by Bonnie Biocchi, Executive Director
Many years ago, as a freshman at American University, I had the distinct pleasure of learning that Washington, DC was a pretty exciting place to be. With lots of interesting activities to engage in, plenty of museums to explore and the seat of power at my fingertips, I fell in love with the nation’s capital. Fast forward to last week’s APPA Legislative Rally and I have to say, Washington is still an exciting place to be and I still love DC.
One of the many benefits of being a NEPPA member is the advocacy we engage in. Although we monitor and respond to many different issues throughout the course of the year, the Legislative Rally gives us an opportunity to meet directly with members of the New England delegation and focus on the specific issues that matter most to us.
Over the course of three days, we met with twenty-one elected officials (or their staff) from throughout our region. We discussed the importance of restoring authority to public utilities over pole top attachments and promoted the need to reinstate advanced refunding for municipal bonds to support infrastructure investment. We also advocated for streamlining the permitting/relicensing process for hydropower projects to further support our industry’s efforts to adopt greener sources of power.
We had many conversations about how our industry is working hard to address climate change by instituting new clean, green and emissions free technologies to help meet the standards set by our individual states and stressed the importance of continued investment in battery storage development and access to incentives for greater implementation.
One of the key accomplishments of the trip was to garner support for the creation of a
“Blue Ribbon Commission” to tackle the thorny problem of the capacity market. We believe that by convening a panel of experts from public and private power providers, generators, academia, government and environmental groups, we can take a fresh look at the way our region addresses future demands for electric power. We were encouraged by these conversations and will be following up over the coming weeks to help bring this idea to fruition.
Throughout the summer months, we will be visiting our delegation at their district offices and will journey back to Washington during Public Power week to continue to advocate for your needs. Although many things have changed in Washington since my freshman year, what remains unchanged is that DC is still the seat of power and staying engaged is the only way to ensure our voice is heard.
|
|
Upcoming Training & Events
|
|
Registration Deadline is Friday, March 15th
for
NEPPA's
April 9-11, 2019
(8:00 am - 4:00 pm)
|
|
Understand Key Components of the Electric Distribution
System at NEPPA's
Thursday, April 11, 2019
(8:00 am - 4:00 pm)
|
|
Year I:
March 12 - 15; Aug. 27 - 30;
Oct. 29 - Nov. 1
Year II:
April 9 - 12; Sept. 17 - 20; Nov. 5 - 8
Year III:
April 23 - 26;
Sept. 24 - 27; Nov. 19 - 22
Year IV:
May 7 - 10;
Oct. 8 - 11; Dec. 10 - 13
Apprentice Rodeo:
June 5 - 6
Apprentice Graduation:
Dec. 12
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
March 20, 2019
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
March 21, 2019
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
March 25; April 29; May 20; June 10
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
March 26 - 29; April 30 - May 3; May 21 - 24; June 11 - 14
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
April 2 - 3, 2019
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
April 4, 2019
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
April 9 - 11, 2019; October 29 - 31, 2019
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
April 30 - May 2, 2019
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
May 3, 2019
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
May 13 - 14, 2019
DoubleTree Hotel
Manchester, NH
Customer Service Conference *
June 19, 2019
Wylie Inn & Conference Center at Endicott College
Beverly, MA
Aug. 5 & 26; Sept. 9 & 30; Oct. 21; Nov. 4 & 18; Dec. 9
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
|
|
Aug. 6 - 9; Aug. 27 - 30; Sept. 24 - 27; Oct. 8 - 11
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
NEPPA Annual Conference *
August 18 - 21, 2019
Omni Mount Washington Hotel
Bretton Woods, NH
Sept. 10 - 13; Oct. 1 - 4; Oct. 22 - 25; Nov. 19 - 22
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
September 11, 2019
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
September 12, 2019
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
Lineworkers Rodeo
*
September 19 - 20, 2019
(Dates subject to change)
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
Outage Management & Emergency Communications Roundtable *
October 23, 2019
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
November 6 - 7, 2019NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
Annual Membership Meeting *
December 6, 2019
(Date subject to change)
Location TBA
|
|
|
|
Environmental Policy:
Wheeler confirmed as EPA Administrator, Green New Deal introduced, Committees hold climate hearings …
|
|
|
It’s never over, stay prepared!
By Scott Edwards, Mutual Aid Director
When it comes to storms, outages, and mutual aid it never stops for us in New England. As spring rolls around, we all tend to let our guards down when it comes to big storms and outages. Nothing like a late spring snowstorm or 60+ winds after a three-day rain to remind us that outage management and preparedness is a year-round responsibility.
Rest assured that the NEPPA Mutual Aid Program, which is operated by the Mutual Aid Committee Members and Regional Coordinators, is ready to provide assistance when you may need it. It has been a fairly quiet winter with only a few requests for assistance, but that can change in a heartbeat!
Please prepare for the worst and hope for the best. To help you prepare for emergencies, APPA has an excellent publication- the
All-Hazards Guidebook - which is worth a read.
And when you do need mutual aid from a fellow NEPPA member, please know who to contact and how the program works. Your Regional Coordinator contact information can be found on the NEPPA website under the mutual aid tab. To refresh your memory regarding how the program works and your utility’s responsibilities, you can refer to the mutual aid agreement, found under the mutual aid tab and through
this link.
Fingers crossed for a quiet spring, but be ready just in case!
|
|
To maximize your corporate investment,
we invite you to become a
“Shine Your Light”
sponsor.
This new affiliate partnership provides an affordable and easy way to: Increase your visibility and impact, stretch your marketing dollars, secure and build stronger relationships, and engage in deeper and more meaningful networking.
|
|
Massachusetts house speaker introduces plan to allocate $1B for green infrastructure
|
February 25, 2019, (Boston, MA) - Massachusetts State House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D, announced on Friday a plan to spend $1 billion over the next decade to build up infrastructure around new cities and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Washington Electric Coop CEO Patty Richards on Innovation & Evolving Grid
|
February 12, 2019 (East Montpelier, VT) –
Microgrids. Distributed energy resources. Smart meters and two-way flow of power and data. What does all of this mean for how we consume electricity, and how will it continue to change in the future?
|
|
Energy assistance information available from Belmont Light
|
February 18, 2019,
(Belmont, MA) – Belmont Light customers who may need help paying their home heating and energy bills this winter are encouraged to contact or visit the Belmont Light office to obtain information about energy assistance programs and services.
|
|
|
|
|
New Hampshire grid mod proposal recommends 'tempered' approach to AMI
|
February 14, 2019
, (New Hampshire) - Staff of the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission want utilities to take a cautious approach to installing advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), and are recommending an opt-in approach and the use of technologies that can provide less granular data at a lower cost.
|
|
Extend your brand to those who matter most!
|
Advertising for the 2019 NEPPA Directory
of Consumer-Owned Electric Utilities in New England is now underway!
|
D
ear Member, our publishing partner, E&M Consulting, is in the process of wrapping up production of our Northeast Public Power Association Directory of Consumer-Owned Electric Utilities in New England.
They are very professional and produce a high quality publication.
Don't hesitate to call Ryan at 978-800-1276 if you have any questions. As always, your support of the Northeast Public Power Association is greatly appreciated!
|
|
Northeast Public Power Association | communications@neppa.org | www.neppa.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
