoard directors are democratically elected by the membership to govern and direct the cooperative’s affairs. The board of directors are fiduciaries—people to whom power is entrusted for the benefit of others. The fundamental fiduciary responsibility of the NLI Board of Directors is to carefully represent the interests of the members as a group by directing and overseeing the business and affairs of the cooperative within the law.
Being a director is a big responsibility. The electric utility industry is an ever-evolv-ing, high-tech system that must be designed and engineered to meet regulatory and consumer standards for reliability, quality and safety. There are numerous challeng-ing industry issues such as power supply, regulatory requirements and environmental issues.
For directors to govern effectively in these challenging times, it is essential they have a solid understanding of what is happening in the electric industry. Ongoing education helps board directors meet the challenges, facing our co-op both today and tomorrow.
To fulfill their duties, the NLI Board Directors commit time to education. On a regular basis, board directors attend training on topics such as board governance, financial decision-making and strategic planning, to name a few. This education helps prepare the directors to make wise business decisions in the board room.
Albert Einstein once said, “Learning is not a product of schooling, but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” At NLI we agree with this philosophy.
Enjoy the sunshine!
—Annie TerraccianoGeneral Manager
ID-19
In the Board Room at Northern Lights
The power of local service
Board of Directors by DistrictDist. No. 1—Eric Anderson, Priest Lake, ID(208) 610-1718Dist. No. 2—Judith Simonson, Noxon, MT(406) 847-2643Dist. No. 3—Steve Elgar, Sandpoint, ID(208) 265-0570Dist. No. 4—David Pemberton, Careywood, ID(208) 661-5911Dist. No. 5—Kennon McClintock, Moyie Springs, ID(208) 267-7064Dist. No. 6—G.E. Butch Hagen, Bonners Ferry, ID(208) 819-3191 Dist. No. 7—Jim Woodward, Sagle, ID(208) 946-7963
www.nli.coopP.O. Box 269Sagle, ID 83860
For Outages: (866) NO-LITES(866) 665-4837 For regular business within the Sandpoint area: (208) 263-5141
Outside Sandpoint:(800) 326-9594
Board President Steve Elgar
Board Vice PresidentEric Anderson
Board Secretary/Treasurer Judith Simonson
General Manager Annie Terracciano
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Idaho County Light & PowerCooperativeP.O. Box 300Grangeville, Idaho 83530Phone: (208) 983-1610Tollfree: (877) 212-0424Fax: (208) 983-1432E-mail: [email protected]: www.iclp.coop
DirectorsPresident Ernie RobinsonWhite Bird
Vice President John SolbergKamiah
Secretary-Treasurer Cliff TackeGreencreek
Frank McIntireKamiah
Gerald FreiGrangeville
Kim DahlerKooskia
Jim PoxleitnerCottonwood
AttorneyGreg FitzMaurice
ManagerJake Eimers
ID-21
Youth Rally Makes Future LeadersDear Members,
As I write this piece, our 2014 Youth Rally delegates and director are participating in the week long leadership and educational conference sponsored by the Idaho Consumer-Owned Utilities Association, of which your cooperative is a member.
Participants sponsored by Idaho County Light & Power are Maria Munger, daughter of Maureen and Ben from Cottonwood; Taylor Wilkins, son of Carla and Jeff from Grangeville; and Kennadee Conner, daughter of Sherri and Ken, also from Grangeville. They are accompanied by Michael Stevens, son of Renee and Fred of Grangeville. Michael was a delegate to the same conference last year and was selected to represent ICLP as a youth director this year.
The ICUA Youth Rally conference hosts about 100 young adults from seven Northwest states plus Alaska on the campus of The College of Idaho in Caldwell. The young people are kept busy with classes and activities teaching them organizational and leadership skills. They learn from leaders and educators from the electric industry, education and government and also draw from the talent of ICUA member utilities staff people. In fact, our own Chad Hill, manager of engineering, is chairman of the committee that plans, organizes and chaperones this worthwhile conference.
Delegates to the Youth Rally come away with much more than a better understanding of how their utilities function. They meet and learn from successful folks from all walks of life. They learn first-hand from people their own age about the dangers and downside of substance abuse. And they share experiences and gain lifelong friends with other future leaders. Topping it all off, upon graduation from high school, each of our delegates receives a $750 scholarship funded by the unclaimed capital credit retirements of our members.
This is where I make the pitch to you. If you have a son or daughter who will be a sophomore or junior in the coming school year and they are interested in going on to college or technical school after graduation, encourage them to apply for the Youth Rally Scholarship sponsored by Idaho County Light & Power. Next April, we will select three new delegates to attend the 2015 Youth Rally and receive the scholarship. Details will be published in Ruralite’s March 2015 issue, and will be provided to counselors for each of the area high schools. You also will find the application on our website at www.iclp.coop.
—Thanks for listening, Jake Eimers, Manager
32 AUGUST 2014
Wa-22
Columbia REA115 East Main StreetP.O. Box 46Dayton, WA 99328Phone: (509) 382-2578Fax: (509) 382-2736
2929 Melrose StreetWalla Walla, WA 99362Phone: (509) 526-4041Fax: (509) 526-3666Toll Free: (800) 642-1231
ColumbiaREA.coop
Board of DirectorsDennis Munden, PresidentVic Parks, Vice PresidentKatie Wooldridge, Sec/TreasurerMarc Armstrong, DirectorEric Johnson, Director Greg Knowles, DirectorBruce McCaw, DirectorTim Pettyjohn, Director Bill Stonecipher, Director
Board meetings are normally the fourth Tuesday of each month. The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. and is usually held in the Dayton office.
Staff
Chief Executive Officer, Les Teel
Executive Assistant/HR, Jennifer Aichele
Manager of Marketing & Member Services, Scott Peters
Manager of Engineering & Operations, Dave Reller
Manager of Financial Services, Jim Cooper
Manager of Communications & IT, Bob Greene
Manager of Safety and Regulatory Affairs, KC Dors
Letter from Les...With the mere flip of a switch, electricity illuminates our lives. But have you ever thought about where your power comes from? Most of us don’t give it a second thought until our service is interrupted and we’re left in the dark – even if only for a short amount of time. In today’s world, electricity is a necessity, and this necessity travels a great distance to reach you – our members.
Columbia REA provides electricity to 5,097 meters and it takes a network of folks to do so. We build and maintain overhead and underground power lines and manage the equipment needed to provide you with safe, reliable power – but did you know that we don’t actually generate the power that is supplied to your home?
Columbia REA receives electric-ity from The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a federal nonprof-it agency based in the Pacific Northwest. Although BPA is part of the U.S. Department of Energy, it is self-funding and covers its costs by selling its prod-ucts and services. BPA markets wholesale electrical power from 31 federal hydro projects in the Columbia River Basin, one nonfederal nuclear plant and several other small nonfederal power plants. The dams are operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation.
After the power is sent over BPA’s high-voltage transmission lines, it then makes its way to our substations where the voltage is reduced in order to make it to your home safely. Columbia REA owns ten substations, each located within our ser-vice territory. From the substations, power is sent to Columbia REA’s transformers, those large boxes that sit at the top of power poles or in your yard, then directed to your home. See the attached graphic.
As you can see, there’s a little more to it than flipping a switch, but we’ve got you covered. Columbia REA has provided our members with safe, reliable and affordable power for 76 years and that continues to be our number one goal today.
Until next time,
32 au g u s t 2014 www.columbiarea.coop
Dear Member,
Effective August 4, 2014, Midstate Electric Cooperative has new office hours: 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Our office will be closed Fridays and regular holidays.
Crews will respond to outages and emergencies as they do now, regardless of office hours.
The core of our mission statement is low cost and reliable power. We continu-ously evaluate ways to cut costs without sacrificing reliability and member service. Changing our office hours not only will cut costs without sacrificing reliability, it will improve service to our members and increase employee productivity.
Improved Member Service Opening the doors at 7 a.m. and closing them at 5:30 p.m. will provide extended access to all MEC departments. Members can call or stop by early in the morning or right after work.
Cost Savings, Increased Productivity • There will be cost savings on fuel
and wear and tear on co-op vehicles.• We will save on lighting, heating,
etc., to operate our office four days a week instead of five.
• Longer work days allow for greater productivity since our service territory is widespread. It takes the same time to gather materials from the warehouse in the morning and travel to the job site, but once the crews arrive, they will have more time to work.
Carbon Footprint ReductionIn addition to the above, we are tak-ing vehicles off the road on Fridays.
Collectively, this means the co-op will reduce its carbon footprint. That is important, given the daily discussions about energy awareness and climate change.
Policymakers in Oregon and the nation’s capital are debating ways to address climate change—not talking about whether it is real, but what to do about it. The decisions they make affect our price of power, the way we do busi-ness and our way of life.
Research, Analysis, Data, ReportsWe researched office hours of other utili-ties, completed a cost-savings analysis, evaluated carbon footprint data and used a phone/walk-in traffic report to better understand when members call or visit our office. We evaluated the material for more than a year.
Four utilities in Oregon cite cost savings, energy savings and increased productivity as reasons for their deci-sions to change from the traditional five-day work week. Based on this and the other findings, management proposed a 12-month pilot to the board of direc-tors in June, with a proposed start date of August 4. The board approved the pilot.
Pilot ProgramDuring the 12-month pilot, we will collect member feedback, track member visits and phone calls, and evaluate actual cost savings. If the change is not meeting our members’ needs, we will switch back to the five-day work week.
Tell us what you think at (541) 536-2126, (800) 722-7219 or [email protected].
Dave Schneider, General Manager
OR-23
16755 Finley Butte RoadP.O. Box 127
La Pine, OR 97739
(541) 536-2126 • (800) 722-7219
DepartmentsCustomer Service . . . . . . . Option 3Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . Option 4Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Option 5Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Option 6
After Hours Outage and Emergencies: (541) 536-2165or (800) 752-5935
OFFICE HOURS Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Fridays and holidays.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS PresidentAlan Parks, Fort RockVice PresidentBud Kendall, La PineSecretary/TreasurerKen Wilson, Chemult Diana Cox, Christmas ValleyGordon DeArmond, Crescent Robert Reed, La PineVic Russell, Fall RiverRon Sommerfeldt, GilchristLeland Smith, Sunriver
Board meets the fourth Mondayof each month at the co-op office.
STAFF General Manager Dave SchneiderOperations/Engineering ManagerDave MunsonMarketing ManagerTeresa LackeyCFO/Accounting ManagerJami BartunekInterim Information Services ManagerShane StenhjemAttorneyWilliam Sheridan Jr.
Manager’s Message
32 AU G U S T 2014
BIG BEND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.
P.O. Box 348Ritzville, WA 99169
Ritzville office 659-1700
Toll free (866) 844-2363
www.bbec.org
DIRECTORS
President Curtis DahlVice President Daniel HilleSecretary Ken StoryTreasurer John HarderRobert ClinesmithLyle HoltStacy KnivetonJames PersonDennis Swinger Sr.
INTERIM MANAGER
Yvette Armstrong
LEGAL COUNSEL
Kenneth D. Carpenter
® WA-25
•••••
Ritzville, Lind, Washtucna areaafter hours, Saturday, Sunday and holiday emergency calls:
659-0487
All other areas after hours, Saturday, Sunday and holiday emergency calls:
(866) 844-2363
Big Bend Co-op Bill Payment OptionsIn addition to accepting bill payments by mail or by using one of our office drop-boxes in Mesa or Ritzville, Big Bend Electric Cooperative consumers may pay electric bills by credit or debit card. The cooperative also offers an automatic bill payment program.
Payment by Credit/Debit CardsProcedures and restrictions regarding credit/debit card transactions are as follows:
• We only accept Visa or MasterCard credit/debit cards.• There is a $5 “convenience fee” for each $500 paid, or any portion thereof, which
is added to the payment being made and charged to the credit/debit card as part of the transaction. For example, a $200 payment requires a $5 convenience fee, resulting in $205 charged to the credit/debit card. A $600 payment requires a $10 convenience fee, resulting in $610 charged to the credit/debit card.
• We do not keep credit card numbers on file, therefore, we do not offer automatic credit/debit card payments. Consumers must call each time a credit/debit card payment is made.
• Credit/debit card transactions may only be made by telephone in accordance with the agreement we have with your service provider. Therefore, we do not offer over-the-counter or online/website payments by debit/credit card.
Automatic Bill Payment ProgramThe automatic bill payment program deducts monthly electric bills directly from the consumer’s checking account on the due date each month. This free program saves money on postage and checks, and deducts payment on the last possible day to avoid late payment penalties from the cooperative.
Third-party electronic payment providers do not guarantee that your payment will arrive at the cooperative by the due date! With the cooperative’s plan, you will continue to receive your regular bill and you may contact the cooperative to resolve billing issues on the current bill any time before the date the bank makes the deduction. The automatic payment plan may not be used to pay irrigation accounts.
Identity/SecurityProtect yourself against identity theft. Big Bend Electric Cooperative has an Identity Theft Prevention Program in place to safeguard the personal information our consumers have with us. Our program, which complies with Federal Trade Commission regulations, requires identifying information when a consumer calls our office.
Big Bend Electric Cooperative will not contact you by telephone for personal information. Any request for personal information will be in writing from us on cooperative letterhead asking you to call or write us using one of the phone numbers or the address in the shaded box at the left of this Ruralite page.
More information about bill payment options can be found in the Consumer Service section of our website, www.bbec.org, or feel free to contact our office.
32 AU G U S T 2014
32 au g u s t 2014
P.O. Box 1253521 Davis DriveOdell, OR 97044
(541) 354-1233www.hrec.coop
DirectorsPresident Butch gehrigVice President Patrick Mooresecretary Bernie Wells treasurer Roger Nelsongary BloomOpal DeBoardDoug MahurinJohn McgheeMike udelius
ManagerJohn gerstenberger
Serving rural Hood River County
since 1945
Hood RiverElectric
Cooperative OR-26
Dear Members,
Each year, Hood River Electric Cooperative provides financial and oper-ating information to the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation.
CFC uses the information to determine our creditworthiness and judge if HREC has met the conditions of our business arrangements with them.
CFC also performs a key ratio trend analysis. The KRTA report presents five years of financial and operational ratios so CFC—and we—can see if the co-op is trending favorably or unfavorably over time. A copy of the KRTA report has been provided to each of the HREC directors for their examination and discussion at board meetings.
The KRTA report compares our results with those of other CFC members. HREC’s results are compared against vari-ous groups of CFC members: all other participants across the U.S.; participants in Oregon; other cooperatives of a similar size; and other participants that are whole-sale power customers of the Bonneville Power Administration.
In general, HREC ranks among the best of those utilities providing data.
Some of the highlights are:• HREC’s long-term debt is 20.05 per-
cent of total assets. The average of other co-ops ranged from 40 to 44 percent in the various groups. LTD per customer is $982 versus an average of $1,721 to $3,000 for the various groups. HREC carries a lower debt load than most.• Annual capital credits retired per
total equity for HREC was 6.10 percent in 2013. This compares with 2.22 to 2.88
percent among our peers. We return more capital credits—as a percentage of equity—than most participants.• Cumulative capital credits returned
to members by HREC were 49.71 percent of total patronage capital. Capital credit retirements averaged 25.24 percent for all 704 participants (HREC ranked 22nd highest), 32.49 percent for Oregon co-ops, 29.79 for utilities near our size, and 32.57 for BPA customers that participated. • Operations and maintenance
expense per dollar of plant investment is approximately 11/2 times that of other co-op participants. However, those expenses are $30 to $150 lower per con-sumer than most, and much lower than most on a per-kilowatt-hour-sold basis. HREC makes significant investments in maintaining the distribution system, but not excessive when measured on a per-consumer or per-kilowatt-hour basis.• The average length of service inter-
ruptions increased significantly for HREC members in 2012 because of the severe winter storm in January 2012, but is back down for 2013 and significantly lower than the average for other participating co-ops. HREC ranked 766 of 815 coopera-tives reporting. That is, only 49 reporting co-ops, nationwide, had lower average outage statistics for 2013.
These results are not coincidental. They are the result of diligent and efficient efforts by a dedicated staff, and the result of conscientious governance and oversight by an engaged board of directors.
It is my privilege to work with and among them.
John Gerstenberger, Manager
Manager’s Message
Board of DirectorsPresident John Ugalde Sec./Treasurer Gary MillerFrank AlbisuJoe CroninRod HoaglandAlex Dufurrena Zach Sword
General ManagerRandy WhitakerOperations ManagerBrent BeverlyLine SuperintendentJason HillElectrical EngineerShane SweetOffice ManagerFred FlippenceAttorneyRaymond S. Kindley
Harney Electric Cooperative
277 Lottery Lane Hines, OR 97738 (541) 573-2061
Orovada, Nevada (775) 272-3336
www.harneyelectric.org
OR-27
32 AU G U S T 2014
Don’t Be Surprised!
Dial 811 toll free to be connected toOregon’s statewide one-call center
Before picking up a shovel, pick up the telephone. Electric, water, sewer, natural gas, telephone and cable television lines often are buried underground. One wrong move can cause you and your neighbors to be cut o� from vital services—or cause death or injury to you, from an electric shock or an explosion. At least two business days before you plan to dig, call Oregon’s one-call center, or your local utilities. A� ected utility companies will come out and use color-coded paint to mark the locations of underground utilities. Calling ahead not only is common sense, it’s the law.
Know what’s below.Call before you dig.
P.O. Box 384Challis, ID 83226 Phone: (208) 879-2283 Fax: (208) 879-2596After-hours emergency numbers: Propane: (208) 879-2201 Electric: (208) 879-4900
Remember, when disaster strikes, the time to prepare has passed. —Steven Cyros
Author and specialist on emergency preparedness
Your electric cooperative prepares for emergencies, and we think our electric consumers should, too. It is di� cult to know just which emergency to prepare for. It might be valuable to consider those emergencies you believe have a high probability of occurring and that would have a high consequence of loss. � at is the strategy we use to prepare for emergencies.
We have developed Business Continuity (BCP) and Emer-gency Restoration plans (ERP) that consider those emergencies. For example, in our BCP, we have identi� ed the following emergencies at our headquarters facility that meet that criteria: � re, � ood, cyber attack, vandalism and earthquake. � e Emergen-cy Continuity Plan identi� es extreme cold events, lightning and wild� re as emergen-cies meeting the criteria.
We have prepared speci� c plans to mitigate and combat our exposure to those speci� c emergencies. For instance, the BCP considers the � ood threat at our head-quarters facility—namely, the threat in our basement where we house our serv-ers and corporate � les. We have taken several actions to address a potential � ood emergency. We test pump in the basement to make sure it is operable and capable of removing � ood waters. We installed water monitoring devices near � oor level to detect � ood waters early. We use o� site hosting for server functions. We implement electronic data management system.
What kind of emergencies might you prepare for? I hate to say it, but chances are you could have a power outage at an inopportune time. � e probability of that oc-curring increases during extreme weather and wild� re season. Your consequence of loss depends on your reliance on the electricity we provide. For example, if you have a business in Stanley, and are heavily dependent on electricity, it would be wise to consider some form of replacement power. If you depend on electricity for pumping, heating water or heating you should consider back-up systems.
I challenge our members to consider those emergencies that have a high probabil-ity of occurring and a high consequence of loss and then plan how to best prepare for them. Follow through on steps you identify to respond to emergencies and, when appropriate, test the plans you have put in place.
—Ken Dizes, Manager
ID-28
Board of DirectorsPresident Bob BorenVice President Jeff BittonSec./Treasurer Norman WallisMichael MillerDoug ParkinsonEarl SkeenChuck Wunsch
Manager Ken DizesAttorney Dale Storer
Board meets the third Wednesday of each month
Email: [email protected]: www.srec.org
Tips to Prepare for Emergencies
Ken Dizes
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United Electric’s commitment to members goes beyond providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity. Of course safe, reliable and afford-able electricity is the mission of the cooperative along with exceptional service and commit-ment to the members. Part of that commit-ment is looking for ways to provide value to members and the community. The Co-op Connections Card, a member benefit card, is a money-saving tool that offers discounts on everyday expenses at local and national retailers.
Did you know you can get an oil change at Clegg’s Service ’n Repair for $24.95 just by showing them your United Electric Co-op Connections Card? Or that you can get 7 percent off regularly priced items at NAPA Auto Parts when you show them your United Electric Co-op Connections Card? Or that you can take the kids to Snake River Bowl and receive 10 percent off bowling and food with your United Electric Co-op Connections Card?
One of the biggest benefits of the Co-op Connections Card is the prescription discounts you can receive at the pharmacy. While it is not insurance, the discount can mean savings of 10 to 85 percent off prescription drugs at local and national pharmacies.
In 2012, United Electric members saved more than $8,500 on prescriptions by using the Co-op Connections Card and more than $3,500 of savings in 2013. From January to May of this year, members have saved more than $1,200. Local pharma-cies that participate in the program include Kwik-Meds, Minidoka Memorial Hospital Pharmacy, Ridley’s, Smith’s, Walgreens and Walmart.
In addition to savings at pharmacies, Co-op Connections offers additional savings on vision, hearing aids and dental. More than 15 local providers offer healthy savings on these services.
Interested in learning more? Visit “Your Community” on United Electric’s website at www.uec.coop.
Can’t find your Co-op Connections Card and need a replacement? Please call a United Electric member service representative at 679-2222. They are glad to help.Co-op Connections is a product of Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, a national alliance of more than 700 electric cooperatives working together to gain greater savings for members.
ID-29
UNITED ELECTRICCO-OP, INC.
UnitedElectricCo-op Inc.Directors President Dean NielsenVice President Bruce BeckSec./Treas. Cordell SearleBrent Bowen Ronald Osterhout David PhillipsGeorge TonerJohn R. West
General ManagerJo Elg
Director of Engineeringand OperationsTrevor Parke
Mailing address:1330 21st St.Heyburn, ID 83336
Phone: (208) 679-2222
Fax: (208) 679-3333
Email: [email protected]
Web address:www.uec.coop
After Hours: (208) 679-4444
Co-op Connections at United Electric
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Lost RiverElectricCooperative Inc.
P.O. Box 420305 Pine StreetMackay, Idaho 83251-0420
Phone: (208) 588-3311Fax: (208) 588-3038Email: o� [email protected]
DirectorsBrad J. GamettPresident
Susan M. HarrisVice President
Bret L. ZollingerSecretary/Treasurer
Chad H. AngellJames D. McKelveyRandy R. PurserLynn O. RothwellWiley F. SmithMerlin A. Waddoups
Manager/CEO F. Richard Reynolds
The Board of Directors meets the second Thursday of each month.
ID-30
Dear Lost River Electric Cooperative member,On June 13, 2014, Lost River Electric Cooperative Inc. � nalized its conversion to the new NiSC iVUE system. Many of you have now received your new billing statement(s) and are aware of some of the changes made. Due to concerns about the new billing system voiced by members of our cooperative, we believe it is important to respond by sending you this letter.
Why the change?Lost River Electric Cooperative’s prior system was about 33 years old. � e so� ware was created exclusively for Lost River Electric. It was supported and maintained by one person, placing the cooperative at great risk. � e old system was limited as to the services that could reasonably be o� ered. In addition, the co-op determined that by having the bill printed by the co-op’s new so� ware provider, cost savings and ef-� ciencies can be obtained over time, helping to keep utility rates low.
What actually changed?Monthly statements are now being printed and mailed from St. Louis, Missouri. All other activities—which include bill preparation and bill payment receipt process-ing—are being performed at the local o� ce in Mackay. No present employee’s posi-tion is in jeopardy as a result of this change.
How do I avoid late payment fees now that it takes longer to receive my bill?� is has been the number-one concern of our members. To alleviate this concern, the board of directors has approved these policy changes. Payments will now become past due and late payment fees will be applied when the following occurs:
• Payments not received at the main offi ce by the close of normal business hours on or before the 20th day of the month for non-irrigation accounts will be consid-ered past due and a late payment fee will be applied to the past-due balance. If the 20th falls on a weekend or holiday, payment is due on the regular business day prior to the weekend or holiday.
• Payments not received at the main offi ce by the close of normal business hours on or before the 25th day of the month for irrigation accounts will be considered past due and a late payment fee will be applied to the past-due balance. If the 25th falls on a weekend or holiday, payment is due on the regular business day prior to the weekend or holiday.
Lost River Electric no longer will use the postmark date on the payment envelope to prevent late payment penalties. Again, there will be no allowance made when the past due date falls on a weekend or holiday.
Please call the co-op o� ce at (208) 588-3311 if you have questions or concerns.
F. Richard Reynolds/General Manager and CEO
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Board of DirectorsWill Stark, President Lon Rake, Vice PresidentDan Stowe, SecretaryFred Williams, TreasurerMichael Johnson, DirectorPaul Kildal, Director Mary Odden, DirectorJe� Saxe, Director
P.O. Box 45Glennallen, AK 99588www.cvea.orgCopper Basin District(907) 822-3211(907) 822-5586 (fax)Mile 187 Glenn Hwy.Valdez District(907) 835-4301(907) 835-4328 (fax)367 Fairbanks Dr.After hours outage line(866) 835-2832
Important Dates
AugustCVEA Board Meeting: The August meeting of the Board of Directors is 2 p.m., Thursday, August 21, 2014, in Glennallen
SeptemberCVEA O� ces Closed: The CVEA o� ces will be closed, Monday, September 1, 2014, for Labor Day
CVEA Board Meeting: The September meeting of the Board of Directors has been cancelled.
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Right Of Way Clearing
Right-of-way clearing is an important part of Copper Valley Electric's goal of deliv-ering safe, reliable, cost-effective electric service. Tree and brush clearing can help reduce the number and length of outages especially during severe weather conditions. If you have a tree that is within 10 feet of a power line, please call CVEA at 822-3211 or 835-4301 for removal. For additional information on right-of-way clearing or elec-trical safety, visit www.cvea.org.
Construction Season Will Soon Come to an EndAs summer comes to an end, so does construction season. If you are planning new construction or a service upgrade before the end of the season, please contact CVEA at 822-3211 or 835-4301 as soon as possible.
Pay Your Bill OnlineAre you looking for convenient ways to make your life easier? If so, log on to www.cvea.org. You can pay your CVEA monthly bill directly from your bank account or by using your debit card and Visa, Mastercard, or Discover card. You can also see your billing and payment history and view charts that track your monthly usage and cost as well as daily averages. This is a great way to manage your CVEA account. Just go to cvea.org and click the 'pay your bill online' button on the home page.
AK-34
Dear Customers:All consumer-owned utilities, such as Tillamook PUD, sell elec-tricity at nonprofit rates. Our rates are based on the cost of pro-viding service and are designed to recover operating expenses and retire debt. As you are keenly aware, retail and wholesale electricity prices continue to rise.
Tillamook PUD is active in regulatory and legislative issues that affect the price you pay for electricity. Our board and staff participate directly, along with other utilities, to help defend the Northwest’s low-cost power for you. We are concerned about the energy supplier assessment that we pay annually to the Oregon Department of Energy, as explained below.
The Energy Supplier Assessment The ESA was created in the early 1970s as a narrow-purpose fee to identify sites for nuclear power plants in Oregon. It has grown to become a general revenue source to support staffing and other general functions of the ODOE and beyond.
The ESA is charged to utilities and their customers, and is used by ODOE as a gen-eral revenue source—essentially a tax—but one without the normal oversight and con-trol given to general revenue sources. During the past five years, the ESA has grown at an excessive rate.
Tillamook PUD is concerned about the lack of accountability and legislative over-sight with how the ESA is raised and applied to programs at ODOE. We believe there needs to be greater accountability, clear understanding and transparency over this growing tax. Currently, there is no check or oversight by elected representatives on whether and how much the assessment increases or how it is used by state agencies.
The ODOE should not have the ability to unilaterally increase taxes on our custom-ers and decide what government functions those taxes will support. Instead, it is the job of the Oregon Legislature to raise revenue and direct its use.
Please contact me or your legislator for more information on the ESA and what you can do to control this growing cost. Through grassroots advocacy efforts, we can work together to help influence policy decisions that will affect our communities now and for years to come.
Sincerely,Raymon D. Sieler
OR-35
Board of DirectorsEd Jenkins, President Ken Phillips, Vice PresidentHarry Hewitt, TreasurerBarbara Trout, SecretaryDoug Olson, Director
General Manager Raymon Sieler
Board meetings are in the PUD office at 6 p.m. the first Tuesday after the 11th of the month
Mission StatementTillamook People’s Utility District is dedicated to delivering the best value of electric services, while continuing our commitment to the customer-owners and communities we serve.
CreedWe shall work together to:XX Provide exceptional customer service;
anticipate and strive to exceed our customers’ needs.
XX Provide high-quality and cost-effective services to our customers.
XX Assure a safe electrical system and working environment for our customers and employees.
XX Operate a financially stable business.XX Encourage cooperation and open
communication among the customers, board of directors, management and employees of Tillamook PUD.
XX Support all the communities we serve.XX Be environmentally responsible.
1115 Pacific Ave. • P.O. Box 433Tillamook, OR 97141Phone: (503) 842-2535 Toll free: (800) 422-2535www.tpud.org
Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
For EMERGENCY service afterbusiness hours, call (800) 842-2122
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AK-36
Barrow Utilities and Electric Cooperative Inc.P. O. Box 449Barrow, AK 99723Phone: 852-6166Fax: 852-6372www.bueci.org
Board of DirectorsPresidentPrice E. Brower
Vice President Roy Nageak Sr.
Secretary/TreasurerDon Nungasak
Doreen A. AhgeakHerman AhsoakFrederick F. BrowerEllen LeavittRichard Ungarook Sr.Edith Vorderstrasse
General Manager Ben L. Frantz
Power Theft Costs You!
Electric utilities lose millions of dollars a year in revenue as a result of meter tampering and power theft. When your utility is unable to recoup the costs it pays for power from all of those who use it, you end up paying more than you would otherwise. If you see or know of someone who is stealing power, report it to your utility. Tampering with utility property is against the law! It also is unsafe.
32 AU G U S T 2014
Golden Valley Electric Association32 AU G U S T 2014
With all the rain we’ve had in the Interior, it’s been a good summer to stay indoors and watch a movie. I love those nail-biter films where a team pulls together to save the day just in the nick of time.
Your electric co-op faced a nail-biter this spring, when Flint Hills Resources announced that by the end of May it would cease production of the naphtha fuel used at GVEA’s North Pole power plant. GVEA was facing the prospect of higher fuel costs, which could have led to higher bills for our members.
Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. Our employees and our board of directors stepped up and saved the day by securing an alternative fuel supply at a reasonable price – in the nick of time.
Within hours of the Flint Hills announcement, our team sprang into action. They launched a search for new suppliers that included Alaska, Canada, and the Lower 48 states – but it turned out the best deal was sitting right next door. Petro Star Refinery agreed to retool its operations to pro-duce a naphtha-blended fuel, ideal for our North Pole Power Plant.
The Petro Star deal delivers the naphtha blend to GVEA at a significantly lower cost than the alternatives: switching to diesel, or shipping fuel in by truck or rail. By one estimate, the contract helps GVEA avoid an additional $21 million in fuel costs as compared to switching to diesel. I’d like to thank Petro Star and Arctic Slope Regional Corporation for stepping up and nego-tiating a fair contract that keeps our fuel costs stable.
Kudos to our board of directors for their deliberate and speedy decision-making. Thanks to VP for Power Supply Lynn Thompson and his team for researching and negotiating the fuel contract. Also, thanks to Gas Turbine Plant Manager Paul Morgan for overseeing the construction of pipe needed to connect GVEA to Petro Star’s refinery. The project was completed on schedule the first week of July.
So here’s our happy ending: GVEA has secured a reliable fuel supply that will help stabilize rates. The spike in energy costs we feared has been averted. We’re better positioned to respond to a disruption in fuel supply, should one occur. And the lights will stay on this winter thanks to some great teamwork by everyone involved with this project.
Cory BorgesonPresident & CEO
AK-37
Owned By Those We Serve
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bill Nordmark, Chairman (District 7)Tom DeLong, Vice-Chairman (District 2)John Sloan, Secretary (District 6)Rick Schikora, Treasurer (District 3)Chris Bunch (District 5)Frank Eagle (District 4)Aren Gunderson (District 1)
MAIN OFFICE
758 Illinois StreetPO Box 71249Fairbanks, AK 99707-1249
Regular Business Phone(907) 452-1151Fax (907) 458-6365Member Services
DISTRICT OFFICES
Delta Junction1681 Richardson Hwy.PO Box 909Delta Junction, AK 99737(907) 895-4500Fax (907) 895-5472
NenanaMile 303.5 Parks Hwy.PO Box 00130Nenana, AK 99760(907) 832-5481Fax (907) 458-6387
Toll-Free Number1-800-770-GVEA (4832)
www.gvea.com
Petro Star deal keeps lights on–rates stable
CA-39
Notice of Annual Meetingof the Members
To: Members of Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric CooperativeNotice is hereby given that the 2014 Regular Annual Meeting of the Membership of Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative will be Saturday, September 13, 2014, at 12:30 p.m. at the Portola office, 73233 State Route 70, 3 miles west of Portola, California, for the purpose of taking appropriate action on the following matters:
• Reports of officers and managers• Report of the Nominating Committee• Election of three directors • All other business that may come before the meeting or any
adjournment thereof
PSREC 2014 Annual Meeting Schedule of Events10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.—Registration. Registered members receive gifts while supplies last!10 a.m. to 2 p.m.—Eastern Plumas Health Care Health Fair10 a.m. to 2 p.m.—Community expo10 a.m. to 2 p.m.—Kids’ activities10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.—Bingo11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.—Lunch is served! You must register for the meeting to receive meal tickets.Noon—Presentation honoring photo contest and scholarship winners12:20 p.m.—Kids’ prize drawing12:30 p.m.—Start annual meeting. All voting members are encouraged to attend.
2014 Annual Meeting Agenda• Quorum check• Minutes from 2013• Introduction of Credentials and Election Committee• 2014 Nominating Committee report• Nominations from the floor• Introduction and speeches of nominees• Vote for directors for Districts 5, 6 and 7• New business• Election results• Adjournment • Door prizes given away
Our subsidiary,Plumas-Sierra
Telecommunications offers a variety of high-quality
Internet solutions.For more information,
please visitwww.plumassierratelecom.com or
call (530) 832-6000
For information about any of our products, please call
(800) 555-2207 or visit ourwebsite at www.psrec.coop
RU
RAL ELECTRIC CO-O
PPSREC
PLUMAS-SIERRA
PST
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
PresidentChris Miller, Litchfield
Vice PresidentDave Roberti, Sierra Valley
Secretary/TreasurerOle Olsen, [email protected]
Dan Kenney, [email protected]
Fred Nelson, [email protected]
David Hansen, [email protected]
Tom Hammond, [email protected]
Manager Robert (Bob) Marshall
32 AU G U S T 2014
NV-40
P.O. Box 1510001600 Great Basin Blvd.Ely, NV 89315
(775) 289.8981(800) [email protected]
Emergency ContactsEly O� ce(775) 289-8981
Eureka O� ce(775) 237-5693
Outside Ely / Eureka Area(800) 97-POWER
Board of DirectorsDistrict 1 – Ron MillerDistrict 2 – Bob SwetichDistrict 3 – Jerry MorrillDistrict 4 – Don PhillipsDistrict 5 – Rick HendrixDistrict 6 – Jerald AndersonDistrict 7 – Sandra GreenDistrict 8 – Wilma SanfordDistrict 9 – Frank Leon
Proudly serving more than 10,000 residents and businesses throughout Nevada and Utah.
Winter hours are November through April; Summer hours are May through October.
Summer hours: Ely office will be open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Eureka office is 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
“Powering Your Future”
CALL BEFOREYOU DIG.
IT'S THE LAW.
Util ity Notif ication Center, Inc.Uti l ity Notif ication Center, Inc.
www.bluestakes.org
Budget Billing Smooths the Highs and LowsEven though Mt. Wheeler Power works hard to keep your power rates low, we understand your power bills can be daunting. The unpredictable weather can cause your power use and your bill to fluctuate significantly, which can be hard on your household budget. That fluctuation is why we introduced the Budget Billing Program.
Do you qualify? The program is available for residential accounts. Your account must be paid in full at the time of the request. We look at your last 12 months of use and calculate the average, which is divided by 12 to determine a budget amount. It is important that you have been at the same address for a continuous 12 months for us to calculate an accurate budget amount. It also is important that your monthly budget amount is paid on time.
You may be concerned that you will end up with a large balance due during our true-up in July. Each month your electric statement will show your actual account balance, which is the difference between your budget payment and the “Actual Account Balance. At different periods throughout the year you may be ahead or behind. In most cases—unless you make significant changes in how you use power—the budget should work out in the end. Your power use will be analyzed on a yearly basis, adjusting your budget accordingly to avoid unexpected surprises.
Our Budget Billing Program was created as a convenience for our members. It is a voluntary program. If you decide to enroll and find you are not comfortable with the budget amount or with the program in general, you can cancel it at any time.
The Budget Billing Program can be an effective tool—being able to plan ahead is always easier when you know what to expect. By enrolling in our Budget Billing Program along with one of our automated payment options, you can head out of town without the worry of missing your monthly payment.
August is the perfect month to sign up. For more information on this program or any of our other programs, call our customer service department at (800) 97-Power or (775) 289-8981.
32 AU G U S T 2014
Our motivation for embracing energy efficiency is that it controls costs, for you and for your electric cooperative. In every sense of the word, you and your Energy Expert are partners in determining how much you pay for electricity.
Being a non-profit cooperative does not exempt Wells Rural Electric Company (WREC) from the basic rules of economics, just from federal income taxes. The wholesale price we pay for electricity is still determined by supply and demand. Through our strategic partnerships, we have some control over supply but you have much more control over demand.
Reducing our demand for electricity is much more cost effective than building any type of generation, including wind and solar. I frequently remind our owners that the cheapest kiloWatt hour is the one you don’t use. Becoming more efficient in how we use electricity also ensures we are doing our part to conserve the valuable resources used to produce electricity.
There are essentially two strategies for increasing energy efficiency: change the way you use electricity or change the equipment that uses electricity.
On average, 26% of the energy you purchase is used by appliances and electronic devices. An additional 11% is used for lighting. Flipping the switch, lowering the blinds, using the energy manager settings on your computer, fixing a dripping faucet, cleaning or replacing the filters on your furnace and adjusting the setting on your thermostat are all simple tasks that help the savings pile up. In fact, just turning devices off when they are
not in use or unplugging devices that are used rarely can immediately reduce your costs. It may take time and persistence to change the way everyone in your home or business uses electricity but you will see energy savings.
Sometimes its easier to install equipment that takes care of those tasks that are hard to remember. For instance, motion activated light switches and timers can shut off lights that are easily forgotten. Programmable thermostats can automatically adjust the temperature around your schedule. It may take a little more work, and more investment, up-front but the long-term savings can be substantial. Replacing inefficient windows, sealing gaps and cracks, replacing worn weather-strips, adding insulation or installing a ductless heat pump can also help control your cost of energy. About 55% of the energy you purchase is used for heating and cooling. That means that anything you do to reduce your heating and cooling affects more than half of your bill.
Your Energy Expert can help you with either strategy you choose. Hopefully, you’ll choose both.
Additional information about energy savings tips and rebates for installing energy efficient equipment is available in every office and on www.wrec.coop by clicking the energy efficiency tab. A room by room tour of a house on www.togetherwesave.com suggests ways you can improve your energy efficiency and estimates the potential savings based on our rates.
We also have a dedicated team who can help you identify opportunities for energy savings and guide you through the rebate process. Please call them at (775) 752 - 3328 Extension 1622.
Clay R. FitchChief Executive Officer
NV-41
CEO Report
Wells RuralElectric CompanyBoard of Directors
F. Scott EgbertPresident
D. Vernon DaltonVice President
Mary WrightSecretary/Treasurer
Gerald AndersonJonathan DahlOrlin KidnerFred Montes de OcaLois NanniniJim WhitedBruce WidmerHoward Wright
Carlin offi ce:
1322 Chestnut StreetP.O. Box 727Carlin, Nevada 89822(775) 754-6362
Wendover offi ce:
1706 West Butte StreetP.O. Box 3699West Wendover,Nevada 89883(775) 664-2204
Wells offi ce:
1451 Humboldt AvenueP.O. Box 365Wells, Nevada 89835(775) 752-3328
website:
www.wrec.coop
32 AU G U S T 2014
32 AU G U S T 2014
Assist our community for less than $1 a month.Visit www.vea.coop
to learn more.
NV-42
Valley Electric Association, Inc.P.O. Box 237
Pahrump, NV 89041
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DISTRICT 1 DISTRICT 2 Peter Gazsy Shiela Rau
DISTRICT 3 DISTRICT 4Rick Johnson John Maurer
DISTRICT 5 DISTRICT 6 Dave Lowe David Dawson
OFFICE PHONE800-742-3330 (within Nevada)or 775-727-5312, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.Monday-Friday, except holidays
AFTER HOURS & EMERGENCYWe are here 24 hours a day, seven days a week for your emergency needs.775-727-5312Website: www.vea.coopEmail: [email protected]
VEA Continues Workforce Expansion
Until next month,
Thomas H. HustedChief Executive Officer
As Valley Electric Association, Inc. (VEA) continues to grow, our cooperative is dedicated to creating new employment opportunities in southwestern Nevada. In 2013 alone, VEA’s workforce expanded by approximately 20 percent, creating valuable new jobs within our communities.
I am proud to announce that VEA recently hired five new employees, including a manager of operations, a controller and a newly created position for an executive vice president of energy services. In total, we have hired eight new employees since January, and our workforce is expected to grow by a total of approximately 7 percent in 2014.
At VEA, we are committed to building a team that recognizes the importance of our cooperative’s member-focused philosophy. We carefully select team members who share our passion for promoting new economic opportunities within the communities we serve.
I encourage community members to visit our website at www.vea.coop to learn more about the current job openings at VEA. We typically have several open positions posted on this website, and we always welcome applications from qualified individuals who seek to pursue rewarding careers with their local electric cooperative.
At VEA, we work tirelessly to promote a positive work environment that priori-tizes collaboration among individuals who take pride in serving their communities. In addition to offering competitive wages and comprehensive benefits, VEA is also invested in helping its team members advance their careers through additional educa-tion and training. We offer a continuing education program that reimburses employ-ees for their tuition as they pursue degrees that are relevant to the services VEA provides.
This program is just one example of the many benefits VEA offers to its employees. Our cooperative is committed to providing its team members with the tools they need to succeed in all aspects of their careers.
As VEA continues its mission to promote economic development and acquire new sources of revenue, our workforce will continue to expand in the coming years and decades. We expect to offer a variety of new positions that support the success of our cooperative and the communities we serve.
Letter from the CEO
District Offices4005 23rd Street
Baker City, OR 97814523-3616
567 West PierceBurns, OR 97720
573-2666
400 Patterson Bridge Road P.O. Box 575
John Day, OR 97845 575-0161
2408 Cove Ave. P.O. Box 790
La Grande, OR 97850 963-3155
Report Outages at (866) 430-4265
Officers/Directors: President Greg Howard,Union CountyVice President George Galloway,Union CountySec./Treas. George “Austin” Bingaman, Union County
David Baum, Union CountyAletha Bonebrake, Baker CountyRobert Cargill, Harney CountyCharlene Chase, Baker CountyCharles Hofmann, Baker CountyGary Miller, Grant County
Werner Buehler, General Manager
Ron Williams, Attorney
OR-48
At OTEC, we take great pride in high-lighting the value of our electric coop-erative to families and the youth in our community.
As you have read in this issue of Ruralite, we provide a variety of pro-grams that benefit young people, from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Associaton’s Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., to scholarships for graduating high school seniors and returning college students.
In last month’s issue, you read about our safety programs in area grade schools that teach our young people about elec-trical safety. We also offer local high school youth job-shadowing opportuni-ties, and contribute time, money and equipment to a variety of local youth sports teams, FFA/4-H Club events, and arts and theater groups.
During the annual Rural Electric Youth Tour, more than 1,700 high school students from across the country descend on Washington, D.C., to learn about government, history and role of electric cooperatives.
OTEC has supported this effort for years by sending four students, one from each county in our four-county service territory. You can read more about this year’s tour and how to apply for the 2015 Youth Tour on pages 4, 5 and 8.
Finally, we are proud of our annual scholar-ship program, which is funded by interest earned on unclaimed capital credits.
Each year, OTEC awards 28 $5,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors and returning college stu-dents in our service territory. Two of the 28 scholarships are awarded to stu dents who want to pursue careers as electric linemen. Six of the remaining 26 schol-arships are awarded to returning college students such as Kari Miller, who is pro-filed in the scholarship story on pages 28 and 29.
The support of these future commu-nity leaders is a great example of your electric cooperative supporting our local communities.
OTEC emphasizes the cooperative dif-ference by providing real value for even our youngest members. If you would like to learn more about any of our youth programs or how OTEC looks out for you, visit our website at www.otecc.com.
Regards,General Manager Werner Buehler
Manager’s Message
32 AU G U S T 2014
Member-owned since 1921
Ohop MutualLight Co.
34014 Mountain Highway E.Eatonville, WA 98328
Phone: (253) 847-4363Night troubles: (253) 847-4363
Email: [email protected]
Board of DirectorsPresident Louie MettlerVice President Jerry WalterSecretary/Treasurer Mel CoxDirector Frank Hoffman
General ManagerIsabella Deditch
Dear Members:
If you travel Mountain Highway, you have probably experienced some delays as a result of construction performed by our Ohop crews and our contract crew from Asplundh. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. We are in the middle of a big construction project—the upgrade of our distribution system along SR 7—that will allow us to intertie the Mashel Substation and the Ohop Substation. The intertie will give us the ability to isolate areas affected by a power outage and to transfer customers between substations.
We are trying to accomplish one big system improvement project each year to upgrade our system and provide more reliability. This project, called Mountain Highway Phase II, is a 2-mile long stretch. The permitting process was complicated because it is a state highway, and we had to comply with many rules and regula-tions by the Department of Transportation. We are fortunate that most of the work required for the project is off the right of way.
Without this upgrade we are vulnerable if one of our substations goes down. That would place a large part of our system in the dark. With this upgrade, combined with last year’s Phase I and Phase III planned for 2015, our substations will be tied together and each could carry the total load of our system. That means that if one substation goes down, we can switch everybody to the other substation to avoid long power outages.
The goal is to provide more system reliability and have fewer and shorter outages for our members, whenever and however it is possible.
We appreciate your understanding and patience during this project. Please drive slowly in the construction zone.
Ohop BarbecueMany of our members continue to ask us to bring back the annual Ohop barbe-cue. I am happy to tell you that we will celebrate the summer with our members by having the barbecue again. Please join us Thursday, August 21. We look forward to seeing you and your family!
Have an enjoyable and safe summer.
—Isabella DeditchGeneral Manager
Ohop Mutual BarbecueMembers, please join usThursday, August 21 from 3 to 7 p.m.at the Ohop office.
Enjoy prizes, live music, a clown and games.
WA-49
Substation Intertie Project Underway
32 Au g u S T 2014
P.O. Box 142645710 SE North Bend WayNorth Bend, WA 98045-1426 Telephone: (425) 888-0623Toll-free: (800) 472-0208www.tannerelectric.coop
Board of DirectorsPresident Ed StephensonVice President Julie FrommTreasurer Susan Serrette-EganSecretary Mike HodgeRoger GuayJeff GilletteKendel LymanPaul BayMark Dilger
An electric utility ownedby those we serve in:
North BendAmes LakeAnderson Island
Tanner Electric Cooperative is an equal opportunity provider and employer
WA-50
General ManagerSteve Walter
Chief Financial O� cerRob Carr
Operations ManagerJames Anderson
32 A U G U S T 2 0 1 4
Giving Our Young People a Step AheadEver since rural electri� cation began, the neighbors who make up Tanner Elec-tric have been united in spirit. Tanner is dedicated to providing high quality and responsive service with integrity, accountability, innovation and a commitment to our community. � is connection to the community is our primary strength. � is is our home. We live here. We are your local cooperative and have a vested interest in today’s youth, because it is they who will determine the future of our nation. � is is why we provide learning opportunities and scholarships to our young people, encouraging them however we can. Local High School Scholarship� e Tanner Board has elected to grant one yearly $1,000 scholarship to a graduat-ing senior in each of the three service areas. To be eligible, applicants must be a graduating senior and a full-time dependent of a Tanner Electric Cooperative mem-ber. Details related to the application may be found at www.tannerelectric.coop. � e deadline for receiving applications is April 1, 2015.
Allan Billett Memorial Lineworker ScholarshipDo you want an exciting and rewarding career? Would you like a great salary and bene� ts? If so, electrical line work may be for you. Nearly every American depends on electricity to function in today’s society. Lineworkers are the backbone of the electric utility industry. � e Tanner board is o� ering a $4,000 scholarship to the winning applicant.
Tanner’s Board of Directors authorized and established the funding of the Allan Billett Memorial Lineman Scholarship in 2009. To apply, the applicant must be at least 17 years of age and live in the Snoqualmie Valley area or Anderson Island. � is scholarship is open for all residents/members of these areas to apply. Information and an application can be found on our website. Details related to the application process, job description and requirements can be found at www.tannerelectric.coop. � e deadline for receiving applications is April 1, 2015.
Youth Tour, June 12-19, 2015For those members who have a teenager entering their junior year in high school, Tanner Electric Cooperative o� ers them an opportunity to see Washington, D.C., understand the democratic process and gain the skills necessary to become tomor-row’s leaders. On this trip they will experience our government � rst hand by visit-ing the nation’s capital, meeting their representatives and senators, and engaging in interactive workshops and discussions. � is program is sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Tanner will pay for airfare, lodging and activity fees. Students only need to bring spending money for souvenirs and extra purchases aside from itinerary activities. If you are interested in learning more, please visit www.tannerelectric.coop. � e deadline for Youth Tour applications is November 1, 2014.
Parkland Light & Water Company
Owned By Those We Serve
12918 Park Ave. P.O. Box 44426 Tacoma, WA 98448-0426 (253) 531-5666
Board of TrusTees Gary Hauenstein - President Gary Grazzini - Vice President Janet Detering - Secretary Elaine Walter - Treasurer Charles Nelson - Public Relations
General ManaGer
Mark Johnson
Incorporated in 1914— The country’s oldestmutual cooperative
The bylaws and policies of Parkland Light & Water Co. state that the company’s meters, both electric and water, shall be placed on structures or in yards in an agreed-upon and approved location so the meter is readily accessible for inspec-tions, reading, testing and easy removal. Electric meters must be in a nonenclosed location with 5-foot clearance in any di-rection to allow safe removal by company personnel. Water meters require 3-foot clearance on all sides and 5-foot clearance above the meter.
When members consider construc-tion on their property, in addition to getting a building or electrical permit from Pierce County, they should contact their local utilities to determine what impact, if any, the work may have on their service. Concerns include enclos-ing meters, reducing safety zones, or
building structures or paved driveways over service lines. Building a garage over a service line would result in digging into a garage floor or rerouting a new service line if the existing line fails. Both options are expensive.
If you are considering building a fence, we still need access to our meters. We have company padlocks in the office to allow you to lock your fence, yet allow access to meter readers or technicians.
Planting flowers or shrubs over or even near in-ground water meters also presents problems to reading and servic-ing your water meter. The temptation is to hide the meter with shrubbery to beautify the yard. Unfortunately, this does not allow the accessibility required.
If you have questions, please call the office at (253) 531-5666 before you start property improvement projects. n
WA-52
Parkland Light & Water Co. purchases 100 percent of its power from the Bonneville Power Administration. The BPA gets most of its power from federally owned dams, but some comes from other sources. Calculations are based on power purchases for 2013 reported by the utility to the Washington State Department of Com-merce in 2014.
Where Does the Power Come From?
BPA System Fuel Mix/Calendar Year 2013
Large hydroelectric ............ 84%Small hydro ............................ 1%Nuclear ................................... 10%Coal............................................. 0%Natural gas.............................. 0%Biomass and waste................ 0%Nonspecified purchases...... 4%Geothermal ............................. 0%Solar with RECs....................... 0%Wind with RECs........................0%Wind without RECs.................1%
Total ............................... 100%
Meter Access is Important
32 Au G u S T 2014
32 AU G U S T 2014
495 E. Columbia River HighwayPO BOX 216
Clatskanie, Oregon 97016(503) 728-2163 Office
www.clatskaniepud.com
Office Hours: 8 am to 5 pm M-FPlease call to report outages
(503) 728-2163
Board of directorsDon Hooper, PresidentBob Wiggins, Vice PresidentMerle Gillespie, TreasurerJanet Willey, SecretaryStephen D. Petersen, DirectorGeneral ManaGerMarc Farmer
CPUD $10 Bill Credit Drawing Account #0090081100 If this is your account number, please call the office to claim your prize. Congratulations!
OR-60
At the July board meeting, the Board of Directors saw a pre-sentation explaining why Clatskanie PUD will need to raise rates in the very near future. They heard explanations from a financial consultant, a bonding agency, the PUD attorney, and from CPUD staff that the District needs to raise its rates due to the following reasons: to meet our legal requirements to the existing and future revenue bond holders, maintain our bond rating, have new bonds issued, continue to fund operations and capital construction projects, and rebuild reserve funds.
We had serious concerns when we put together the 2014 budget, as the first draft had us negative $1.4 million if a below average water year for hydropower genera-tion occurred. That would not work, especially with our reserve account already $2.6 million below its minimum level, and our line of credit not only used, but payments coming due on it in June. We cut 4% out of the portion of the budget that we actu-ally have any control over, because the rest is fixed costs with the majority of it being power costs. We adjusted the budget for an average water year and hoped it would be. Unfortunately, the first part of the year was dry and shaping up to be a dramatic below average water year, which would have put us back to $1.4 to $1.6 million in the red. The only reason we were able to avoid an emergency rate action, borrow further, or use up more reserves was a record setting wet period in February and March that brought us back to an above average water year.
So why are we in this position? Part of the reason we have enjoyed low rates is because the District took advantage of excellent opportunities to sell surplus power off system for the past decade. Revenue earned from off-system sales reduces what we need to charge our retail customers. Two events have greatly diminished the revenue stream from surplus power sales over the last five years, which we covered in detail on pages 28 & 29 of the July issue of Ruralite. First was the dramatic drop in the price of natural gas due to the widespread deployment of fracking technology. Since power prices are largely dependent on the cost of natural gas, wholesale power prices have dropped dramatically since 2009. Therefore the revenue the District earns from sur-plus power sales has dropped as well. Second, when the District’s new power purchase contract with BPA took effect in October 2011 the total annual volume was about 16% lower under the new contract. This drop lowered our BPA purchase expense, but our surplus power revenues fell even more. We now forecast that the funds we earn from operation are no longer sufficient to operate the District’s business.
We need to be more self-sustaining in order to meet our financial obligations, and less dependent on high risk availability of secondary power sales. As I stated in my last report, we will do our part internally by continuing to make cuts in our costs. I can assure you, that as the board deliberates on how to move forward with a rate increase, we will still remain among the lowest rates in Oregon and the Northwest. This will preserve our advantage to attract present and future economic growth opportunities in our community.
Marc Farmer, General Manager
Community CalendarAugust 1-3:Clatskanie Bluegrass Festival - Jamming and on-stage performances begin Friday and continue through Sunday morning in the Clatskanie City Park.Clatskanie Quilt Show - Clatskanie American Legion Hall, 930 NE 5th Street,10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, August 1, and Saturday, August 2. Quilts will also be displayed at various businesses around town.Clatskanie Friends of the Library Buck-a-Book Sale - Begins Thursday, July 31; continues Friday, August 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, August 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Library Park on NE Lillich Street in downtown Clatskanie.August 9:Rainier Community-wide Garage Sale - Pick-up maps at Rainier City Hall.August 20: Clatskanie PUD Board Workshop at 5:30 p.m., followed by regular board meeting at 7 p.m.
AVEC’s M/V Naniq Assists Stranded BoatersThe Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers, local search and rescue and the crew of the tug Naniq responded to a disabled vessel near Kotzebue, Alaska, Wednesday, July 9.
The Naniq crew provided gas and a battery to the disabled vessel and escorted the boat back to Kotzebue.
Alaska State Troopers contacted Coast Guard 17th District command center watchstanders to request aerial assistance to help locate three women and a child aboard a disabled 24-foot aluminum Harbercraft. The mariners were traveling from Buckland to Kotzebue when the weather turned bad and they attempted to return to Buckland, but ran out of gas.
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew launched and was conducting a search of the area when Alaska State Troopers reported the crew of the tug Naniq had located the missing boaters.
The Jayhawk helicopter crew rendezvoused with the crew of the tug and barge Naniq, which reported the vessel had lost power and run out of gas.
The helicopter crew remained on scene while the Naniq crew assisted the disabled boaters.
“This case illustrates how invaluable good Samaritans and our local and state agencies are to the Coast Guard,” said Adam De Rocher, a watch-stander at Coast Guard 17th District command center. “Without our part-ners we wouldn’t have been able to locate and provide assistance to the mariners in their time of need.”
Weather at the time of the incident was reported as 3- to 5-foot seas and 17 mph winds.”
Congratulations to Vitus Marine and the crew of the Naniq for demon-strating their commitment to community and safety. We are proud to have you as our partner!
Meera KohlerPresident and CEO
AK-105
A Message from Meera
Board of DirectorsChairmanRobert L. Beans Sr., Mountain Village
Vice ChairmanCharlie Curtis, Kiana
SecretaryPhyllis Clough, Old Harbor
TreasurerHelena R. Jones, Ambler
DirectorsPeter Demoski, NulatoFred Sagoonick, Shaktoolik Walter G. Sampson, Noorvik
Alaska Village ElectricCooperative, Inc.4831 Eagle StreetAnchorage, AK 99503(907) 561-1818 (800) 478-1818
Communities ServedAlakanukAmblerAndreafskyAnvikBethelBrevig MissionChevakEekEkwokElimEmmonakGambellGoodnews BayGraylingHoly CrossHooper BayHusliaKaltagKasiglukKianaKivalinaKobukKotlikKoyukLower KalskagMarshallMekoryukMinto
Mt. VillageNew StuyahokNightmuteNoatakNoorvikNulatoNunapitchukOld HarborPilot StationPitkas PointQuinhagakRussian MissionSt. Mary’sSt. MichaelSavoongaScammon BaySelawikShagelukShaktoolikShishmarefShungnakStebbinsTellerTogiakToksook BayTununakUpper KalskagWales
/AlaskaVillage
32 AU G U S T 2014
65 S. Roop St. Susanville, CA 96130 Phone (530) 257-4174 Fax (530) 257-2558 www.lmud.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORSPresident Richard VialVice President Fred NagelTreasurer Jess UrionaguenaH.W. “Bud” BowdenJay Dow Jr.
STAFFGeneral ManagerWilliam H. “Bill” Stewart, CPA
Assistant General ManagerDoug Smith
Electrical Operations ManagerDavid Folce
Accounting and Finance ManagerMary Anderson
Business Office ManagerKeri Richards
Energy Services ManagerTheresa Phillips
Electric Superintendent Cort Cortez
IT Operations Technician Nick Dominguez
Executive AssistantKaren Rollings
In case of an outage: If your electricity is offfor more than a few minutes, call 257-4174. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. After-hours and weekend calls are answered by a local service and immediately forwarded to standby personnel.
The board meets at 5:30 p.m.the fourth Tuesday of each month.
CA-106
Lassen Municipal Utility District Adjusts Kilowatt-Hour RateLassen Municipal Utility District is dedicated to providing safe, reliable power at a reasonable cost. In addition to stable rates and system upgrades, LMUD has operated debt free since 2011, making it unusual in the utility industry. All this has been done by prudent, thoughtful and planned actions by the LMUD board and management.
During the past few years, the district’s income has stayed significantly the same while the cost of doing business keeps rising. Supplies used to maintain and improve the system have increased. Poles, copper, fuel and purchased power continue to cost more.
On June 24, the LMUD Board of Directors voted to increase the district’s per-kilowatt-hour rate by a half cent: from 12 cents to 12.5 cents. The decision was based on information derived from the district’s power delivery cost analysis (PDCA) work-sheet.
What does this mean to you? The average LMUD customer who uses 1,000 kWh a month will see a $5 increase in his utility bill. More importantly, it means LMUD will have sufficient revenue to continue to provide you with the level of service you count on.
As a community-owned utility, LMUD is committed to investing your money wisely. The fact the electricity you use today costs the same as it did in September 2006 is a reflection of LMUD’s commitment to the community.
According to CNN Money, in September 2006 the average price of a gallon of gas was $2.23. Today that same gallon of gas has nearly doubled, without any added value. On the other hand, the price LMUD customers pay for electricity not only has stayed the same, LMUD has added value through improved reliability and safety—something in which the staff takes great pride.
LMUD continues to plan for growth and system improvements. It balances increas-ing state mandates—such as the Public Benefits charge, the solar rebate program and California’s renewable energy standard—with stable rates. LMUD also keeps a close eye on the bottom line with quarterly reviews of its PDCA.
It is inevitable the cost of doing business—especially in California—will continue to rise and, in turn, LMUD’s rates will have to keep pace. LMUD’s goal is to soften the impact to those it serves with planned, thoughtful and prudent financial decisions.
32 AU G U S T 2014
32 AU G U S T 2014
I grew up in a relatively small town that was far from an interstate highway and featured a three-story medical building as its tallest structure. The town was sleepy, and job opportunities seemed scarce. I dreamed that someday I would live in a bustling city with skyscrapers.
That dream ultimately came true with a two-decade career in our nation’s capital, though admittedly it had taller monuments than skyscrapers. It also had opportunities galore for someone interested in politics and policy.
Eventually, I returned to Oregon. But the dreams of my youth recently came to the forefront when I was invited to speak in Washington, D.C., to more than 1,600 participants in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Washington Youth Tour, including 10 whip-smart kids from Oregon.
These high school seniors-to-be are the best and brightest from electric co-op territories across the country. They are motivated and interested—if not a bit fixated on their cell phones—in making a difference in people’s lives. I have no doubt many of them dream of leaving their rural town, going to college and ultimately living in a big city. There is nothing wrong with this path, of course. But this brain drain is taking its toll on rural America.
These kids need a reason to stay in rural America and, for many, these opportuni-ties do not exist. I don’t have the answer for the migration from rural areas, but I do know electric co-ops are the economic engine in their communities. One of the goals of the Youth Tour is not only to showcase the monuments, but to expose these kids to the importance of electric co-ops and to make a lifetime connection.
The kids will make their own history, and I have no doubt our future is in good hands. But I hope that once these kids turn into adults and get the big city out of their system, they will do as I did and leave behind the hassle, return home and reconnect with their electric co-op. There are numerous career and leadership opportunities, and they will know they are making a difference in the lives of the people in their communities.
Ironically, I now live in a town roughly the size of my hometown. It is quiet and sleepy, and I don’t miss the crowds. It also has a three-story building looming over the center of town. At this point in my life, that is tall enough for me.
Ted Case, Executive Director
698 12th St. SE Suite 210Salem, OR 97301
(503) 585-9988www.oreca.org
OFFICERSDave Markham, PresidentChristopher Seubert, Vice PresidentRobert MacPherson, Secretary/TreasurerAlicia Bonesteele, Exec. Committee At-LargeBob Durham, Exec. Committee At-LargeRoman Gillen, Immediate Past President
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ted Case
LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVE
Rachel Kloor
OREGON ELECTRIC CO-OPSBlachly-Lane Electric Co-opCentral Electric Co-opClearwater Power CompanyColumbia Basin Electric Co-opColumbia Power Co-opColumbia Rural Electric Co-opConsumers Power Inc.Coos-Curry Electric Co-opDouglas Electric Co-opHarney Electric Co-opHood River Electric Co-opLane Electric Co-opMidstate Electric Co-opOregon Trail Electric Consumers Co-opSalem ElectricSurprise Valley ElectrificationUmatilla Electric Co-opUmpqua Indian UtilityWasco Electric Co-opWest Oregon Electric Co-op
OR-400
Case in Point
Escambia River
The U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency released its proposed Existing Source Greenhouse Gas rule to regulate carbon dioxide emis-sions from existing fossil fuel-burning power plants on June 2. The rule will require Alabama—the home of all of Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s generation facilities through PowerSouth Energy Cooperative—to achieve a 26.7 percent reduc-tion in CO2 emissions by 2030.
Set to become final byJune 1, 2015, the rule would dramatically affect the nation’s coal-fired power plants.
Coal is the cheapest and most abundant fossil fuel and considered the workhorse of the U.S. power system. It is used to produce about 40 per-cent of the nation’s electricity—more than any other fuel. It helps keep prices stable for our cooperative and power flowing even when demand spikes.
Providing reliable, affordable power is contingent on using a diverse generating mix that includes coal, natural gas, hydro and renew-ables. The proposed rule is considered an effort by the EPA and the Obama
administration to drive coal from the generation mix through regulation rather than legislation. Significant rate increases and higher energy costs could be the result.
PowerSouth determines which generation units are dispatched based on fuel costs, reliability and availabil-ity. The greenhouse gas rule would, in effect, force system operators to dispatch units based on CO2 emissions rath-er than economics. That could increase what you and I pay monthly on energy bills.
At its best, this rule will have negligible effects on global CO2 emissions. U.S. power plants are responsible
for just 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. EPA’s proposal will reduce global carbon dioxide emis-sions by less than 1 percent at a projected cost of $4.2 billion to $8.8 billion a year.
We are evaluating what this rule means for PowerSouth, EREC and you, our members.PowerSouth is researching the rule’s effects on how they operate generating facilities and is participating in the reg-ulatory process on our behalf, including submitting detailed comments to the EPA during the 120-day comment period.
EREC and PowerSouth’s priority is providing reliable, affordable energy to you (see page 7). We will continue to do that the best way we know how. You can help by visit-ing www.action.coop today and sending a message to the EPA: We need coal as part of America’s fuel mix. We must stand together and fight for reliable, affordable energy. Be assured EREC and PowerSouth are doing our part.
Speak Up for A� ordable EnergyManager’s Message
Clay R. Campbell
Side Roads 10In the Kitchen 16Florida Gardener 18
Festival Roundup 22Outdoor Pursuits 24Parting Shot 30
Inside
Your utility pages: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32
Also In This Issue
August 2014Vol. 3, No. 10
Heavenly Flight 12Former Illinois electric cooperative CEO leaves the boardroom for the wide-open skies as a Touchstone Energy balloon pilot.
Members acknowledge that $3.96, plus actual postage, is the cost to publish 12 issues a year of Florida Currents (USPS-8300). Published by Ruralite Services Inc., 5605 NE Elam Young Pkwy., Hillsboro, OR 97124—a not-for-profit Oregon cooperative corporation—the magazine serves the communications needs of consumer-owned electric utilities in Florida. Preferred Periodicals postage paid at Hillsboro, OR 97123 and at additional mailing offices.
Postmaster: Please send address corrections to 5605 NE Elam Young Pkwy., Hillsboro, OR 97124.
HOW TO CONTACT FLORIDA CURRENTS
Have a problem receiving your edition of Florida Currents? Utility members should contact the local utility office listed on the back cover. Nonmembers should contact Ruralite Services, 5605 NE Elam Young Pkwy., Hillsboro, OR 97124; (503) 357-2105; email [email protected].
Subscription services: Nonmember subscriptions $12 (US) per year; $25 (foreign) per year. Prepayment required. Allow 4 to 8 weeks for first issue. Be sure to identify which local edition you want to receive.
Extra copies: $2 each, pre-payment required. Supply is limited. Identify edition, month and year. Contact Ruralite Services.
Reprint permission: Direct all requests to Ruralite Services.
MANUSCRIPTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS
Please do not send unsolicited materials. If interested in writing for Florida Currents, query first. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for writer’s guidelines. Address requests and queries to Ruralite Services.
DISPLAY ADVERTISING INQUIRIES
Contact Jessah WillisNational Country Market611 S. Congress Ave. Suite 504Austin, TX 98704(800) 626-1181 or (512) 441-5200www.nationalcountrymarket.com
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© 2014 Ruralite Services Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
AU G U S T 2014 3
SCOTT NEWBERRYChief Executive Officer
FLORIDA KEYS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION, INC.Member Owned Since 1940
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
James J. BoiliniDistrict 1, Key Largo • President
Gretchen HollandDistrict 1, Key Largo • Vice President
Michael H. PutoDistrict 4, Marathon • Secretary
H.B. BarrettDistrict 3, Islamorada • Treasurer
David C. RitzDistrict 1, Key Largo
Craig BelcherDistrict 2, Tavernier
Frank N. Hawkins, Jr.District 2, Tavernier
George D. HertelDistrict 3, Islamorada
Karl M. WagnerDistrict 4, Marathon
CONTACT US:(305) 852-2431 (800) 858-8845 toll freewww.FKEC.comMailing AddressP.O. Box 377, Tavernier, FL 33070
A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 W W W . F K E C . C O M
FKEC NEWS
4 AUGUST 2014
Unless otherwise noted, “FKEC NEWS”writing, design & photography by:
Nikki Dunn • [email protected] by: Rebecca Callahan Newman
MEMBERS SHOULDKNOW: Follow FKECon Facebookfor valuable energy andcommunity event info.
Although we are a relatively small electricutility, we at FKEC feel it is important tobe as progressive as possible. We prideourselves on constantly improving andevolving the services, programs anddevices we provide to best address theneeds of our member-consumers.
Our online services continue toexpand, making it easier for you to doeverything from disconnecting electricservice to filing a tree trim request fromthe convenience of your own home. Ourmobile app, SmartHub, further extendsthis convenience by allowing you to accessyour electric account information or payyour bill from your iOS or Androiddevice.
We are also using social media to stayconnected to our members. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for energy savingtips, safety information, storm alerts,community event information and more.
While the company is advancing intothe age of online services, we are alsostaying committed to personal, friendlyservice. Maintaining quality, one-on-oneservice will always be a priority.
To ensure quality service, we conduct
random surveys of our members to tracktheir satisfaction level. Since implementingthe survey two years ago, I’m happy toreport we have maintained a 95% orhigher approval rating, and we willcontinue to strive for 100% satisfaction.
FKEC employs three full-timemember service representativesresponsible for ensuring that ourcustomer’s concerns are alwaysaddressed. There is also an operatoravailable by phone 24/7 to respond toimmediate issues. Members are alwayswelcome to contact the Co-op with anyquestions or concerns.
I am proud of our staff andemployees for continuing to raise the barin quality customer service; however, theservices we offer are only effective if ourmembers are aware they are available.With that said, the facing page highlightssome of the most beneficial services,programs and devices we offer.
For an overview of online servicesvisit www.fkec.com/FormService or call305-852-2431 for member service.
FKEC: Focused on Evolving & ImprovingMember Service
August-2014-Final_Layout 1 7/14/14 1:12 PM Page 2
Offices
Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday
26733 U.S. Hwy. 27 East/P.O. Box 519Moore Haven, FL 33471(800) 226-4024 or (863) 946-6200Fax: (863) 946-2150
214 SR 70 WestLake Placid, FL 33852(800) 226-4025 or (863) 531-5000
111 SW Park St.Okeechobee, FL 34974(800) 226-4023 or (863) 467-5111
POwer interruPtiOn numberMoore Haven ............................. (800) 226-4024
Phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and holidays. Please have your location or account number handy when you call.
bOard Of trusteesJohn “Jack” Coxe, President, District 8 Lake Josephine, (863) 655-3056James “Jim” Aul, Vice President, District 7 Lorida, (863) 441-0441 Russell Henderson, Sec./Treas., District 3 Ortona and Palmdale, (863) 946-0865Donnie Lundy, Trustee, District 1 Moore Haven, (863) 946-0402Barney Goodman, Trustee, District 2 Hendry County, (863) 983-7324Shannon Hall, Trustee, District 4 Lakeport and Brighton, (863) 946-3242Ladd Bass, Trustee, District 5 Venus and Hicoria, (863) 441-2227Lee Henderson, Trustee, District 6 Highlands Park, (863) 633-9281Irene Lofton, Trustee, District 9 Okeechobee, (863) 467-1219
The next meeting of the Board will be at 9 a.m. August 28 at the Moore Haven headquarters office. Any changes to this schedule will be posted in the lobby of all three district offices.
executive staffCEO Jeff Brewington CFO Jennifer ManningDir. of Business Development Paul McGeheeDir. of Employee Services Yvonne BradleyDir. of Information Technologies Bradley HillDir. of Member Services Margaret EllerbeeDir. of Operations Tracy Vaughn
FL-153
Last month we celebrated our country’s independence—its birth. I thought about the courage of the great people of that time. The sacrifices they made for the freedom and privileges we have now were astonishing. Even more astonishing is how, through the years, those privileges—fought for at the price of death—have become considered deserved without cost or responsibility.
Those same thoughts reminded me of the formation of your cooperative. Not 1776, but 168 years later in 1944, a few brave souls in our neck of the woods were not happy that the big electric companies of the time would not bring the privilege of electric energy to their homes and businesses. Why? Because there was not enough profit to be made.
In January 1945, the founding fathers of Glades Electric Cooperative said enough is enough and stepped up to the plate. Glades County Agent F.D. Yaun and Glades County Board of Commissioners Chairman J.E. Frierson collected 179 applications from area residents brave enough to form a cooperative and bring the freedom electric energy provides to their homeland. Later that same month on the steps of the Glades County Courthouse, W.J. Espenlaub, Glen H. Williams, Richard Archbold, Stanley Wayman, Bert C. Dyess, John Tiedtke, Ralph V. Wadlow and J.W. Himrod were elected as the first Glades Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees. Don’t those names ring some bells?
Their sacrifices were not without cost, and so it remains to this day. Electric service to remote areas is still not profitable enough for the big electric companies, and the cost to an individual member supporting the cooperative model is higher. But it is still quite affordable compared to the other privileges we purchase.
Looked at from another angle, you may conclude a coop-erative member gets the better deal. We have an average of six meters per mile of line. Under our current rates and aver-age use, those six members provide $882 for that mile and any profits are returned to the member. Our counterparts—two neighboring big electrics—have 40 and 68 meters per mile of line. Using their current rates and assuming the same average use as our members, the big electric accounts return $4,886.40 and $7,144.58, respectively, per mile of line—with profits returned to stockholders. Who is the real winner?
Give it some thought. Think about just how blessed we really are out here in a part of Florida many have no idea exists.
Jeff Brewington
Blessed by Our FoundersCEO’s Message
32 AU G U S T 2014
Offices722 West Highway 22P. O. Box 220Wewahitchka, FL 32465(850) 639-2216 or (800) 333-9392 9434 Highway 77 P. O. Box 8370Southport, FL 32409(850) 265-3631 or (800) 568-3667
6243 East Highway 98Panama City, FL 32404Phone: (850) 481-1188
www.gcec.com
ceO/General ManaGerMichael E. White
TrusTeesPresident Kinneth DanielsVice President Gary Cox Secretary Eddie JonesTreasurer Robert ByrdDoug BirminghamJimmy BlackRupert BrownWaylon GrahamBetty Moore
Trustees normally meet the third Tuesday of each month at 12:30 p.m. CST. The board meets at the Wewahitchka office in even-numbered months (February, April, June, August, October and December) and the Southport office in odd-numbered months (January, March, May, July, September and November).
The mission of GCEC is to continually evaluate and implement technologies and seek solutions that fulfill a diversified memberships’ changing expectations for cost-effective, dependable utility services through a dedicated and responsive workforce.
FL-154
GCEC President’s Message
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Obama admin-istration have taken energy policy into their own hands instead of letting Congress—and the American people—make decisions about their energy use. On June 2, the EPA released its proposed Existing Source Greenhouse Gas rule to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel-burning power plants. The rule will require Alabama—the home of all of PowerSouth’s generation facilities—to achieve a 26.7 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030.
Set to become final by June 1, 2015, the rule would dramatically affect the nation’s coal-fired power plants. Coal is the cheapest, most abundant fossil fuel and the workhorse of the U.S. power system. It is used to produce about 40 percent of the nation’s electricity—more than any other fuel. It helps keep prices stable for our co-op and power flowing even when demand spikes.
“We’re concerned this rule could result in significant rate increases and higher energy costs,” said PowerSouth President and CEO Gary Smith. “We rely on a diverse generating mix that includes coal, natural gas, hydro and renewables to ensure we offer reliable power at the lowest cost to our members.”
The rule is considered an effort by the EPA and the Obama administration to drive coal from the generation mix through regulation rather than legislation. The EPA sug-gests states reach their goals by making efficiency improvements at coal plants, switching from coal to natural gas, expanding the use of renewables and investing in energy-effi-ciency programs. In the aftermath of EPA’s carbon emissions proposal for existing power plants, 41 U.S. senators signed a letter urging President Obama to withdraw the rule.
“It’s a back-door way for the administration to require renewable portfolio standards without going through Congress,” said Damon Morgan, PowerSouth chief operating offi-cer. “In the Southeast, renewables are more costly and less reliable than the resources we currently employ. Power costs will increase and will likely be less reliable in the future.”
PowerSouth determines which generation units are dispatched based on fuel costs, reliability and availability. The greenhouse gas rule would, in effect, force system oper-ators to dispatch units based on CO2 emissions rather than economics.
This rule will have negligible effects on global CO2 emissions. U.S. power plants are responsible for 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. EPA’s proposal will reduce global CO2 emissions by less than 1 percent at a cost EPA projects at $4.2 billion to $8.8 billion a year. China emits more CO2 in one month (more than 800 million tons) than the maximum amount EPA’s proposal will reduce in one year (about 550 million tons).
GCEC and PowerSouth’s priority is providing reliable, affordable energy to you. We will continue to do that the best way we know how. You can help by visiting www.action.coop today and sending a message to the EPA: We need coal as part of America’s fuel mix. Whether we speak out against the proposed Existing Source Greenhouse Gas rule or other regulations introduced by the EPA and the Obama administration, we must stand together and fight for reliable, affordable energy.
Kinneth Daniels
Speak Up for Affordable Energy
32 au G u S T 2014
Proposed Federal Government Regulations Will Significantly Affect the Cost and Reliability of Electricity
n June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued proposed regulations that will increase the price of electricity and jeopardize reliability. This rule is aimed at curbing carbon emissions from U.S. power plants. U.S. power plants are responsible for only 4 percent
of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The proposed regulations would only decrease GHG by approximately 1 percent, while significantly increasing your electric bill and decreasing the reliability of your electric service.
PRECO and its wholesale electric provider, Seminole Electric Cooperative, continue to be good stewards of the environment. Seminole has invested more than $530 million in environmental control technology and recycling practices at its Seminole Generating Station, making it one of the cleanest coal-fired power plants in the country. Today, this equipment removes more than 90 percent of nitrogen oxide, mercury and acid gases, 92 percent of sulfur dioxide, and 99 percent of particulate matter. In addition, approximately 70 percent of the byproducts from this plant are recycled for use in products consumers use every day, including wallboard and concrete. Our
portfolio of renewable energy has the largest percentage of green energy of all electric providers in the State of Florida, and we continue to explore new sources of renewables. Finally, PRECO is committed to energy efficiency and energy conservation by providing free energy audits and energy saving tips in our monthly magazine.
The bottom line is that PRECO and Seminole are doing the right things for the environment in a way that does not dramatically increase the price of electricity or hurt reliability. We believe in a balanced approach that protects the environment while not jeopardizing your electric service. And, these proposed federal regulations go too far, too fast. They are not feasible or achievable without having a significant impact on your electric service, while having little impact on the environment.
My biggest concern is the reliability of the electric grid. Presumably, the plants which will close will be replaced with plants fueled by natural gas. There is one big problem for Floridians. There are not enough gas pipelines in the state to fuel all these new plants, and the ability to construct new pipelines in time is highly
questionable. Additionally, the ability to bring in power from neighboring states is very limited because Florida is a peninsula. If we are forced to close existing plants and do not have new plants constructed with a reliable fuel source, your lights will go out.
There are also cost factors to consider. Closing a fleet of power plants before they reach the end of their planned useful lives is inefficient and costly. And, by building new power plants to replace them, consumers are forced to pay for two generating systems at the same time. In addition, the diversity of fuel used to generate electricity will be lost in Florida. This “all your eggs in one basket” approach brings a lot of pricing risk. This risk is compounded when you examine the history of the natural gas market and the history of extreme volatility that it has experienced.
If you are concerned about these important issues, I encourage you to make your voice heard. Go to www.Action.coop or www.TellEPA.com and tell Washington that new regulations should consider the cost and reliability of electric service. If you don’t have Internet access, call us at 1-800-282-3824, or stop by our office and we will assist you. It is not too late to make your voice heard!
To REPoRT PoWER ouTAGE CAll:1-877-282-3656
CoRPoRATE HEAdquARTERS 210 Metheny Road Wauchula, Florida 33873 Hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F Telephone: 1-800-282-3824FAX: 863-773-3737
BRAdEnTon oFFiCE15105 59th Ave. EastBradenton, Florida 34211 Hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., M-FTelephone: 1-800-282-3824
indiAn lAkE ESTATES17363 County Road 630Lake Wales, Florida 33898For your convenience, a payment drop box is located at the front gate. Payments will be posted on the next business day.
BoARd oF diRECToRSBruce VickersP R E s i d E n T
John Martinv i C E P R E s i d E n T
Hollis Albritton, Jr.s E C R E TA Ry/ T R E A s u R E R
Harold SchatschneiderA s s T. s E C R E TA Ry/ T R E A s u R E R
leonard Crawleyd i R E C T o R
Willie dawesd i R E C T o R
Maurice Hendersond i R E C T o R
Chris Portaled i R E C T o R
Samuel Rawls d i R E C T o R
BoARd MEETinG ATTEndAnCEAny PRECO member may attend a Board Meeting. Due to building security requirements and for us to facilitate attendance, members wishing to attend a Board Meeting should contact the Cooperative in a timely manner for logistical information regarding the meeting.
uPCoMinG BoARd MEETinG dATESAugust 26. 2014 September 30, 2014 October 28, 2014
32 A u g u S t 2014
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Randy shawGeneral Manager & CEOPEACE RivER ElECtRiC COOPERAtivE
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