November 2014 Governor, Attorney General, UP Congressmen...
Transcript of November 2014 Governor, Attorney General, UP Congressmen...
MMEA Currents Page 1
Power Transmission REITs
May Be Here Before Long,
Moody’s Says
Holland BPW Receives Award of Excellence for 2013 Annual Report
Governor, Attorney
General, UP
Congressmen Issue
Joint Letter to FERC
November 2014
MMEA CurrentsPage 2
Cover Photo: Mackinaw Bridge between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas
CURRENTS contents
Current Developments:
6 BWL Launches New Meter Reading Dog Alert Phone Call Service
6 BWL Names Lansing Assistant Fire Chief as New Emergency Operations Manager
8 Emergency Planning and Release Reporting Workshop
8 Holland BPW Releases Digital 2014 Annual Report and Receives Award of Excellence for 2013 Annual Report
10 MMEA Welcomes New Associate Members
11 DTE Energy’s Monroe Power Plant Among CleanestCoal-iredPlantsintheCountry
Energy and Utility News:
3 Governor Snyder, Michigan Attorney General Schuette, Congressmen Upton and Benishek Issue Joint Letter to FERC
16 Power Transmission REITs May Be Here Before Long, Moody’s Says
20 Calendar of Events
20 Fast Facts
12 Consumers Energy Maximizing Underground Natural Gas Storage to BeneitMichiganResidents
12 DTE Energy Installs 2 Millionth Advanced Meter
13 Barton Malow Honored with Two Supplier Diversity Awards
November 2014
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette (left) and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder,
MMEA Currents Page 3
Wind Energy
(See, Letter, continued on page 4)
Governor Snyder, Michigan Attorney
General Schuette, Congressmen Upton and
Benishek Issue Joint Letter to FERC
MMEA CurrentsPage 6
Current Developments
MMEA Member News
BLP Selects Hometown
Helping Hand Art Contest
Winners
The Grand Haven Board of Light & Power (‘BLP’)
concluded their 2nd Annual Hometown Helping
Hand Art Contest with the selection of the top eight
drawings out of 644 student entries. The Art Contest
was launched in 2013 in an effort to help raise
awareness of the BLP’s Hometown Helping Hand
program and how community members can help.
Students attending greater Grand Haven area schools
in grades Kindergarten through 4th were invited to
create a picture that relects the purpose of the BLP’s Hometown Helping Hand program, which provides
assistance to families in need in our community who
are struggling or unable to pay their past due electric
bill. Hometown Helping Hand has provided over
$56,000 in assistance since the program’s inception in
2005.
“Hometown Helping Hand raises money to assist
families in our community who are struggling to pay
their past due electric bills,” stated Annette Allen,
General Manager of the utility. “It’s important to
note that 100% of the money raised stays right here
in our community, and 100% of the money raised is
BWL Names Lansing
Assistant Fire Chief
as New Emergency
Operations Manager
Mayor Virg Bernero and Lansing Board of Water &
Light General Manager J. Peter Lark have announced
that Lansing Fire Department Assistant Chief Trent
Atkins will become the BWL’s irst Emergency Operations Manager. Chief Atkins is a 24-year
veteran of LFD who previously served as Chief of the
department’s Emergency Management Division.
“Although we will greatly miss Chief Atkins and
appreciate his outstanding service to the City of
Lansing, he is the right person at the right time to
take the BWL’s emergency preparations and response
capabilities to the next level,” said Mayor Bernero.
Mr. Lark said that Chief Atkins has expert knowledge
of emergency management, a familiarity with both
the city and the BWL’s infrastructure and utility
operations, and a strong working relationships with
regional emergency management oficials and their counterparts at the state and federal levels.
“Since the December 2013 ice storm, the BWL
has made several communications and operational
improvements to help customers get back power
faster when outages happen. We couldn’t have
selected a stronger candidate than Chief Atkins to
reinforce our commitment and to take the BWL to the
next level of emergency preparedness,” Lark said.
In the course of his career, Chief Atkins has been
closely involved in or charged with managing the
emergency response to numerous incidents in the
Lansing region, including the 2003 cascading power
blackout that began on the East Coast, the 2004
Spartan Oil reinery ire, the 2008 tornado that struck the City of Lansing, and the city’s response to the
December 2013 ice storm.
Lark noted that creating a new Emergency Operations
Manager position adds to the dozens of other
measures already implemented by the utility in
response to the recommendations of the Community
Review Team and the Michigan Public Service
Commission.
MMEA Currents Page 7
distributed through the Salvation Army’s assistance
program to local qualifying families who are in need,”
added Allen.
To help supplement the program, the Board of Light
& Power donates a portion of the revenues generated
by its door tag disconnect notice program. The
balance of the Hometown Helping Hand funding is
collected through one-time or monthly donations
from BLP customers.
Participating students were competing for a chance to
WIN a $100 cash prize in each building. Additionally,
one of the top entries is selected as the Art Contest
GRAND WINNER, and their drawing will be
featured on the Hometown Helping Hand donation
form for the next year. Schools were also competing
for an opportunity to win money for art supplies. The
Grand Winner’s school will be awarded $500 and the
school with the highest percentage of participation
will be awarded $250.
Entries were received from Ferry, Grifin, Lake Hills, Mary A. White and Peach Plains elementary schools;
Grand Haven Christian, St. John’s Lutheran, and
West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics.
This year’s Grand Winner award goes to 4th Grader
Shea Tulloch from West Michigan Academy of Arts
and Academics. St. John’s Lutheran school received
the $250 award for highest participation percentage
with 97.4% of students participating in the Hometown
Helping Hand Art Contest.
“We congratulate our Art Contest winners and thank
all participants for helping the BLP raise awareness
of this important program,” stated Renee Molyneux,
Administrative Services Manager. “There are many
families right here in our community who are
struggling to make ends meet and we are hoping to
increase this year’s Hometown Helping Hand funding
level so we may provide more assistance to qualifying
families,” Molyneux added.
Community members who wish to provide a one-
time, tax-deductible donation for Hometown Helping
Hand may send it to the Board of Light & Power’s
1700 Eaton Drive ofice or contact BLP customer service representatives at 616-846-6250. BLP customers may also donate monthly by having an
amount added directly to their electric bills.
Grand Winner Drawing designed by 4th grade student Shea Tulloch from West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics.
MMEA CurrentsPage 8
Current Developments
MMEA Member News
Holland BPW Releases
Digital 2014 Annual
Report and Receives
Award of Excellence for
2013 Annual Report
The Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW)
has released its 2014 Annual Report. The report
provides a high level of graphic user interaction
in the form of an online magazine, organized by
stories, facts and community impact. The HBPW
also earned an Award of Excellence from the
American Public Power Association for its 2013
Annual Report.
“We feel that the Annual Report is an excellent
opportunity for us to share the story of our
community owned utility,” said Dave Koster,
general manager at HBPW. “This year’s report
makes our stories and performance information
more accessible and visitor-friendly than ever.”
Visitors to the 2014 Annual Report are presented
with three categories- Stories, The Facts and
Impact. Much like an e-magazine, visitors can
browse bite-sized articles about the design of the
Holland Energy Park, a recap of the ice storms
that swept across Michigan last year, water utility
improvement projects, community impact and
more.
Interactive features of the site include easy-to-
follow diagrams displaying plant production
processes, inances, and a 360° tour of the newly renovated customer service lobby. Visitors and
students can also learn about combined cycle
natural gas technology by engaging with Start it
EMERGENCY PLANNING
AND RELEASE REPORTING
WORKSHOP
DECEMBER 2, 2014 Mt. Pleasant Comfort Inn &
Suites, Mt. Pleasant, MI
DECEMBER 11, 2014 MSU Management
Education Center, Troy, MI
REGISTRATION COST: $90, includes
workshop materials, continental breakfast, and
lunch.
Are you prepared for an environmental emergency
at your facility? Knowing how to plan for and
respond to an environmental emergency is
important for the safety of your employees, the
community and the protection of the environment.
This full-day workshop is designed to help you
understand how to properly assess, report, and
respond to a spill or release at your facility. The
workshop will also include an overview of the
environmental planning requirements your facility
may be subject to and how to prepare necessary
plans to address and environmental emergencies.
This workshop is recommended for owners,
operators, and environmental and safety personnel
of facilities that have hazardous materials on
site. Environmental consultants, local emergency
planning committee (LEPC) representatives, and
ire department personnel will also beneit from this workshop and are encouraged to attend.
For registration questions, contact Alana
Berthold at [email protected].
For mobility, visual, hearing, or other assistance,
contact Matt Tomlinson at 517-335-2784 or [email protected].
MMEA Currents Page 9
Up!: An Interactive Diagram, where they take the
operator’s seat in the new power plant.
Over the past four years, HBPW has earned top
honors from the American Public Power Association
(APPA) for their innovation in digital annual
reports. The APPA awarded HBPW with an Award
of Excellence for its 2013 Annual Report. HBPW
earned the award through extensive use of creative
video, background video, interactive maps and
inancial charts.
MMEA CurrentsPage 10
Current Developments
Associate & Afiliate Member News
MMEA Welcomes New
Associate Members
Theka Associates has been providing comprehensive
engineering solutions for power, industrial and
communication clients for more than 30 years.
Theka Engineering is a wholly-owned, professional
engineering subsidiary of Newkirk Electric. As
a strategic partner of Newkirk Electric, Theka
Engineering plays an integral role in the design-
build process, providing customers with one of the
most eficient power and electrical engineering and construction resources available in the industry.
Contact:
Mike Cannady, P.E., Vice President
1875 Roberts Street Muskegon, MI 49442
Phone: 213-722-1691
Fax: 213-722-1690
Email: [email protected]
www.theka-engineering.com
A Star Electric Company has been Representing,
Distributing, and Manufacturing high voltage
electrical products for over 30 years. A Star Electric
can supply a variety of high voltage electrical products
either as manufacturers’ representatives or distributors.
Their sales territory coverage includes: Indiana,
Illinois, Iowa (East), Michigan and Wisconsin.
Contact:
Jeff Carlin, Sales Engineer
756 N. Main St. Suite N
Crown Point, IN 46307
Phone: (219) 661-9733
Fax: (219) 661-9734
Email: [email protected]
www.astareg.com
Ben F. Thomas Sales Company manufacturers
representatives have served Michigan’s electrical
markets since 1972. Ben Thomas started the business
in 1972. Prior to that, Ben worked for Hoffman
Brothers, a distributor in Detroit and to that, he
worked for Rome Cable. Ben Thomas passed away in
2007 leaving his legacy to his daughter.
Contact:
Lisé Dickson, Manufacturer’s Rep
323 N. Main St.
Davison, MI 48423 Phone: 810-653-7497Fax: 810-653-7543 Email: [email protected]
www.BenFThomasSales.com
Performance Electrical Products, Inc. (PEP) began
operations as a sales agency specializing in the electric
utility industry in 1971. Their corporate ofice is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and they have
satellite sales ofices in Hudson, Ohio; Lexington, Kentucky; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Allentown PA.
Contact:
Erik Atman, Salesperson
P.O. Box 12868Pittsburgh, PA 15241
Telephone: (412) 835-1508 Fax: (412) 835-6143 Email: [email protected]
www.pepincpower.com
For 70 years, Spicer Group has helped businesses,
municipalities, school systems and healthcare
providers build a stronger infrastructure, provide
safer and stronger products and services and operate
smarter and more eficiently. Spicer Group, Inc. provides professional engineering, land surveying and
community planning services.
Contact:
Donald Scherzer, President
230 S. Washington Ave.
Saginaw, MI 48607 Phone: 989-754-4717 www.spicergroup.com
MMEA Currents Page 11
DTE Energy’s Monroe
Power Plant Among
Cleanest Coal-ired Plants in the Country
DTE Energy has completed a project at the Monroe
Power Plant to signiicantly reduce emissions and improve air quality in the region, making the coal-
ired plant one of the cleanest in the country.
The Monroe plant is the irst in Michigan to operate best-in-class systems that reduce nitrogen
oxide emissions by about 90 percent and sulfur
dioxide emissions by about 97 percent. Combined,
the selective catalytic reduction and lue gas desulfurization systems also eliminate 75- to
90-percent of mercury emissions.
“The Monroe Power Plant is a cornerstone of DTE
Energy’s generating leet,” said Frank Warren, DTE Energy vice president of fossil generation. “The start-
up of the last selective catalytic reduction system
helps us reach our goal of making one of the country’s
largest coal-ired plants also one of the cleanest.”
Since 2000, DTE Energy has invested close to $2
billion on environmental upgrades at the plant, which
is the largest generating plant in Michigan and the
ifth-largest in the country. The installation of these systems has been a boost to the local and regional
economies, resulting in more than 900 skilled trades
workers at the peak of construction.
The emissions control equipment is changing the
appearance of the landmark Monroe plant. To support
operation of the lue gas desulfurization systems, two new 580-foot tall chimneys were constructed.
(See Monroe, continued on page 12)
MMEA CurrentsPage 12
Current Developments
Residents and passers-by see a white cloud of water
vapor from them whenever the units are generating
power. The last remaining 800-foot original stack is in the process of being taken down.
“It is an exciting time in the industry, and the
emission controls we have put in place are world
class,” said Skiles Boyd, DTE Energy vice president
of environmental management and resources. “This
allows DTE to continue giving our customers reliable,
affordable energy while minimizing any impact on
the environment. We are proud of DTE’s role in
improving air quality in Michigan, which is better
today than it has been in the last 40 years due in large
part to emissions reductions at our coal-ired power plants.”
MonroeContinued from page 11
Consumers Energy
Maximizing Underground
Natural Gas Storage
to Beneit Michigan Residents
Homes and businesses served with natural gas from
Consumers Energy saved about $295 million during
last winter’s polar vortex due to the energy provider’s
extensive underground storage system.
“Our storage system, one of the largest in the U.S.,
protected homeowners and businesses from higher
heating bills last winter,” said Tim Sparks, Consumers
Energy’s vice president for energy supply operations.
“We buy gas in the summer when it’s less expensive
and inject that into our 15 storage ields. This protects customers because it signiicantly reduces our need
to buy gas in the winter when it’s usually more
expensive.”
Consumers Energy is investing more in its gas
storage system to beneit the 1.7 million homes and businesses it serves. That includes investments to
increase the safety, deliverability and lexibility of the system. Natural gas storage provides over one-half of
Consumers Energy’s gas supply in the winter, and up
to 80 percent on the coldest days.
“Gas prices are still historically low – lower than
they were ive or 10 years ago,” noted Sparks. “The average home spends $3 a day throughout the year
for natural gas. We can help people to manage and
lower their bills through energy eficiency, payment arrangements, and assistance for those in inancial need.”
DTE Energy Installs 2
Millionth Advanced Meter
DTE Energy has reached the 2 million advanced meter
installation mark, putting the energy company ahead
of schedule in bringing the latest meter technology to
its customers.
More than 1.5 million advanced electric meters
have been installed in Oakland, Wayne, Macomb,
Monroe and Washtenaw counties so far. In addition,
nearly 500,000 modules have been installed on gas
meters in Wayne, Oakland, Monroe, Washtenaw,
Alpena, Chippewa, Wexford, Crawford, Emmet,
Delta, Isabella, Grand Traverse, Mecosta, Muskegon,
Dickinson, Iosco and Mason counties.
By the end of 2017, nearly 3.9 million electric and gas
meters will be converted, allowing all DTE Energy
customers to better manage their energy usage and
bills, and gain other beneits from the technology.
MMEA Currents Page 13
“Our advanced metering program provides our
customers with new technology that is both safe
and secure,” said Dave Meador, DTE Energy vice
chairman and chief administrative oficer. “This technology allows us to provide energy consumption
information our customers want to better manage and
lower their bills.”
DTE Energy remains conident in the safety, security and beneits provided by the meters. More than 50 million advanced meters have been deployed across
the country as of July, covering more than 43 percent
of U.S. homes.
Advanced meters incorporate technology that allows
meters to provide a wide range of beneits and services to customers. The new technology allows
DTE Energy to:
• Quickly locate and reduce the length of power
outages and other problems.
• Virtually eliminate estimated bills through
automated meter reading.
• Remotely connect and disconnect residential
service which means faster, less intrusive service.
In most cases, customers no longer will have
to wait for a service technician to stop or start
service at their homes.
• Provide real-time energy-use data through the use
of DTE Insight, a mobile energy-eficiency app that is an industry irst. The app, introduced earlier this year, will help customers track, manage and
control their energy usage, saving them money.
Customers can download the app from the App
Store and Google play.
• Reduce operating costs and thereby hold down
future rate increases.
• DTE Energy is working on many innovative
customer service features enabled by advanced
meters. Included are prepaid meters and the ability
to notify customers of outages and restoration
estimates.
• Installers are working in Macomb County and
future installation areas will be announced as
implementation nears.
Barton Malow Honored
with Two Supplier
Diversity Awards
Barton Malow has been awarded two Supplier
Diversity awards - the 2014 “Emerging” - Excellence
in Supplier Diversity award from the Women’s
Business Council Enterprise (WBEC) – Great Lakes,
and the 2014 Corporation of the Year – Construction
award from the Michigan Minority Supplier
Development Council (MMSDC). Both award
programs are designed to identify and recognize those
corporations that have outstanding supplier diversity
programs which result in the inclusion of certiied women business owners and minority business
owners in their supply chain.
Business diversity is an integral part of Barton
Malow’s core values and strategic planning. For
over 30 years, Barton Malow Supplier Diversity
Program has been centered on creating opportunities
for minority irms and ensuring their success through providing resources, educational workshops and
mentoring. We are continually innovating ways
to assist minority irms in growing capacity and expanding their capabilities within the construction
industry.
Barton Malow has been named Corporation of the
Year, Construction Sector by the Michigan Minority
Supplier Development Council for 9 out of the last
10 years. Barton Malow was among the irst of the inaugural recipients to receive the “Emerging” -
Excellence in Supplier Diversity award from the
Women’s Business Council Enterprise (WBEC) –
Great Lakes.
“Our diversity team works tirelessly in our efforts
to reach out to the minority, small and women-
owned businesses to provide partnering and bidding
opportunities,” said Dannis Mitchell, Barton Malow’s
Diversity Manager.
MMEA CurrentsPage 16
Utility Financing
Power Transmission REITs May Be Here
Before Long, Moody’s Says
Large U.S. electric transmission utilities are
actively exploring the feasibility of using
the real estate investment trust (REIT)
structure as a inancing vehicle, Moody’s Investors Service said Oct. 30. It is plausible that
utility REITs might emerge as early as the fourth
quarter of 2015, the credit rating agency said.
For utilities with large transmission assets, the
main beneit of a REIT inancing structure is that it eliminates federal taxes, Moody’s said. The credit
rating agency cautioned, however, that using this
type of inancing might, in some cases, have a negative effect on a utility’s credit ratings.
Potential REIT candidates in the utility sector
include Texas-based transmission and distribution
utilities and large transmission-only companies. At
the top of the list, says Moody’s, is Dallas-based
Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, whose
parent will soon be auctioned to the highest bidder in
a bankruptcy court administered sales proceeding.
Real estate investment trusts have been around for
half a century, Moody’s noted -- they were created
by Congress to give ordinary individual investors the
ability to invest in commercial real estate.
In 2014, the Internal Revenue Service clariied existing rules that deine what constitutes real estate. As a result, the REIT sector has grown as companies
look to spin off their assets into new companies
that are effectively exempted from corporate taxes
as long as they operate within REIT guidelines,
Moody’s explained.
The 2014 IRS clariications have helped open the REIT structure to non-traditional sectors, such as
electric transmission in the case of utility companies;
or iber optic and copper networks, in the case of telecommunications companies, Moody’s said.
“Many U.S. utilities are taking a look at their
transmission assets to assess whether utilizing a
REIT structure makes sense, given the abundance of
these types of assets that produce steady cash lows,” said Moody’s Associate Managing Director Jim
Hempstead. He is the lead author of the report, “U.S.
Utility Transmission Assets: Power Transmission
REITs Poised to be Sector’s Next Phase of Financial
Engineering.”
A REIT structure would add complexity and, under
certain circumstances, could weaken credit ratings,
the company said. “We think the credit quality of any
potential utility REIT will be closely linked with that
of the existing utility sponsor,” Moody’s said. “In a
REIT structure, rate base and revenue requirements
are still generated under the existing regulatory rate-
making procedures.”
Many U.S. utilities are
taking a look at their
transmission assets to
assess whether utilizing
a REIT structure makes
sense...”
--Moody’s Associate Managing Director Jim Hempstead
MMEA Currents Page 19
VALUE DELIVERED.
It’s what we do. And it’s what we’ve been doing for more
than 40 years. Solomon Corporation is proud to be a
valuable, full-service partner for your transformer needs.
When it’s on the line, we’re here. Today and tomorrow.
Call us today
Call Bryan Kroeker at 800.234.2867 Ext 134,
MMEA CurrentsPage 20
Michigan Municipal
Electric Association809 Centennial Way
Lansing, MI 48917
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
LANSING, MI
PERMIT # 689
Michigan Municipal
Electric Association
809 Centennial Way
Lansing, MI 48917
517-323-8346e-mail: [email protected]
Board of Directors
Bill Cook, President
Zeeland Board of Public Works
David Koster, Vice President
Holland Board of Public Works
Ray Anderson
City of Norway
Tim Arends
Traverse City Light & Power
Carl Fedders
City of Marshall
Larry Halberstadt
South Haven Dept. Of Public Works
Melanie McCoy
Sebewaing Light & Water Dept.
Greg Pierce
Lowell Light & Power
Dennis Hicks
Currents Editor
Calendar of Events
Fast Facts
Nov 13, 2014 MMEA Board of Directors Meeting
Dec 11, 2014 MMEA Board of Directors Meeting
May 20 – 21, 2015 Great Lakes Electric Utility Show,
Lansing, MI
March 9-11, 2015 APPA Legislative Rally,
Washington, D.C.
Follow these portable generator safely tips to protect
yourself and your family from deadly carbon monoxide
poisoning:
• Only use portable generators outside, far away from
windows, doors and vents.
• Place portable generators outside and downwind, with
the exhaust pointed away from occupied spaces.
• Install a battery-
operated carbon
monoxide
detector/alarm
inside your home
- or one with
battery backup.
Source: Michigan
Department of
Community Health