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From Memorial Day to Labor Day, NEPPA will follow summer hours:
Mon. - Thurs. (7:30 am - 3:30 pm) | Fridays (7:30 am - 2:00 pm)
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Update on the Executive Search
by Elizabeth Dailey, Acting Executive Director
NEPPA's Executive Committee is pleased to report a great response of potential candidates to fill NEPPA's Executive Director position. Initial interviews have been conducted, candidates have been narrowed down and final interviews will be conducted in the coming weeks.
The Executive Committee and Board of Directors look to fill the position by the Annual Conference, being held August 19 - 22 at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in N. Falmouth, MA.
Thanks for your continued support during this transition period.
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Upcoming Training & Events
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Apprentice Lineworker Rodeo, June 6 - 7
Registration still open!
* Still accepting applications. Registration fees are prorated. Contact NEPPA for more information.
Metering II Program, Aug. 13 & 27; Sept. 10 & 24; Oct. 15; Nov. 5 & 26; Dec. 10
(Littleton, MA)
Registration open! Book your rooms ASAP!
Year I: Aug. 28 - 31; Oct. 23 - 26
Year II: Sept. 11 - 14; Oct. 30 - Nov. 2
Year II: Sept. 11 - 14; Oct. 30 - Nov. 2
Year III: Sept. 25 - 28; Nov. 6 - 9
Lineworkers Rodeo
, September 20 - 21 (Littleton, MA) *
Details will be posted soon!
(Littleton, MA)
General Foremen's Roundtable, October 10 (Littleton, MA) *
Credit & Collections Roundtable, October 24 (Littleton, MA)*
* Still accepting applications. Registration fees are prorated. Contact NEPPA for more information.
Annual Membership Meeting, November 30 (Nashua, NH) *
* Registration Not Yet Open.
If you're interested in attending any of the above events, please
email Sarah Klingler at sklingler@neppa.org to be notified as soon as registration becomes available.
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Training & Events Highlight
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It's not too late to register!
Customer Service Conference
Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks (S. Portland, ME)
June 13, 2018
NEPPA Members: $185
Non-Members: $295
Questions? Contact Sarah Klingler at sklingler@neppa.org.
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From Memorial Day to Labor Day, NEPPA will follow summer hours:
Mon. - Thurs. (7:30 am - 3:30 pm) | Fridays (7:30 am - 2:00 pm)
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Siemens/WESCO Technology Day
July 17,2018
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
NEPPA Training Center (Littleton, MA)
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Register Now for NEPPA's Annual Conference!
Registration is now open for NEPPA's Annual Conference being held August 19 - 22, 2018 at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel (N. Falmouth, MA).
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Committee Meeting Calendar
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2018
Education Development Committee, June 25 (Littleton, MA)
Executive Committee, August 10
Member Value Committee, August 19 (N. Falmouth, MA)
Board of Directors, August 22 (N. Falmouth, MA)
Finance Committee, August 22 (N. Falmouth, MA)
Conference Oversight & Planning Committee, September 11 (Littleton, MA)
Education Development Committee, September 17 (Littleton, MA)
Member Value Committee, October 3 (Littleton, MA)
Finance Committee, October 17
Executive Committee, November 2
Board of Directors, November 16
Conference Oversight & Planning Committee, December 4 (Littleton, MA)
Education Development Committee, December 17 (Littleton, MA)
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| Howard Barton Jr. |
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Ludlow (VT) Board Chairman Dies
While Mountain Biking
June 4, 2018 (Ludlow, VT) -
Longtime chairman of the Ludlow Select Board, Howard Barton Jr., 55, passed away Saturday while riding on trails near his home.
Barton had gone biking for about an hour and a half Saturday afternoon and when he didn't return as expected. After two hours, his wife Susan and one of their daughters went looking for him.
Susan found him on one of the trails in back of the Okemo Valley Golf Club, and immediately began CPR when she found him.
Ludlow police, when they arrived, also performed CPR, as did Ludlow rescue workers, but Town Manager Scott Murphy said Barton couldn't be revived and he was later pronounced dead at Springfield Hospital.
Barton was chairman of the three-board committee which had hired Murphy in April to be municipal manager.
Barton was vice president of the Ludlow Village Electric Department, working under his father, Howard Barton Sr. Murphy said he was both a lineman and a utility administrator.
Please click here and visit the original article written by Susan Smallheer of the Rutland Herald, published June 4, 2018.
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Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department
Plants 26 Utility-Friendly Trees
June 1, 2018 (Wakefield, MA)
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Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department
(WMGLD) has planted 26 utility-friendly trees on public rights of way throughout the community. The new trees replace trees that have either been damaged or felled by winds and storms, and trees that have been removed as part of the proactive line maintenance program.
The trees were planted by a professional landscaping company, according to WMGLD General Manager Pete Dion. Five low-growing tree species have been selected after careful research by the WMGLD, an arborist, and Wakefield Department of Public Works Forestry Supervisor Dennis Fazio.
The tree species include Dogwood, Flowering Crabapple, Japanese Maple, Magnolia and Aborvitae. The type of the tree planted in each location is dependent on a number of factors, including proximity to houses, utility lines and other structures, as well as the width of the planting lawn.
"Each tree will be selected to fit its site at maturity as well as the landscape plan," General Manager Dion said. "Each tree is expected to develop freely without encroaching on utility lines or impeding street lighting."
The newly planted trees will be monitored by the WMGLD and its landscaper.
Information about the tree planting program, or additional programs can be obtained by contacting the WMGLD at (781) 246-6363.
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Congratulations to NEPPA Members for Receiving
APPA's DEED Project Funding!
May 31, 2018 -
The board of directors for the American Public Power Association's Demonstration of Energy & Effi
ciency Developments (DEED) program has approved $720,692 in grant funding awarded to 11
projects at the Spring 2018 DEED Board Meeting. The funding will be used to pursue a wide variety of
research projects such as EV adoption, grid friendly building design, floating solar arrays and
blockchain.
Congratulations to the following NEPPA Member Recipients!
- Braintree Electric Light Department
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Burlington Electric Department
- Marblehead Municipal Light Department
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Washington Electric Co-op Celebrates 79 Years
of Rural Electric Service at Annual Meeting
May 9, 2018 (East Montpelier, VT) -
On May 2, Washington Electric Cooperative (WEC) welcomed 230 member-owners to its operations center in East Montpelier for the utility's 79th Annual Meeting. WEC members re-elected three incumbent board members and celebrated an outstanding safety record and robust participation in its charitable giving program. The 100% renewable electric utility faces a small rate increase in 2018, but its primary source of power, a generation plant that recovers methane from Vermont's landfill in Coventry, is performing better than ever.
WEC's members re-elected incumbents Vice President Roger Fox of Walden, Stephen Knowlton of East Montpelier and Richard Rubin of Plainfield to three open seats on its nine-member board. Candidate Steven Farnham of Plainfield was a close fourth.
Board President Barry Bernstein announced a rate increase will go into effect July 1. "We're hoping to keep this under 5%. We don't do this lightly," he promised, adding that the Public Utility Commission (PUC) will determine the final rate.
After an active year of storms, including the October 2017 windstorm that caused historic damage and outages that lasted up to a week for some, WEC members gave the utility's hardworking lineworkers a long and appreciative round of applause. General Manager Patty Richards pointed out that under difficult weather conditions that included five major storms and countless weekend weather events, WEC staff worked 939 days in a row with no lost time injuries.
Board Treasurer Don Douglas announced that WEC's landfill methane generation plant in Coventry is performing well. "Coventry is making two thirds of the electricity WEC uses," he said, saving the utility from having to purchase power on the open market. "We are one of only a few utilities in the whole country that is 100% renewable," he added, to applause. In 2017, WEC returned $720,000 to its members through its capital credit system, he said. Capital credits, unique to co-ops, are marginal revenues returned to member-owners instead of enriching private investors or shareholders.
Richards also noted that WEC's Community Fund, supported by members through voluntary donations of capital credits, gave almost $40,000 to small nonprofits serving WEC communities in 2017; an increase of $10,000 more than 2016. "Part of WEC's mission is to support the communities we serve beyond just providing electricity. WEC's Community Fund makes a big difference in Central Vermont, and we're proud of that," Richards said.
"WEC is lucky to have a democratically engaged membership that supports our commitment to 100% renewable power sources. We have outstanding board leadership and we continually work toward improving our services to members while staying aware of our impact on our state and the environment. WEC has always shown resilience and vision, and today we celebrate that. Going forward we're prepared to demonstrate both those qualities in how we respond to weather events and how we empower our members to move off fossil fuels." Richards said WEC is working to make its heavily forested, mountainous grid more resilient to storms, and is ramping up its Button Up program, which offers financial incentives for members to make energy-efficient, carbon-free updates to their homes, heating and transportation systems.
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Welcome to our Newest Affiliate Members!
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Energy Policy:
White House directs DOE to take "immediate steps" to protect coal and nuclear, FERC announces PURPA review; Senate committee advances hydro bills...
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Thanks to everyone who's supported the Benevolent Fund at the Annual Conference, E&O Conference and purchasing T-Shirts and Hats!
What is the Benevolent Fund?
Every day, public power utilities are engaged in the demanding and often dangerous task of providing safe, reliable electric power to their communities at the lowest possible cost. As with any large family, the New England public power community is sometimes faced with unexpected tragedies: disabling accidents, sudden and prolonged illnesses, and even the tragic loss of life.
As a family, public power systems in New England have always rallied to provide support when tragedy strikes, donating time, skills and financial resources to assist during a period of need.
NEPPA's Benevolent Fund was established to continue this tradition. All funds raised and received are designated to be disbursed to public power employees, or their families, undergoing financial difficulties due to personal injury, illness or death.
All public power employees in New England are eligible to receive assistance from the Fund. Disbursements are approved by NEPPA's Executive Committee.
Do you know of someone in need of assistance? Please contact NEPPA's Executive Director by calling the office at (978) 540-2200. Formal requests should be submitted in writing from a utility general manager or board.
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