6.1.a. ERMUSR 05-12-2015 i
Elk River
Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO: FROM:
Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Troy Adams, P.E.—General Manager
John Dietz—Chair
Al Nadeau—Vice Chair
Daryl Thompson—Trustee
MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
May 12, 2015 6.1a
SUBJECT:
Staff Updates—General Manager
DISCUSSION:
• The Board of Directors of the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency(MMPA)met on
April 28, 2015. MMPA's auditor presented the Agency's 2014 audited financial
statements to the Board at the meeting. The Board approved the annual audit report,
which is available on MMPA's website (www.mmpa.org).
Faribault Energy Park successfully completed a scheduled maintenance outage earlier in
the month and the plant has been returned to service. The Board had the opportunity to
view the newly-installed solar energy facility at MMPA's Faribault Energy Park plant.
The Board continued its planning discussions related to distributed generation and
renewable energy. See the attached pictures.
• On April 20 I gave an update to the City Council on the completion of the electric service
territory acquisition negotiation. Staff has been in contact with the Star News about
doing a press release and plan to do this later in the year when more details are worked
out for the 2015 transfer schedule.
• The registration deadline for the American Public Power Association's National
Convention in Friday,May 15. The convention is in Minneapolis this year and runs
Friday June 5 through Wednesday June 10. The core of the conference doesn't start until
Monday the 8th. I will be presenting on Monday and Tuesday. Jennie Nelson, our
Customer Service Manager, will be receiving the APPA rising star award at a ceremony
on Tuesday. If any of the Commissioners want to attend the conference for Monday
through Wednesday, we will need to know at the time of the Commission meeting in
order to make the reservations.
• Attached is the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association 2014 Year in Review.
• During the past month I have spent a significant amount of time on human resources
conducting 30 interviews and a total of 39 since the beginning of the year. These recent
IiVüI Page 1 of 2 RE
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Power Provider P O W E R E D T o S E R V E
78
interviews were the result of: budgeted position additions,budgeted succession planned
hiring, filing two vacant lineworker positions, filing two other vacant positions, and
backfilling vacancies as a result of cascading internal promotions from the previously
mentioned openings. The budgeted new position for a field engineering has not yet been
posted. The timing on this position will be evaluated after the new Technical Services
Superintendent gets established in his position. We will bring this back to the
Commission for discussion at a future date for discussion.
• We were involved in two unemployment hearings over the past month. ERMU won both
of those hearings.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Fairbault Energy Park Pictures
• Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association 2014 Year In Review
frIllEFIED Page 2 of 2 ATURE
Reliable Public
Power Provider PoWeaeo To SERVE
79
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Introduction
Dear Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA) Members—
Welcome to our 2014 Year in Review. It was an action packed year, and it's nice to
take a few minutes to look back and see what we've done.
We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.
Jack Kegel
Contents
Timeline 3-4 Safety &Training 10-12
Government Relations 5 Meetings and Workshops 13-14
State Government Relations 5-7 Communications and Publications 15
Federal Government Relations 7-8 Municipal Utilities Map 16
Engineering and Policy Analysis 8-9
Photo credits:All photos by MMUA,except for page 15, courtesy of RPU
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Adoption of a 1,607 page OSHA rule had a profound impact on MMUA training in 2014.This picture was
taken at the Overhead School, held at the MMUA Training Center in Marshall.
2014 Year in Review-2
83
2014 Timeline
The following 2014 timeline is not exhaustive but
does give the reader a flavor of the varied activities ,.
MMUA was involved in during 2014: . .i ,
. _.,,,,, - - ,-Jan. 8-The federal Environmental Protection _ � r
Agency (EPA) publishes the proposed New Source
Performance Standards in the Federal Register. .- ti
This is one of a host of EPA proposals that is to 1 d
keep MMUA staff scrambling during the year.
A .
''r• ''
Feb. 6-MMUA Director of Engineering and Policy
Analysis Bob Jagusch and American Public Power ' "'
Association (APPA) staff tag-teamed in testimony ,-....._
to the Environmental Protection Agency at a public
hearing in Washington, D.C., on the agency's pro- Don Harbuck of the Northwest Lineman College
posed `Clean Power Plan.' (NWLC)was flanked by MMUA's Mike Willetts, left,
and Pete Wyffels following a T&O Conference presen-
Feb. 19-21 -MMUA holds Cross Training School in tation on the MMUA-NWLC apprenticeship training
Marshall. partnership.
February- Six municipal lineworkers, from as
many member utilities, graduate from Northwest April 1 -The Occupational Safety and Health
Lineman College. MMUA staff helps students Administration releases a final rule revising its
through the program in various ways as desired by workplace safety standards for workers performing
the member utility. electric power generation, transmission and distri-
bution work. The rule totals 1,607 pages and dra-
March-Grinding cold continues in this historically matically impacts MMUA training efforts.
frigid winter. Many members and their citizens
i struggle with an April 1 -Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
'0,1 unusually high adopts digital electric service territory map. MMUA
"' ! number of frozen staff had worked closely with state staff long before
ai Y g
water lines. the order to produce the map was given, and helped
A guide the eventual product.
March 4 7-
� 'i' MMUA Meter April 4-5-MMUA sends a strong contingent to the
School, at the American Public Power Association Public Power
_ 4 111 MMUA Training Lineworkers Rodeo in Edmond, Okla. Approxi-
Center in Mar- mately 50 individuals from MMUA and Minnesota
shall. The meeting municipal electric utilities attend, instruct and par-
t'1 `
► . 1 is held in con- ticipate in the event. (MMUA will host this event in
junction with the 2016.)
I -
Minnesota Rural
Electric Associa- April 15-17-MMUA Generation School held in
[h i tion and APPA. Fairmont and Madelia.
March 10-12- April 23-25-MMUA Legislative Conference held
-.- .1, * r . - ` `1.., MMUA leads Min- at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Bloomington and leg-
MMUA planned training based nesota contingent islative offices in St. Paul.
on its knowledge of the impend- to APPA Legis-
ing OSHA rule. lative Rally in May 7-MMUA names statewide Tom Bovitz Me-
Washington, D.C. morial Scholarship Award essay contest winners.
2014 Year In Review-3
84
May 13-16- structors and eight MMUA staff members. Regular
MMUA Under- and associate members supplied 16 bucket trucks
ground School and a digger derrick to make the program work.
held at the MMUA
Training Center September-MMUA staff continues working with
in Marshall. The ,� consultant on development of new MMUA website.
school is held in k ..,,t'‘
= Sponsorship package introduced.
conjunction with
MREA and Oct. 8-10 and 22-24-Sessions held, at Central
APPA. Mark Erickson of Winthrop, right, Lakes College in Brainerd and MMUA headquar-
passed the MMUA president's ters, of the FirstLine Supervision management
June 4-Last gavel to Bill Wroolie of Brainerd, training class.
printed MMUA at the summer conference.
Directory (at Nov. 21 -MMUA convenes first meeting of its
least for the fore- Solar-Distribution Generation (DG) Task Force.
seeable future) mailed to members. Process under- The group's goal is to further develop the municipal
way to migrate this information to new website. approach to solar, finding a win-win solution for
municipal utilities and their customers.
July 30- EPA holds four public hearings across
the country on its proposal to cut carbon dioxide Dec. 9-11 -MMUA holds its Technical and Opera-
emissions from existing power plants under Section tions Conference at St. Cloud. The meeting is at-
111(d) of the Clean Air Act (known colloquially as tended by approximately 190 regular, associate and
the `Clean Power Plan'). MMUA expressed multiple affiliate members.
concerns at two of the sessions. Executive Director
Jack Kegel and Government Relations Director Bill Dec. 16-19-MMUA holds, along with MREA and
Black testified at the Denver session, while Bob Ja- APPA, its Transformer School at the Training Cen-
gusch spoke up that same day at the Washington, ter.
D.C. session.
December-MMUA files comments on EPA`Clean
Aug. 18-20-MMUA annual Summer Conference Power Plan,' two more graduate from NWLC pro-
held at Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria. The meet- gram and 12 from FirstLine Supervision. MMUA
ing is attended by approximately 293 people. continues process to replace retired Senior Govern-
ment Relations Representative Greg Oxley. This
Sept. 9-12-MMUA Overhead School held at the process leads to the eventual hiring of Amanda
MMUA Training Center in Marshall. The school Duerr as government relations representative.
was attended by approximately 67 students, 16 in-
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MMUA group at the 2014 APPA Lineworkers Rodeo. MMUA and Shakopee Public Utilities host the 2016 event.
2014 Year in Review-4
85
Government Relations
MMUA Government Rela-
tions staff represents the
interests of municipal utili
ties before state and federal
government entities. Our
government relations staff
includes Government Rela-
tions Director Bill Black and • _ t f ., � „
it 1
Government Relations Rep-
resentative . ": a-,
Amanda Duerr.
_ 4
We have two excellent out ► `�
side consultants who assist 4
us in this work—Doug » �..��– ��
Car-
nival of the McGrann Shea t►
Carnival Straughn & Lamb
law firm on the state level
and Michael Nolan, MJN Marshall Municipal Utilities General Manager Brad Roos served as a spokes-
Consulting, on the federal person for MMUA at the 2015 Legislative Conference. MMUA could not suc-
level. Here, we divide our ceed in its work without the support and involvement of its members.
efforts into state and federal
reports. During the year, MMUA:
State Government Relations • Worked cooperatively both individually and in
coordination with other utility lobbyists to recom-
In 2014, the Minnesota Legislature convened for its mend changes to legislation regarding sustainable
bonding-year session on February 25 and adjourned buildings, on-bill repayment programs, Integrated
on schedule on May 17. The session was the last Resource Plans and Combined Heat and Power pro-
in the long and illustrious career of MMUA Senior posed by the Center for Energy and the Environ-
Government Relations Representative Greg Oxley. ment before and during the legislative session.
It also marked the passing of the reins of MMUA's
government relations program to Bill Black, who • Worked cooperatively both individually and in
had previously assumed the title of Government coordination with other utility lobbyists to recom-
Relations Director from Oxley. mend changes to legislation regarding electric ser-
vice to homes with medically necessary equipment
The MMUA lobbyists had periods of intense activ- proposed by Legal Services Advocacy Project.
ity in what turned out to be an uneventful session.
House and Senate DFL party leaders, with hopes of • Opposed legislation that would allow state agen-
coming out of November elections with their major- cies to skip public involvement steps when imple-
ities intact, followed DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's ad- menting new regulations.
vice and pursued a modest legislative agenda. The
session was dubbed the `unsession,'for its emphasis • Testified against legislation that could divide
on repealing outdated laws. public power communities by recommending"com-
munity energy choice aggregation programs" within
Repeal of unpopular tax reforms of previous years them.
and a substantial bonding bill were highlights of
the session. Not surprisingly, substantial effort was • Provided research results to the Legislative En-
needed to convince committee chairs that several ergy Commission explaining which Minnesota cit-
supposedly innocuous bills would, in fact, virtually ies receive natural gas service and from whom and
uproot Minnesota's regulatory framework. Those which cities do not receive gas service. The LEC
misguided initiatives were turned back after con- was exploring ways to avoid future propane short-
siderable lobbying by MMUA and others. ages like the one in winter 2013-14.
2014 Year in Review-5
86
One interesting development of
the MMUA government relations
J in 2014 was an increas-
ing trend of working with the Min-
* ' • nesota Rural Electric Association
on legislative issues.Together,
if MMUA and MREA obtained ex-
�� emptions from several onerous
" - proposals. Here, MREA lobbyist
Joel Johnson (red tie)visits with
the MMUA group during our Legis-
lative Conference.
• Participated in several joint meetings of the • Participated in meetings to develop MMUA's new
Government Relations and Grow With Your Cities website.
committees to discuss Alliant utility sale.
• Attended APPA legal seminar in San Antonio.
• Attended EPA's Local Governments Committee
Advisory Workgroup meeting on its proposed Wa- • Planned, organized and emceed MMUA's third
ters of the U.S. rule in St. Paul. Municipal Utilities Legal Seminar.
• Provided testimony at EPA listening session on • Attended APPA National Conference in Denver.
its Clean Power Plan in Denver.
• Served on Distributed Generation Advisory Corn-
• Assisted in writing formal comments of MMUA mittee at the MPUC as the commission staff devel-
on EPA's Clean Power Plan. oped draft modifications to the formal regulations
that implement Minnesota statutes governing dis-
• Along with Jack Kegel, met twice with new tributed generation. The rule changes were needed
MREA CEO Darrick Moe to discuss increased coor- to incorporate statutory changes made during the
dination between MMUA and MREA. 2013 legislative session that, among other related
things, required investor-owned utilities to provide
• Attended MREA Energy Summit in St. Cloud and compensation for customer-generated electricity
Rural Electric Managers Association meeting in Ot- from larger solar and wind facilities. The many
tertail to promote increased coordination between technical rule changes required careful scrutiny to
MMUA and MREA. ensure they would not affect municipal utilities.
• Explained Iowa's Eagle Point Solar case decision
and its implications for Minnesota to MPUC staff, r.
top DER staff and other utility lobbyists.
• Attended DER's scoping meeting in St. Paul for r°
future Generic Standby Rates Proceedings at the
MPUC. •'
• Served on a panel at DER's Combined Heat and 1 111
Power stakeholders meeting explaining municipal . • "
utilities' stance toward CHP and warning against — MMUA Government Relations Director
efforts by third-parties to sell electricity in Min- Bill Black(pictured above left)said
nesota following Eagle Point Solar case decision in goodbye to long-time MMUA lobby-
Iowa. ist Greg Oxley(with the phone above
right,talking with Lew Giesking)and
• Attended Midwest Electric Consumers Confer- welcomed Amanda Duerr(left)as a
ence in Denver. government relations colleague.
6-2014 Year in Review
87
• Assisted and advised members with service terri- MMUA's representatives, asked about Distributed
tory developments. Generation and grid security/reliability. We also
kept an eye on the Senate Intelligence Committee,
• Organized years of data collected on utility rates, which developed legislation and the House, which
service territory changes, water and wastewater ex- prepared its own bills.
penditures, PILOT, public power history and other
issues into tables, charts and organized electronic The overarching issue of the year involved EPA
files for future use and ease of updating by MMUA and its New Source Performance Standards 111(d)
staff and members. regulations. The agency released its proposal, while
an anti-EPA bill moved through the House. The
• Bid farewell to retiring Government Relations Senate warily considered action. This issue was the
rock star Greg Oxley. subject of many visits and conversations.
• Vetted and interviewed several candidates for the MMUA was also actively involved as the Public
Government Relations Representative position and Power Risk Management Act passed the House.
hired a top-notch lobbyist—Amanda Duerr. Sen. Klobuchar co-sponsored the Senate bill,
which awaited hearing. Meanwhile, the Commod-
ity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) signaled
Federal Government Relations that regulations were coming. The House passed
a CFTC reauthorization, including a Public Power
The year 2014 was a busy one for MMUA Washing- Risk Management Act, with help from Rep. Collin
ton Representative Michael J. Nolan. Peterson, a friend of public power and an original
co-sponsor of the Dodd-Frank bill. The efforts of
The year marked the Second Session of the 113th MMUA and its members prove important on these
Congress. It was an election year, which presaged developments.
little accomplishment but did not rule out a lot of
activity. A handful of issues kept our public power Though no action was expected, significant effort
representative busy. was also expended on tax reform/budget issues.
Possible action regarding municipal bonds kept our
Grid security, including cyber and physical secu- eyes on the issue. The House passed Rep. Ryan's
rity, occupied the Senate Energy Committee. At a budget, which included nothing on Power Market-
hearing, Sue Kelly of APPA testified for the elec- ing Agencies but targeted "energy provisions" for
tricity industry. Sen. Franken, who had heard from major deficit reduction.
There was talk of a Senate energy bill, including
energy efficiency legislation, but little action.
By the August recess, elections were on the horizon.
a 1 ' In September, Congress failed to pass a budget but
1111 , passed a Continuing Resolution. The House goals
for September included an energy bill, with EPA
regulations and a Keystone pipeline bill. These
++`) goals were not accomplished.
Our issues remained: predominately EPA and
111(d) regulations. Listening sessions were held in
late July—MMUA staff testified. Public comments
._. _ �, .
were due Oct. 16 but then the deadline was extend-
.
- ed, to make the longest comment period in history.
Elk River Mayor John Deitz, U.S.Senator Al Franken, The EPA final rule was expected June 2015, but
St. Peter Mayor Tim Strand and ALP Utilities(Alexan- this, too, is extended.
dria)Commissioner John Perino,from left to right.This
picture was taken during the APPA Legislative Rally, In November, Republicans won control of the Sen-
which was held March 10-12 in Washington, D.C. ate. A GOP House and a GOP Senate can now pass
2014 Year in Review-7
88
legislation, but the White House can then veto it.
Sixty-seven votes are needed to override a veto in
the Senate—the GOP has 54, setting up an inter -
esting legislative dynamic.
The Republican leadership announced a new agen- \
da, including repeal of various regulations and tax
reform.
MMUA representatives continued to work our is-
sues throughout the year: EPA regulations; cyber
and physical security; tax exempt financing; and
possible rail/Surface Transportation Board (STB)
reform. The Senate Commerce Committee passed Blooming Prairie Mayor Harold(H.)Peterson,Owaton-
an STB bill in waning days of 113th Congress. Sen. na Mayor Tom Kuntz,U.S.Senator Amy Klobuchar and
Klobuchar played a key role as supporter of public Sauk Centre Public Utilities Commission Chairman
power and Greater Minnesota interests. Dennis Rykken,from left to right.
Engineering and Policy Analysis
Two federal environmental regu- rule, and held multiple conversations with APPA
lations were paramount and time staff. He provided testimony to the Minnesota legis-
consuming in 2014 for MMUA Di- lative committees on initial reaction to the rule for
rector of Engineering and Policy public power utilities.
Analysis Bob Jagusch. They were
the Environmental Protection Jagusch continued to work closely with APPA, his
Agency's `Clean Power Plan;' and MMUA colleagues, power agencies and Midwest
the agency's`RICE'rule, for en- municipal utility associations on developing a con-
gine generator sets. Bob Jagusch sistent, coherent message. During this process and
as the year developed numerous comments were
After publication of the RICE developed and submitted, including MMUA's corn-
final rule, several environmental groups, states and ments.
the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
filed suit to overturn the rule and replace it with Along with working on comments, Jagusch's advo-
the previous final rule. After discussion with Mid- cacy on the issue has carried him to official forums
west municipal utility associations, the recommen- as well as gatherings of those influencing the rule
dation was made that the American Public Power as it is being developed.
Association (APPA) intervene in the lawsuit, which
it did. This legal action is underway. He testified July 30 in Washington, D.C., at an
EPA public hearing on the Clean Power Plan,
While the RICE rule has had a big impact on those where he expressed multiple concerns. The next
utilities with local generating plants and is now in day, Jagusch was among those meeting with Janet
its final stages, the `Clean Power Plan' is ongoing McCabe, EPA's Acting Assistant Administrator for
and may be the biggest utility issue of a lifetime. the Office of Air and Radiation, at a sold-out meet-
Jagusch has been actively involved, at many levels, ing hosted by the Environmental Council of the
in influencing the outcome. States (ECOS). Over 35 state environmental agen-
cies, experts from all sectors of our nation's energy
EPA in June 2014 proposed its plan to cut carbon economy, and other thought leaders gathered to
dioxide emissions from power plants. The proposal discuss the implications of the proposed rule. APPA
would establish emission guidelines for existing sponsored the meeting.
electric generating units. Immediately after its
release, Jagusch ran a preliminary analysis of the
8-2014 Year in Review
89
Jagusch also worked with Minnesota Pollution agement System (ADMS) Technical Task Force. He
Control Agency(MPCA) Commissioner John Linc met with the task force in Houston, Texas to create
Stine and Assistant Commissioner David Thornton an initial outline of possible routes for developing a
in the MPCA stakeholder process, which helped `Best Practices/Lessons Learned' Report for DOE
shape the state's official comments. Jagusch par- and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
ticipated in five `stakeholder' meetings. This turned out to be a grueling project, with the
final report approved in the fall for publication.
Jagusch has carried several points with APPA and
in the Minnesota stakeholder process. EPA plans to Presentations
issue a final guideline by summer 2015. States will Not surprisingly, Jagusch was often called on to
be expected to submit full or preliminary plans to talk about his work. Along with presentations at
EPA for approval in 2016. EPA could prepare and MMUA meetings, he was a panelist at the DER's
impose plans in states that do not submit approv- first Combined Heat and Power (CHP) stakeholder
able plans. meeting.
State initiatives Additional APPA involvement
Jagusch was involved in a variety of other activities Along with his work on the CPP, Jagusch had
during the year. Following up from earlier work, he significant involvement with APPA. He has helped
was involved in a review of the Minnesota Depart- plan the Engineering and Operations (E&O) meet-
ment of Energy Resources (DER) Technical Manual ing and chaired the Environment Committee. He
and updates to the Conservation Improvement also met as a member of the Demonstration of
Program reporting program. Energy Efficiency Development (DEED) Board of
Directors.
He also met with the MPCA and DER as part of the
Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group (MC- Other activities
CAG), which developed climate initiatives under Jagusch worked with the Clean Energy Resource
Gov. Pawlenty. The MPCA noted that almost all of Team (CERT) at the U of M to develop a program to
the emissions reductions in Minnesota have come assist water/wastewater utilities in saving energy
from utilities. The decision was made by state staff and helped them understand Energy Performance
to re-evaluate under-performing sectors. Contracting in the municipal environment.
Solar Jagusch also attended various joint action agency
Jagusch was involved in a number of activities meetings, participated with the Midwest Municipal
around solar energy. He spoke at the Minnesota Gas Agency and was the lead staff person for the
Solar Conference at the College of St. Thomas and MMUA-Midwest Consortium of Municipal Utilities
attended a solar development meeting in Detroit financing program. He assisted several members
Lakes with members of the Clean Energy Resource with various other projects during the year.
Team (CERT) from the University of Minnesota.
Jagusch also attended multiple meetings with con- . - r.:
tractors, developers and finance entities to discuss
potential ways to clear some of the hurdles con- - , # Ca
fronting municipal community solar projects. f ��
As the staff expert on solar, Jagusch participated in 1 1
the first two meetings (in October and November) ' ;_--
of the MMUA Solar-Distributed Generation Task
Force. �� '�
DOE `,�-
The federal Department of Energy in May asked MMUA's Bob Jagusch continued to work with regula-
Jagusch to assist with their Automated Data Man- tory agencies and Clean Energy Resource Teams.
2014 Year in Review-9
90
I
Safety and Training
2014 saw MMUA's homegrown programs thrive;
our partnership with the League of Minnesota Cit j
ies and its Insurance Trust blossom in a number ---
of areas; and our staff play an integral part in the �-0. �t .
development and teaching of many offerings from .1 !
the American Public Power Association (APPA). I
Lineworkers Rodeo r. + ii
MMUA's involvement with the APPA Linework `F��± 'i_t r `
ers Rodeo has grown steadily over recent years. .
The rodeo is where public power lineworkers come
together from all over the United States to demon- '; -
strate their skill and knowledge.
Yom`
MMUA and its members sent approximately 50
individuals to the rodeo April 4-5 in Edmond, Okla.
MMUA Director of Training and Safety Mike Wil- The Edmond, Oklahoma Public Power Lineworkers Ro-
letts was lead person for rodeo training sessions. deo site. Approximately 50 Minnesotans attended this
Regional safety coordinators Bruce Westergaard event. Planning for building the Shakopee site, which
and Marc Machacek also served as instructors. will be used in 2016, commenced in 2014.
Minnesota is scheduled to host the event on April 2, Job Training and Safety program
2016, along with Shakopee Public Utilities (SPU), The federal Occupational Safety and Health Ad-
at the Canterbury Park in Shakopee. Planning ministration in April released a 1,607 page rule
moved to a detailed level Sept. 30, as MMUA called (1910.269 Subpart V) revising its workplace safety
a meeting, at SPU, of interested utilities. Teams be- standards for workers performing electric power
gan to form to coordinate construction of the facili- generation, transmission and distribution work.
ties for each event and many people volunteered for No one utility could hope to digest this rule on its
other various tasks. own, but working together, through the MMUA Job
Training and Safety program, each utility received
the necessary compliance assistance.
-- MMUA's Willetts had a thorough understanding,
as past chair of the APPA Safety Committee and
current chair of the APPA Safety Manual Revision
Task Force. The task force is incorporating the new
regulations into the APPA Safety Manual.
,rt
The JTS electric program, represented by a strong
JP lineup of experienced electric utility and safety
professionals, played the lead role in education and
training to comply with the new rule. This past
year marked the fourth year of a multi year train
t ing plan, in large part designed to keep members
ahead of the OSHA changes.
+
'� .: Safety Management program
MMUA Regional Safety Coordinator Marc Machacek With 11 regional safety coordinators dedicated to
presented at a number of state and national confer- this work full time, and another on a partial basis,
ences in 2014. this program is MMUA's largest in terms of budget
and staff. By 2014 this program—which provides a
10-2014 Year in Review
91
_-:. _
—
:Kn ,
it � ,,�
. v ...,ik
. ,v. \ E 3
1 Julie Jelen Robin Klug Pete Wyffels
'd MMUA Regional Safety Coordinators are on call
24/7, for any and all safety services. They become
an integral part of the city's safety team. Julie
Participation in the On-site,On-demand apprentice Jelen and Robin Klug joined the MMUA team in
lineworker program includes free tuition to several 2014.
MMUA schools.
Training Center
comprehensive safety program for all city depart- Training Center Coordinator/JTS Instructor Pete
ments—was well established and operated smooth- Wyffels enjoyed his first year with MMUA in 2014.
ly and effectively. Wyffels is a journeyman lineman and brought over
21 years of experience to the association.
The MMUA Training Center evolved over the
course of the year, with infrastructure changes
happening at each training program. Most notably,
with the valued help of the On-site On-demand ap-
prenticeship program, a substation was installed.
,,,,..,74- MMUA instructors are now able to offer a real
41 * life training experience with technical operations
within a substation. Not content with that addition,
planning was undertaken in 2014 to install another
substation.
rt;
Classes were very popular and well attended. The
tii„ evaluations from the attendees were very positive
and supportive of the programs and the quality of
,
4, instruction.
gym_ __
_._. f 1 1Yrv, i,1 r i , i V.. ' i p
7 rye , .s ;
'
I3
rt.
m
The MMUA Training Center in Marshall remained a JT&S Instructor Gary Greenwald trained students on
busy place in 2014. safe underground distribution work practices.
2014 Year in Review-11
92
On-site On-demand Apprentice Workers' Compensation program. With an RSG,
Lineworker Development Program neighboring cities come together as partners in
The On-site on-demand program is a cost-effective OSHA compliance. LMCIT helps coordinate the
and user-friendly RSGs and covers a portion of the training costs for
w . #' program to help our each one.
,. members develop a
'0 ill raw, first-year ap- MMUA, under the direction of Regional Safety
prentice into a fully Group Program Leader Chris Schmitt, also per-
qualified first-year forms safety audits and inspections, and provides
`` , journeyman line- one-on-one consulting.
il t worker in four years.
The program hit its As of the end of 2014, there were 25 RSGs com
stride in 2014, with prised of 140 cities throughout the state, covering
„` I nine different mem an estimated 1,400 employees trained annually.
hers participating and
41 17 students enrolled. LMCIT/MMUA generation projects
iiiipThirteen employees MMUA has partnered with the LMCIT to put
from six utilities have in place customized guidelines designed for safe
graduated from the operation of local electrical generating plants. An
program. up-to-date written preventive maintenance sched-
MMUA Regional Safety Coordi- ule, including a comprehensive inventory of critical
nators, including Mark Hottel MMUA's Job Training equipment, qualifies a utility for a 10 percent rate
(pictured),continue to provide and Safety Instruc- reduction on its property coverage rates.
useful services, including hot- tor Gary Greenwald
stick testing. visited participating A new program in 2014 offered in partnership with
utilities a number of the LMCIT is Generation Consulting. An MMUA
times during the year. During each visit he re- staff expert conducts a thorough audit, with a util-
viewed the apprenticeship course work with the ity staff person, and conducts a thorough review of
student and also provided hands-on instruction in equipment, procedures and records. The audit also
technical skills. provides an opportunity for your staff to discuss a
variety of generation-related issues with an MMUA
This program is open for enrollment to students staff expert.
from all MMUA member utilities, who can join the
program at any time. _
Gas Circuit Rider program , '1
MMUA Natural Gas Circuit Rider - `' h,l
Troy Dahlin works with Minnesota's `°a. =- Eyr _ - r
municipal natural gas utilities. Dah- I '` a
lin addressed a variety of needs such 1 1
q r
as on-site employee training, assist- 1 `
°
ed with annual Minnesota Office of / '
Pipeline Safety inspections, technical — �-(
�
operator training along and tracked . , ? �
regulatory changes. Membership
evaluations of this program were l e-
very positive. I
•
LMCIT Regional Safety Group - ( _
program , 0
The LMCIT partners with MMUA
to deliver the regional safety group MMUA's Bob Sewell provides job training and safety and generation
(RSG) option to members of its consulting services to members throughout the state.
12-2014 Year in Review
93
l t
� 1.
p.,:_ .- 4,' ' --,at% A, 4 - 14'11:v_ :C , ' -4 * ' :‘, --.‘ , _,Ak' Pi' '' ' ' '''''
10
Ot‹: titi,, ihry, ,,
44 I sli 1‘,r
me-- i
Alliik
MMUA Washington representative Michael Nolan has been a popular speaker at the annual Summer Conference.
Meetings and workshops
Major Meetings
MMUA conducts three major membership meetings ,• iiik. -
each year.
The Legislative Conference was held in Blooming-
ton and Minnesota legislative offices April 23-25. ';
The meeting focused on policy issues and included °-F°"" ' ` -' lir
S ,
a rally at the state capitol. Members meet with 4 ,' ' 4 ,,,tx or,
legislative leadership as well as their individual - ` :-'
r
legislators over the course of the morning. The g" - g
meeting also included informational presentations •r..
on a variety of timely topics. Joe Kroc of Austin Utilities and Scott Grayseth and Jeff
Olson of East Grand Forks Water& Light visited during
The Summer Conference was held at Arrowwood a break at the Technical and Operations Conference.
Resort,August 18-20. The conference featured a
day and a half of professional education, a trade
show, presentation of awards, and ample opportu four schools were co sponsored with the American
nities for networking and socializing. Approximate-
ly 293 people attended. At the meeting, Winthrop's Electric Association.
Mark Erickson handed over the reins of MMUA
president to Brainerd's Bill Wroolie. •Overhead School. We had 60 students from mu-
nicipal utilities, 12 from MREA, 13 instructors and
The Technical and Operations Conference was held nine MMUA staff members attend the Overhead
in St. Cloud, December 9-11. This meeting was at- School. The most recent addition to the overhead
tended by approximately 182 regular, associate and and underground school is the journeymen leader
affiliate members. The trade show had 45 different ship class. This class is designed to challenge the
vendors with tables or booths. veteran lineworker with an enhanced curriculum to
further develop leadership and technical skills.
Schools and Workshops
MMUA presented a variety of schools and work- 'Underground School. This school had 77 students
shops over the course of the year. Schools presented from municipal utilities, five students from MREA,
at the MMUA Training Center feature hands-on 18 instructors and six MMUA staff members attend
technical task training with a strong emphasis on in 2014. Attendees enjoyed an evening trade show
safe and efficient work practices. The following with 35 representatives of 15 different companies
presenting their merchandise and services.
2014 Year In Review-13
94
•Transformer School, including a pre-conference '�
workshop on Basic Single-Phase Transformer Con- . , it
nection and Theory. The program offered hands-on '` TO 4
instruction with one of the finest instructors in `
the industry, Scott Meinecke with Northwest Iowa _� 11 'w
Community College. We had 26 students from ``�--–" '` '' �""'_ I
a I ..... ..4�1- -+�'i, j¢! '
municipal utilities attend the pre-conference and . -
41 students from municipal utilities and five from Ole -'. :— 'i , ,
MREA attend the school. t w li
I
•Meter School, including a pre-conference work "'shop on Basic Metering. MMUA has developed extensive meter training facilities at the training '
center. The program provided challenging instruc- MMUA,through its workshops,strives to provide the
tion for all levels of experience. In 2014 we had most realistic training possible. In the case of the Gen-
29 students attend the pre-conference (two were eration School,that means holding classes in the local
MREA students) and 44 students attend the school power plants.This photo was taken in Fairmont.
(three were MREA students).
Additional MMUA Schools • PCB Workshop. We had 26 students attend at
1. i , R this workshop in 2014 (eight were MREA students).
' • Substation
f$' 'h 4 School. This • Firstline Supervision. In 2014 we had 20 students
i 4 year's school graduate from the FirstLine Supervision program
4 a ;4 emphasized and we welcomed 25 new students. This program
,�.. ;,' Y substation is designed to provide the first line supervisor with
1 operations and leadership skills needed in today's competitive
t maintenance. market.
The school
was presented • Legal Seminar. MMUA developed a groundbreak-
%., " k.' ' in Shakopee. ing legal seminar designed to aid attorneys with
A total of 24 municipal clients. For our third offering of this
0 • students were seminar, we had 27 attendees.
t i•' trained (six 1 11 were MREA `
M i' students). _• -out- l� .
N'. e'. alb 0 . . •1.14, I ,— rife 9
I, ,. • Cross Train- -
l p it ing School. We t - i � —
had 17 stu- f
dents attend at •
The Overhead School is an annual this workshop % 1-
MMUA offering. in 2014. M r
• Cyber Security Webinar. We had 33 students at-
tend at this webinar series in 2014.
Workshops are always about passing along knowl-
• Customer Service Webinar. We had 152 students edge, often from one generation to another. Here,
attend at this webinar series in 2014. Larry Chapman passes along some of his insights at
the Meter School.
• Generation School. MMUA's 2014 hands-on train-
ing at the Generation School was conducted at the
power plants in Madelia and Fairmont. A total of
42 students attended this school.
14-2014 Year in Review
95
Communications and Member Relations
Communicating with our membership and the Communications and Member Relations staff
general public is one of the fundamental reasons played a number of other roles, including:
for MMUA's existence. MMUA Associate Execu-
tive Director Steve Downer works with many other • Presentations before city councils, utilities com-
MMUA staff members to fulfill this function. missions, community colleges, etc., on a variety of
topics relating to municipal utilities and their op-
Over the course of the year MMUA researched and eration, including the formation of new municipal
answered numerous questions in regards to opera- natural gas utilities.
tion of municipal utilities. At times, the answer
was gained through posting an online survey on the • Maintained the MMUA website (along with Rita
MMUA website. Kelly).
As is the case every year, MMUA produced a num- • Conducted 19 on-line surveys to gather informa-
ber of informative publications in 2014, including tion for members.
11 monthly Resource newsletters for MMUA mem-
bers, 24 Connector newsletters for members to send • Administered committees, the MMUA Torn Bo-
to their customers, as well as eight Capitol Tattler vitz Memorial Scholarship Award and the MMUA
electronic legislative updates. (The Tattler was Drug and Alcohol Testing Consortium.
renamed the Capitol Letter in 2015 and is being
produced by MMUA Government Relations Repre- • Monitored and influenced low-income and tele-
sentative Amanda Duerr.) corn issues while serving as chair of the Salvation
Army HeatShare Advisory Board, and participated
MMUA also produced the 2014 MMUA Directory in various meetings on a variety of topics with
(our last print Directory for the foreseeable future), municipal power and non-profit interest groups, as
position statement booklets for the APPA Washing- well as government regulatory agencies.
ton Rally and the MMUA Legislative Conference,
and the MMUA Legislative Directory. This last • Numerous member visits.
publication was largely produced by Government
Relations Director Bill Black. Publications staff
also contributed to the annual Legislative Report,
and produced materials related to MMUA's train-
ing programs and meetings, including a meetings/
training calendar.
Advertising for MMUA publications was solicited
and administered, as were association sponsor
ships, which proved to be quite popular. The
MMUA brochure and general brochure on munici-
pal utilities were updated, as were various maps #{
and PowerPoint presentations. 1`-
.y.
,ye
The big news, however, was work on the new 4,4.4
MMUA website. Much of this work was behind-the ---
scenes and related to tying together the website MMUA Associate Executive Director Steve Downer
and database. Numerous staff contributed to the attended a Rochester Public Utilities board meeting to
website's wording and look, including staff in the present a certificate to Andrea Walker,winner of the
communications area. Perhaps the greatest contri- 2014 MMUA Tom Bovitz Memorial Scholarship Award
bution in this area came from tapping into a rich contest.
vein of municipal utility-related images staff has
amassed over decades of work and travels around
the state.
2014 Year in Review-15
96
m r41
iff71 iriggr:itrt g
Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association
Roseau •Warroad
.Hallock
-..Ba ne
Stephen v— ''
p, e Newforden ` '
Alvarado
'Warren Thief River Falls �� f`r
w,
,East Grand Forks c.
Cleart r ok Mountain Iron 'Grand Marais
Neelsville Fo ton-Bagley Buhl.�,Vrgnia 'Biwahik
.Shelly gey Keewatin Hhb�rx,� ° 'Gilbert
Halstad '
.Ada C:ahasset Nashwauk
Grand Rapids
Two Harbors
Hautey Lake Park
mad -Detroit Lakes Proctor. D'r;:th
.Etamesville Parham
,Now York"ills •Atkin
Modena Moose Lake•
,HEIrming $bPles •Bra:nerd
Breckenridge .Battle Lake Fame Bend
•Ciarissa .Randall IVI u n i c i pa
.Elbow Lake Plea
Alexandria- Mora. Electric &
Sauk Centre
.Melrose
Plinceb39 North Branch Natural Gas
Qrtrrrville ,Benson Elk River
Kandtyoni Grove City Buffo° Anoka +_itlet'ne_ Utilities of
Madison Willmar litrhfiakt Delano `
Norih St.Pau! Minnesota
Hutchinson
Granite Falls Grenooe Chaska.Shakopee
Olivia' Brownian. Arf rx3tvn
Redvood Falls Winthrop, Le Sueur•New Prague Lake Dry Marshall, Fairfax Garldr.
Morgan' New Ulm
Saint Peter
eter
Tyler.
'Sleepy Eye •Kasota
Kenyon
4esihrook Springfield Lake Crystal
Janesvrge Gnvatcnna
Mountain Lake Mader W Rc hasten
'Saint James Kasson •SaAl Charles
Dundee .Windom Truman •Blooming Pxaine Peterson Rvshford
Brewster, Lakefield '4Veils Spring Valley �4'ihalan
Laverne Adnae ';;o hington - .Alpha •Fairmont •Auslin Larsesb°ro Caledonia
'81ue Earth Preslnai nn Grove
Rushmore Jackson - ICrt tfa: 's g
Bigelcw Round Lake Dunne!! y Mabel Eitzen
IIIElectric ■ Electric and natural gas II Natural gas only
Note:Many of these utilities also provide water service, and may provide other services as well.
97