NRECA supports strong safety programs and is working with Congress to make changes in federal land-use laws to ensure that co-ops can continue to be a dependable source of electricity for rural communities. We appreciate Congress’s recognition that not-for-profit co-ops should be exempt from federal regulations governing pole attachments for broadband and cable services.
Impact on
Cooperatives and Businesses
Co-ops often run into costly delays when trying to maintain power lines that cross federal lands or the habitat of endangered species. There needs to be a faster approval process from the federal government to allow co-ops to get the permits they need to trim trees and clear brush to keep the electricity flowing and reduce wildfire risks.
Communities
Co-ops provide affordable power to residents and businesses in sparsely populated rural areas. Burdensome federal regulations can unnecessarily hamper their ability to serve their consumer-members, many of whom earn low or moderate incomes.
Endangered Species/Wildlife Management
NRECA looks forward to working with the Department of Interior to modernize the Endangered Species Act to ensure species are protected for future generations, while improving approval processes for electric infrastructure projects. Co-ops believe voluntary conservation efforts, where possible, can preserve at-risk species and avoid the need for added ESA protection. For example, NRECA helped establish a voluntary conservation program to protect the habitat of the monarch butterfly as part of our right-of-way management programs, which gives participating co-ops certainty of requirements whether the species is listed or can avoid listing through voluntary measures.
Pole Attachments
Congress exempted electric co-ops from federal regulations—including specific rental rates—governing the attachment of cable, telecommunications and broadband service equipment to existing utility poles. Instead, the co-op pole attachment rates are cost-based and regulated locally. This ensures that co-ops can help bring these services to consumer-members while protecting critical power equipment. NRECA urges Congress to maintain the exemption.
Safety
NRECA encourages every co-op to participate in the Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program, which emphasizes that safety must be embraced as a core business value, and co-op leaders and employees must take ownership of creating a safe work environment. NRECA comments on government safety rulemakings to reflect our members’ work practices and to protect them from regulation that adds to cost and administrative burden without increasing worker safety.
Vegetation Management and Rights of Way
Routine vegetation management along co-op transmission and distribution rights-of-way is essential to ensure reliability and proper functioning of the grid and reduce the potential risk of wildfire. Additionally, the timely siting of new transmission lines is necessary to expand renewable energy and other generation options and connect them to where electricity is needed. NRECA will work with policymakers to ensure that streamlined permit approvals remain a priority as co-ops work to access and manage existing transmission lines or build out new transmission capacity on the thousands of miles of rights-of-way that cross federal lands.
Related Issues
Endangered Species/Wildlife Management
Pole Attachments
Safety
Vegetation Management and Rights of Way
Featured Video
SEMO Electric Cooperative CEO Weighs In on Safety
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A Minnesota electric cooperative is making its renewable energy projects even more environmentally friendly by adding a pollinator garden that officials say will benefit wildlife for years to come. Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association has three solar arrays at its headquarters and recently began conversion of a buffer along a portion of its service drive to […]
NRECA CEO Jim Matheson issued the following statement on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) rulemaking package from the Interior and Commerce departments.
“Today’s announcement paves the way for electric co-ops to enhance system reliability and reduce wildfire risk by improving access to maintain and upgrade electric systems located on federal lands,” NRECA CEo Jim Matheson said.
“Environmental groups continue to use the courts to drive listings under the ESA to serve a narrow and radical agenda,” said NESARC Chairman Ryan Yates.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA) implements four treaties that provide for international protection of migratory birds. Read about it's impact on co-ops, NRECA's position and the status of the issue.
Operations supervisor Greg Karmol of Midwest Energy & Communications is among essential electric utility personnel who have received the COVID-19 vaccine (Photo By: MEC)
A Michigan electric cooperative’s employees are rolling up their sleeves to get inoculated against the coronavirus and helping to defeat the pandemic by supporting vaccine distribution in their service territory.
Cassopolis-based Midwest Energy & Communications recently held a vaccine clinic for employees and will host a drive-in site for its regional health department.
“We’re working with the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department to help Michigan meet its pandemic vaccination goals,” said Patty Nowlin, MEC’s vice president of corporate communications.
Nearly half of the co-op’s 130 staff received their first shots of the Moderna vaccine Jan. 15. A second round of vaccines is set for Feb. 12.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer drafted an executive order as guidance for the state’s COVID-19 response plan last May. It outlined operational changes and resource allocations for first responders, including health care providers and public safety personnel. Certain utility workers, including some electric co-op employees, were placed in an essential category and designated for inclusion among the next groups eligible to receive vaccines.
By the time COVID-19 vaccinations began nationwide in December, the co-op had months of ongoing interaction with local public health officials.
“The local health department reached out to us several months ago,” said Nowlin. “Michigan has a statewide vaccination goal to get 50,000 shots in arms every day. To try to achieve that goal, they modified the plan to begin inoculating the first and second categories of eligible individuals at the same time.”
Midwest Energy & Communications will temporarily allow its local public health department to use one of its drive-thru bays at its headquarters for a drive-in COVID-19 vaccination site. (Photo By: MEC)
When the local health district notified co-op officials that vaccines would be available, a voluntary participation program was opened for MEC employees. The co-op immediately began a staff awareness campaign, providing publicly available information to help staff decide whether to participate.
“I know a lot of people are very afraid; it’s so unknown. But I also know there are a lot of people who want to be part of the solution,” said Nowlin. “We have to step forward and start doing something proactively to return to some sense of normalcy, and the experts say vaccines are a step toward that goal.”
Once vaccines are available to help meet the needs of the general population, the co-op plans to host drive-in clinics in the vehicle bays, said Nowlin, adding that public health officials will supply and administer the medication. “We’ve got extensive parking just outside of the vehicle bays where people can sit for their 15 minutes, so they can be monitored after they’re vaccinated.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may downlist the red-cockaded woodpecker as its population grows in areas that include Central Electric Power Cooperative’s service territory. (Photo By: Getty Images)
Once nearly extinct, the red-cockaded woodpecker is making a comeback, but Central Electric Power Cooperative will continue its proven conservation efforts as it navigates a new power line through federal forestland the bird calls home.
The generation and transmission co-op headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, is prioritizing preservation of the woodpecker’s habitat in its plans for a transmission route through Francis Marion National Forest. The co-op says it will continue its efforts even if federal protections for the bird are eased.
“Our focus is to ensure the ongoing maintenance standards adopted are sound, balance what the electric utility is required to do for maintenance and to preserve and enhance the population of the species,” said Mark Svrcek, Central’s senior vice president of member solutions and operations support.
With population numbers on the rise, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to “downlist” the federally protected woodpecker from “endangered” to “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.
USFWS also is proposing a “4(d) rule” to ban activities that could result in accidental bird deaths. They include operating vehicles, mechanical equipment, lights at night and other human activities in habitat areas during the bird’s breeding season. Exceptions may be granted for required maintenancefor the safe operations of existing infrastructure, such as rights of way.
Central is studying three potential corridors for the 115-kilovolt power line that will serve the area adjacent to the McClellanville community in Berkeley Electric Cooperative’s service area. The G&T has been working with multiple stakeholders including the USFWS, the U.S. Forest Service and the Rural Utilities Service, which will ultimately decide the line’s route.
By being proactive, Central hopes that potential risks and mitigation options will be identified early to protect the bird and avoid project delays.
“Engagement with federal agencies is critical,” Svrcek said. “Understand their management plan, their restrictions, and engage on the front end on new projects to avoid surprises.”
Elsewhere in its territory, including the Sumter National Forest, the G&T has practiced targeted, less disruptive mechanical mowing in existing rights of way. They also have conducted species studies and reconnaissance for possible habitat and been flexible with new development to avoid sensitive areas.
“For new construction, we practice silviculture to benefit the species,” said Tommy Jackson, supervisor of environmental services for Central. “We only remove the vegetation that will interfere with the operation of the transmission line. All other low-growing vegetation are mowed and allowed to grow.”
Teams also do fieldwork to isolate potential woodpecker habitat. “We can identify that pine growth early on and avoid it, period,” he said. “We intend to treat the threatened and endangered species the same.”
Central has worked with former forest service official and species expert Ralph Costa, who said he sees the co-op’s preparations for the new line as “a flagship on how a co-op deals with a species on the public land.”
Decades of habitat loss from forest overgrowth and hurricanes nearly wiped out red-cockaded woodpeckers, who get their name from the pinch of scarlet that males sport on their black cap.
While other woodpeckers drill nests into dead trees, the red-cockaded species is unique in its preference for live longleaf pines found in the coastal Southeast. The nesting process can take up to six years.
Today, artificial cavities installed in thousands of pines across the region, including in the Francis Marion National Forest, are enabling a growth spurt for the species.
USFWS is accepting public comment on its proposed downlisting of the red-cockaded woodpecker until Dec. 7. A final decision may come as early as the end of next year.
Crews from Jeff Davis Electric Cooperative in Jennings, Louisiana, restore power after Hurricane Delta. (Photo Courtesy: Jeff Davis EC)
Louisiana’s electric cooperatives were
still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Laura when Hurricane Delta
slammed into the state on Oct. 9, dealing another blow to co-op members already
coping with damaged or destroyed homes.
“Electricity is life,” said Mike Heinen, general manager of Jeff Davis EC, a small co-op with
11,000 meters and 49 employees. “No matter how exhausted we all are, you can’t
say ‘no, I’m not going to do it today.’ If we don’t do our jobs, our members
can’t get back up.”
Jeff Davis EC, which had
restored power to about 75% of its system when Delta hit, was back up to about 50%
power on Oct. 14 and to nearly 80% power by Oct. 18. Beauregard EC, which has
42,800 meters, completed its restoration work by Oct. 16.
“The good news is Delta
wasn’t near as bad as Laura,” said Beauregard EC General Manager Kevin Turner. “We’re
coming back a whole lot quicker.”
During Laura, about 4,000
of Beauregard’s power poles were knocked to the ground. In contrast, Delta brought
down only about 50. However, Delta soaked parts of the service territory with 10
to 17 inches of water, requiring the co-op to use airboats and off-road vehicles
to reach flooded areas where repairs were needed, Turner said.
“That slowed us down
some,” he said. “It’s taken a few days longer this time to get the water to
drain all out.”
Heinen estimates his
co-op will be putting its system back together through December. Jeff Davis EC
lost nearly 100 miles of transmission line during Laura and had just started rebuilding
it when Delta hit. Fortunately, the rebuilt lines survived the second hurricane,
he said.
“The most important thing
is that nobody got hurt,” Heinen said. “Everything else can be replaced.”
Each co-op has had help
from about 700 lineworkers who rushed in from co-ops in other states to help
their Louisiana colleagues restore power after Delta. After Laura, about 1,200
out-of-state lineworkers came to help Beauregard EC and about 750 came to help
Jeff Davis EC.
“You cannot do it
without help from your brother and sister co-ops,” Heinen said. “Not this time.
Not this big.”
But welcoming the out-of-state
crews has been more complicated this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Turner
said.
“It’s like working with
one hand tied behind your back with COVID,” he said.
More tents were
required for visiting lineworkers to ensure social distancing—only 300 people
could be housed in tents meant for 600. The co-op also had to find parking
places for up to 1,200 trucks instead of 400 during Laura because crew members can’t
ride in the same truck.
“You’ve got to fuel all
those extra bucket trucks and diggers,” Turner said. “And fuel was already in short
supply during the storm.”
Local co-op employees put in 16-hour days getting things ready for the visiting crews and working with them to restore power. A total of 18 employees from both co-ops lost their homes in Laura or Delta.
“But they all showed up
here the next day,” Turner said. “It’s kind of in everybody’s DNA around here
to keep working ‘til we get the power back on.”
Heinen said a young lineworker
came to him one evening, tired after a day spent restoring power to a substation.
“When the lights came
on, a family came out on their porch and cheered and thanked him,” he said. “That
lineworker told me, ‘Now I know why I’m here.’”
In some cases, the crews
are restoring lines to empty lots where homes have been flattened by the
hurricanes, Heinen said.
“But those folks will be back,” he said. “This is their land. This is their home.”
A temporary mutual aid staging camp set up at Lake Charles Louisiana’s Chennault International Airport is being closed this week as the area prepares for Tropical Storm Beta. (Photo By: Jeff Davis EC)
Tropical Storm Beta is expected to slow
or stall efforts by electric cooperative crews this week to restore power to co-op
members after Hurricane Laura slammed into their service territory late last month.
“In the midst of this recovery, we have another storm headed for the region, and in an abundance of caution, we’re moving all of our people and equipment out of harm’s way,” said Mike Heinen, general manager of Jeff Davis Electric Cooperative. “We’ve made the decision to dismantle the man camp and move it from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Lafayette.”
That means about 750 lineworkers, vegetation
management personnel and support staff will leave Lake Charles’s Chennault
International Airport on Tuesday and drive 60 miles east to the Cajundome Convention
Center.
“While Tropical Storm
Beta is not expected to be a major wind event, floodwaters are already rising,”
said Heinen. “We cannot risk crew safety or the safety of the specialized
equipment they use to restore power. We have to keep them safe.”
The convention center is further
east than Beta’s projected track and is 20 feet higher than the airport
property. It’s also less subject to structural damage from the storm’s gale-force
winds in excess of 40 mph.
“The Cajundome is large enough to be able to support everybody who needs to go there, plus all of the equipment on wheels can be moved there and parked until the storm passes,” said Heinen.
Line trucks are pictured at the Cajundome on Wednesday morning after crews relocated due to Tropical Storm Beta. (Photo By: Mary Laurent/SLEMCO)
Jeff Davis EC officials began discussing the plan with senior leadership from the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives on Friday. They also reached out to Lafayette-based Southwest Louisiana Electric Membership Corp. to assist with the arrangements with Cajundome management. Plans for the move were firmed up over the weekend, and all the gear for the existing encampment will be disassembled and stored beginning Tuesday.
“We have a lot of work left to do
that takes more than just a couple of weeks,” said Heinen. Nearly half of the
co-op’s 11,000 meters are still out of service as repairs to both distribution and
transmission systems continue.
“With weeks or months of work
remaining, there was no way I could see releasing so many skilled personnel,”
said Heinen. “They will stand down with pay and be in a position to quickly
return to the field Friday once our severe weather passes.”
Beauregard Electric Cooperative has not suspended its restoration work, but crews concluding their mutual aid commitments will depart this week and fresh crews will postpone their arrival in the co-op’s territory until after Beta’s threatening conditions subside. Power to nearly 80% of the Deridder-based distribution co-op’s meters has been restored.
“Beauregard
EC has been monitoring Beta and has made preparations to relocate crews if
necessary,” said Kevin Turner, the co-op’s general manager. “With any type
of storm, we ensure our linemen refrain from working in winds more than 40 mph,
lightning or any other hazardous situations.”
Beauregard
will house some of its mutual aid crews and contractors at the Cajundome temporarily,
and some will be sheltered at other locations.
ALEC remains
in contact with other electric co-op statewide associations involved in
coordination of interstate mutual aid.
“With so much debris still laying around from Hurricane Laura, it is too dangerous for us to leave personnel inside a tent city,” said Aarron Graham, ALEC’s director of loss control. “It is hard to predict how strong the winds will be for Tropical Storm Beta, but any debris could easily become flying deadly projectiles. We can’t have our out-of-state crews living in harm’s way.”
Roman Gillen is the CEO of Consumers Power Inc., a 23,000-meter distribution cooperative based in Philomath, Oregon. The co-op’s territory has seen devastation from the region’s ongoing Beachie Creek and Lionshead wildfires, which have torched nearly 400,000 acres and destroyed or damaged some 850 homes.
After
touring the region and the ongoing restoration work this week, he wrote an
emotional email Thursday to the CPI board detailing what he’d witnessed and the
heroic work of the line crews.
I
spent the day yesterday in the area with Billy Terry, visiting crews,
contractors, support personnel, emergency responders, etc. The damage is
unspeakable. A lot of the area is just smoking ruins. I know you’ve seen it
with your own eyes from pictures. Being in the middle of it takes it to a whole
different level. Small flames were still licking the hillside as we passed
Detroit dam and the smoke was so thick that I couldn’t see the electric lines
along the road as we came into town. Billy said that the air was much better, but
I didn’t believe him, not really, although I know he was telling me the truth.
The service territory of Philomath, Oregon-based Consumers Power Inc. has been devastated by wildfires. (Photo Courtesy: Consumers Power Inc.)
But
I want to tell you what I really saw yesterday. I saw a brand new electric
system—tall, straight poles with straight, properly sagged wire between them—
and all of it sprang up virtually overnight. I saw a lot of proud but tired
faces that have spent days and many nights breathing that polluted air as they
labored up incredibly steep, treacherous hillsides carrying their equipment and
lugging the materials they need to work their magic and that worries me a great
deal. Many of them have not seen their families for a couple of weeks,
including some with newborn children and another who’s getting married this
weekend, yet not one word of complaint has reached my desk, neither from our
employees nor those who volunteered to help us. I marveled at how clean all of
the linemen (and I mean all of them) looked in such a grimy environment. I
heard expressions of gratitude from the emergency management people who live in
the area for the organized, professional, cooperative, efficient, and effective
process that the combined electric cooperative crews established as they worked
quickly to restore power throughout the affected area. Just as important, not a
single injury was sustained during this dangerous mission.
Crews work to restore power in the service territory of Oregon’s Consumers Power Inc. (Photo Courtesy: Consumers Power Inc.)
Special
mention needs to be made of our contract tree crews and underground
construction crews. Working with these folks for years really paid off in our
time of great need. To a person, every employee poured their energy and skill
into the restoration effort as if they were working for our members like our
own employees, which of course they were. They did whatever we needed them to
do and whatever we asked: pull wire, lug
materials, run errands, etc. They were a critical part to the success of our
mission and I am every bit as proud of them.
The
work we have done this week clearly demonstrates the power of the cooperative
network, and it is an amazing power that enables us to achieve the impossible. We
have brought to the people of these fire ravaged areas a big, bright ray of
hope. We are now busy getting ready to respond to dozens of requests (demands)
for power as we and they face months and years of rebuilding. For now, everyone
is looking forward to a much-deserved, long overdue reunion with their
families, topping it off with a much-anticipated wedding. What a great end to a
terrible but wonderful week.
Central Electric Cooperative CEO Dave Markham testifies about wildfire risks at a Jan. 28 hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. (Photo By: Alexis Matsui/NRECA)
Wildfires have caused massive destruction in Western states and across the country during recent summers. Electric cooperatives reduce fire risk by maintaining rights of way and keeping equipment up to date, but their efforts are often complicated by the need to coordinate with multiple government agencies that oversee federal lands.
This episode is sponsored by OFS.
In the latest episode of Along Those Lines, we talk to NRECA Regulatory Issues Director Janelle Lemen, Dave Markham, CEO of Central Electric Cooperative in Oregon, and the U.S. Forest Service’s Jim Menakis about how these partnerships work and how they plan to make them better.
Storm response crews at work, from the April 2016 RE Magazine photo challenge, storm recovery.
This episode is sponsored by OFS
Electric cooperatives across the South have already seen massive storm damage across their systems, and the 2020 hurricane season is just now getting started. When outages are too much for one co-op to handle, neighboring co-ops from within their state and across state lines are quick to lend a helping hand to get power back up and running quickly and safely.
Martha Duggan, who oversees NRECA’s state and national coordination initiatives, and Michael Kelley, safety and loss director at the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives, talk us through how co-op mutual aid is coordinated and what it looks like on the ground, even with the added challenges of a global pandemic.
These are some of the 100 protective masks donated to Peace River Electric Cooperative by co-op members living in a Florida condo community. (Photo By: Mark Sellers/PRECO)
Members of a Florida electric cooperative are making masks to help protect first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they’ve included employees of Peace River Electric Cooperative among the recipients.
In the early
days of pandemic response, residents of a condominium complex talked in their
community park about the shortage of masks and began making and sharing them.
“As COVID-19
spread throughout America, we realized the greater need outside our park,” said
Sandy Hanson, a co-op member.
Twenty-three
women who live in the condo community in Zolfo Springs eventually got involved
and began producing masks at a faster pace.
“They all helped
wherever they could or were needed by cutting fabric, ironing and pinning
straps, sewing the masks and taking items from house-to-house while we
practiced our social distancing,” Hanson said.
In less than 10
weeks, they’ve made and distributed more than 4,400 masks. Recipients have
included local sheriff’s deputies, fire and emergency management personnel,
local delivery drivers and the PRECO staff.
“This kind of
support from our members really makes a difference,” said Daniel Moore, the Wauchula-based co-op’s safety coordinator. “They donated about 100 masks
directly to PRECO. We greatly appreciate their commitment to include us
among the people in their community that could use the help.”
Members of Peace River Electric Cooperative mobilized in their condo community to help make masks for first responders, including co-op employees. (Photo By: Mark Sellers/PRECO)
The masks went
to the co-op’s lineworkers, member services representatives assigned to
drive-thru payment duty, warehouse staff and control room employees.
“Having extra
masks available will certainly be of help as we begin to look at bringing more of our regular
services back to our offices,” said Moore.
The condo volunteers have also sent masks to New York City hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic and Coast Guard and Navy personnel in California and Hawaii.
“The ladies have been very generous, and we appreciate their commitment to our community and others,” said Moore.
Congress included relief for co-ops and their members in a sweeping bill aimed at rescuing the economy during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo By: Bloomberg Creative Photos/Getty Images)
Updated: March 27, 2020
The $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress will bring help to electric cooperatives and their consumer-members by offering millions in aid for families struggling to pay their utility bills and billions in grants for small businesses.
At the same time, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture took action to provide greater flexibility and certainty for co-ops
that rely on the Rural Utilities Service for loans and other financial assistance.
NRECA urged Congress and the Trump administration to include aid for co-ops as part of federal relief efforts aimed at boosting the struggling U.S. economy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. CEO Jim Matheson wrote letters to congressional leaders and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking for specific measures to help co-ops and their consumer-members.
The Senate passed the Coronavirus
Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act on Wednesday, and the House
approved it Friday by voice vote. Congress is expected to pass more relief
legislation in the weeks ahead.
Here are some of the key provisions
for co-ops in the nearly 900-page bill:
Adds $900 million for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps low-income and moderate-income consumers pay their utility bills.
Adds $100 million for grants through the USDA RUS ReConnect broadband program and $25 million for the RUS Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program to expand investments in telemedicine and distance-learning services in rural areas.
Adds $45 billion for the disaster relief fund administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Co-ops often rely on these funds to restore power after storms and other emergencies.
Creates a $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program that provides federal government loan forgiveness (under Small Business Administration Section 7(a) loans) for small businesses to pay up to eight weeks of basic expenses, including electric, telephone and internet bills.
Creates a $10 billion SBA program to provide grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses to pay their workers and pay rent or mortgages, among other uses. Co-ops with fewer than 500 employees may be eligible for this grant program if they plan to apply for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans. Certain restrictions on those loans have now been waived.
The legislation does not include a
federal moratorium on disconnecting consumers who fail to pay their utility
bills. Some states have already imposed moratoriums, while others have asked
utilities to voluntarily suspend disconnections during the coronavirus
emergency. Many co-ops have already stopped disconnections and deferred bill
payments for members who are experiencing financial hardships.
Earlier in March, President Trump signed legislation that would expand emergency family and medical leave and paid sick leave for co-ops and other small businesses with fewer than 500 employees. The CARES Act clarifies payment limitations for those programs. It also waives the 10% early distribution penalty for employees who withdraw up to $100,000 from their 401(k) retirement savings or from their Individual Retirement Accounts.
The USDA also announced this week that it is providing relief for borrowers through its RUS program. The department extended for 60 days the deadline for telecommunications and electric program borrowers and grantees to submit their annual audits, which normally are due by April 30. It also waived borrower covenant requirements for loan agreement financial ratios for the entire 2020 calendar year.
The agency is waiving all financial reporting requirements associated with existing RUS loan and grant covenants through June 30. USDA also will help electric program borrowers gain access to funds more quickly at current low interest rates by considering extensions of loan terms on a case-by-case basis.
“For over 80 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and America’s electric cooperatives have partnered—not just to keep the lights on—but to promote the overall well-being of all rural America,” Matheson wrote to Perdue. “In this extraordinary and challenging time, when those communities are threatened, our partnership is more important than ever.”
See NRECA’s COVID-19 hub on cooperative.com for key resources for co-ops, including guidance on business continuity planning and communication, as well as event schedule changes.
Baker City, Oregon, first responders help set up the scene for a video on downed power line safety. (Photo Courtesy: OTEC)
Recognizing that small fire
departments are often strapped for resources, Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative
and Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange are turning to virtual reality
technology to bolster training opportunities.
“We’ve realized it can be difficult to reach rural, volunteer-only fire departments that are often the first ones on the scene,” said Lea Gettle, manager of administration and strategic services at the Baker City, Oregon, co-op. “The videos provide an opportunity to learn on their own schedule and in a more memorable way than PowerPoint presentations or written pamphlets.”
The smaller the community, the more
likely it relies on all-volunteer fire departments, according to 2017 data from
the National Fire Protection Association. All-volunteer fire squads serve about
45% of communities with populations of 5,000-9,999, 74% of communities with
populations of 2,500-4,999, and nearly 93% of communities of fewer than 2,500.
While the Baker City Fire Department offers refresher training
courses, a high-tech option would “enable more trainees to access a better
learning platform” at a time of higher 911 call volume over the past few years,
said Fire Chief John Clark.
“People are used to interactive
technology, and the 3-D aspect makes it more realistic,” said Clark, who
oversees a crew of 26, including 10 volunteers.
Downed power line safety is the
topic of the first VR course, and the fire department has been heavily involved
in production. “The video goes over what to do and what not to do when a car
hits a power pole and the do’s and don’ts for bystanders,” said Clark. “We had
to set up the scene and make it as live as we could.”
Other videos cover topics such as electrical
hazards on farms and electric vehicle fires.
The technology puts “you right in the middle of the action,” said Corey Parr, vice president of safety and loss prevention at Federated. “You can look over the whole facility and better see the hazards. We really had strong interest in the farm and ag community and I can see other applications in the near future [focusing on] removing trees off lines, day-to-day line work, troubleshooting situations.”
And there’s no doubt the technology
will allow faster and cheaper delivery of safety training. Clark will post the
content on the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association website so that “first responders in other parts of the state
will be able to access training on this important subject.”
As the technology improves, even more first responders will have access, said Parr. “[The] 360 technology is an immediate hit. If created the right way, you won’t even need the goggles.”
Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association has begun the process of turning the border along its solar arrays into colorful pollinator habitat. (Photo By: Wright-Hennepin)
A Minnesota electric cooperative is
making its renewable energy projects even more environmentally friendly by adding
a pollinator garden that officials say will benefit wildlife for years to come.
Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association has three solar arrays at its headquarters and recently began conversion of a buffer along a portion of its service drive to pollinator habitat.
“This is a demonstration project, covering about 1.25 acres, along the edge of two of the solar arrays,” said Andrea Unger, marketing and member service director for the Rockford-based co-op. “It’s a steep hill and we see this as an opportunity to put it to productive use. This is a great chance to do something better with the land.”
The vegetation being planted on the site includes varieties common to Minnesota’s northern prairie landscape before development, which makes it suitable for bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife native or migratory to the area, Unger said.
“Members and local community leaders frequently visit our grounds to see our solar arrays,” said Wright-Hennepin CEO Tim Sullivan. “Like other co-ops across the country, this is one more way we’re showcasing a tangible commitment to environmental stewardship.”
The co-op has been working with a landscaping firm that’s been involved with naturalization projects on Great River Energy’s main campus in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Contractors began site preparations earlier this autumn before the existing turf grass and vegetation entered dormancy, and they plan to return in early spring to begin plantings on the site.
“Contractors will work with us on weed control and cultivation for a few years to ensure that the plantings get established,” said Unger. “After a few years, we expect the site to be virtually maintenance-free.”
FKEC’s Sara Hamilton has relocated tens of thousands of Florida tree snails from the co-op’s right of way to earn respect as a conservationist and the moniker “the snail lady.” (Photo By: FKEC)
“U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission look to us as experts,” said Hamilton, FKEC’s
environmental affairs manager. “They … truly think that without some of our
work and data, the population would not be doing as well in the Keys as it is.”
The co-op, with offices in Tavernier and Marathon, has relocated
some 85,000 tree snails from 11 miles of right of way going back to 1994. They
include the state-protected Florida tree snail and the Stock Island tree snail,
which is listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
A highly invasive predator, the New Guinea flatworm, may
make the co-op’s conservation efforts more important than ever.
FKEC in the Florida Keys has been helping conserve the Florida tree snail for 25 years by relocating them from the co-op’s right of way. This snail is under state protection. (Photo By: FKEC)
“Several populations in Miami-Dade County area have been
decimated,” said Hamilton. “If the flatworm takes off, we can’t predict what
may happen.”
With a spiral tower shell, the tree snails thrive on lichen
and fungi attached to pigeon plums, wild tamarind and other smooth-bark trees. The
Florida tree snail’s shell comes in 59 color varieties, while the Stock Island
species’ shell is basically brown and white.
They grow to just under 3 inches over an eight-year lifespan
that begins as pea-size eggs buried in leaf litter at the bottom of trees.
Their excrement plays a critical role in replenishing soil nutrients on the
hard-rock island.
Each winter, the co-op carefully trims trees in the right of
way flanked by Old State Road 905 and the Dagney Johnson State Botanical Park.
Hamilton and crews search every branch and triple-check every cutting for the
tiny animals.
The snails are inactive during these non-humid weeks and
seal themselves to branches. Hamilton places these “hibernating” snails in
thermal coolers in her car until the warmth “wakes them up.” Then she relocates
them to trees 20 to 100 yards from the right of way. With a spritz of water on
the bark, the snail reattaches to its new home for the season.
Over the past several years, the co-op crews helped USFWS
locate three new populations of the Stock Island tree snail.
“U.S. Fish and Wildlife really appreciates that our crew
goes above and beyond,” said Hamilton. “They know our work. They call me the
snail lady.”
What does she recommend for other co-ops with potentially
threatened species in their service territory?
“Being a good community partner is my No. 1 advice,” said
Hamilton. “These agencies see what FKEC does and appreciate it. They come to
value and acknowledge our work and how we value these critters.”
Alaska Co-op Battles Wildfire and Helps Members With Recovery
PublishedSeptember 12, 2019
Author
Derrill Holly
Crews from Matanuska Electric Association work inside of fire lines as firefighters battled the McKinley wildfire near Palmer, Alaska. (Photo By: Matanuska EA)
With a widespread wildfire now 95% contained after three weeks, crews from the Matanuska Electric Association are busy helping their members get the power they’ll need to repair their homes in south-central Alaska.
As the fire grew to more than 3,000
acres, more than 2,000 residents in the immediate area evacuated from their
homes, according to the Alaska Wildland Fire Information Office.
Co-op crews worked closely with more than 500 firefighters over the past few weeks, and damage to co-op lines in some areas was substantial. Matanuska EA lost at least 30 poles on its system and is still rebuilding lines. Co-op crews have also assisted firefighters with tree and debris removal.
“Power was initially out to more than 450 members, and
that number grew to more than 500 members as lines were de-energized to assist responding fire crews and to mitigate any
hazards,” said Jennifer Castro, the Palmer-based co-op’s public
relations manager.
The blaze claimed 52 homes, parts
of three businesses and more than 80 other structures, and co-op members are
now trying to rebuild before colder weather sets in.
“We have been able to re-energize our primary line and
restore power to members in a progressive manner,” said Castro. Restoration has
been a slow process due to safety concerns, she said.
As evacuees have been cleared to return to their
property, some have discovered that their damaged homes must be repaired before
electricity can be safely restored. But
the co-op is moving quickly to restore service once these repairs are complete.
“MEA is covering all costs of infrastructure replacement up to the member’s
meter base and typical temporary service and reconnection fees will not be
charged,” said Castro. At least 50 homes may need major repairs or
reconstruction.
“During this crisis, it was
inspiring for our cooperative to join a community of professionals and
volunteers pulling together to help our members,” said Matanuska EA CEO Tony
Izzo. “From the initial response from our line and clearing crews to the
longer-term restoration assistance from our engineering and member service
staff, it’s been a true team effort.”
Electric Co-ops Applaud Endangered Species Act Modernization Efforts
PublishedAugust 12, 2019
Author
Media Relations
ARLINGTON,
Va. – National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson issued the following
statement on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) rulemaking package from the
Interior and Commerce departments. The rulemakings clarify criteria used to
designate critical habitat, distinguish how threatened species are regulated
and will generally make agency consultations more efficient:
“Today’s
announcement is an important step toward modernizing endangered species
protection, including making permitting for infrastructure more efficient while
protecting our nation’s threatened and endangered species. These improvements
will ensure that limited agency and co-op resources are focused on better
species conservation by allowing protections to be tailored to the needs of each
species. Co-ops are committed to protecting the nation’s natural resources,
while providing responsible, reliable, and affordable power to America’s rural
communities.”
The National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association
is the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric
cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric
co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across
56 percent of the nation’s landscape. As local businesses built by the
consumers they serve, electric cooperatives have meaningful ties to rural
America and invest $12 billion annually in their communities.
The Thomas B. Fitzhugh Generating Station near Ozark, Arkansas, was temporarily out of service due to historic flooding on the Arkansas River. (Photo By: AECC)
Updated: June 4, 2019
Electric cooperatives serving members along some of the nation’s most important rivers are facing some of the worst flooding in more than a quarter-century.
Co-op crews in at least six states
have been working to minimize damage to their systems even as they remain
committed to restoring service to flood-ravaged communities as quickly as
possible.
Arkansas River
“People remember 1993 as a record year for flooding along the Arkansas River, and this is very close to that,” said Sid Sperry, director of public relations, communications and research for the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives.
A series of severe storms that
spawned high winds, tornadoes and heavy rain continued throughout May, and
National Weather Service forecasters have warned that conditions are ripe to
sustain that pattern through at least early June.
Precautionary disconnections have
been underway for weeks in low-lying areas where waterways have yet to crest,
even as crews completed repairs needed after high winds and tornadoes ripped
through some areas.
“While repairs to windstorm-damaged areas often begin as soon as conditions improve, flooding can last days or weeks,” said Sperry. “Once floodwaters subside, transformers and other equipment have to be repaired, and in many instances members have to hire licensed electricians to check their systems before service can be restored.”
That’s the situation facing
hundreds of members of co-ops in parts of northeastern Oklahoma, where flooding
in the Arkansas River watershed is now in its third week.
“Three of our co-ops serving members in the Tulsa metropolitan area and surrounding counties are dealing with the aftermath of flash flooding and major historic flooding along the Arkansas River,” said Sperry.
The Carl S. Whillock Hydroelectric Generating Station near Morrilton, Arkansas, is almost completely obscured by historic flooding along the Arkansas River. Switching stations on both river banks are also flooded. (Photo by: AECC)
High water has been even more severe in parts of Arkansas, where Little Rock-based generation and transmission cooperative Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. shut down some hydroelectric facilities and one baseload power station for several days.
The Thomas B. Fitzhugh plant near Ozark, Arkansas, was built to withstand flooding and has been returned to service. The Arkansas River has crested near two of the G&T’s hydro facilities, but high water has isolated a third. Those sites will be placed back into operation once river conditions improve and engineers ensure they are operational.
Three Arkansas distribution co-ops
have de-energized hundreds of meters due to high water in flood-prone areas,
said Roedel. “We’re also actually looking at some areas for additional
precautionary disconnects that are beyond normal flood-prone areas because of
the historic water levels.”
Missouri River
In Missouri, Boone Electric Cooperative pulled its line crews from overdue seasonal construction and system work to help sandbag communities west and south of its headquarters.
“Our communities keep a close eye on the river, particularly our farmers with fields along the river,” said Todd Culley, general manager and CEO of Columbia, Missouri-based Boone EC.
“We got a call last week and they said, ‘we need some help, and we think we need it pretty quick,’ so we responded.”
Lineworkers from Boone Electric Cooperative joined the co-op’s efforts to help Rocheport, Missouri, reinforce a levee threatened by the worst flooding since 1993. (Photo By: Boone EC)
While the larger rivers get much of the attention, smaller tributaries are also swollen beyond their banks following weeks of wet weather.
“Our co-ops have been pulling meters in flood areas for months, but it has gotten much worse over the last week,” said Jim McCarty, editor of Rural Missouri magazine and a spokesman for the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
Some areas that were devastated by the 1993 flooding benefited from government buyouts, which eliminated much of the development in areas now inundated by high water, said McCarty. “After the flood of 1993, many [co-op] facilities were moved to higher ground, so that has helped.”
Flooding on the Missouri River near Columbia, Missouri has threatened co-op-served communities and weakened levees. (Photo By: Boone EC)
Mississippi
River
Rainy weather and a delayed spring thaw have led to flooding
in the Upper Midwest and high water levels along parts of the Mississippi,
according to officials from several electric cooperative statewide
associations.
“Illinois co-ops are monitoring the Mississippi River level closely and some have de-energized lines to a few members,” said Valerie Cheatham, vice president of communications for the Illinois Association of Electric Cooperatives.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
could announce mandatory evacuations in some co-op-served communities this
week, leading to more precautionary disconnections in low-lying areas, Cheatham
said. “Since the flood of 1993, our co-ops have far less members living in the
bottom areas of the river.”
Co-ops serving members farther south
in Mississippi and Louisiana will continue watching the river for the next few
weeks.
The monarch butterfly is in trouble. With its numbers in decline
for decades and its habitat rapidly disappearing, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service is set to rule soon on whether it should be protected under the
Endangered Species Act.
The monarch’s unique lifecycle and migration pattern bring it to
locations throughout electric co-op territory. Co-ops across the country know
this and have been doing their part to try and save this iconic species.
In the latest episode of Along Those Lines, we’re joined by Janelle Lemen and Stephanie Crawford, both from NRECA’s regulatory division, and Brad Foss, environmental impact manager at Dairyland Power Cooperative in Wisconsin. They explain what’s making it difficult for monarchs to thrive, what an Endangered Species Act listing would mean, and what steps co-ops have been proactively taking to conserve the monarch.
Editor’s Note: On May 24, 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it has postponed its decision on the status of the monarch butterfly until Dec. 15, 2020.
Heath Martin, safety director at Northfork Electric Cooperative in Oklahoma, had a life-changing accident early in his career as a lineworker. (Photo By: NRECA)
As we spend the month of April recognizing the efforts of
lineworkers, the latest episode of Along Those Lines zeroes in on safety and
what it takes to ensure that crews don’t come into contact with live lines.
Heath Martin, who’s now the safety director at Northfork Electric Cooperative in Oklahoma, shares the harrowing story of a mistake early in his career as a lineworker that could have cost him his life—and the lessons he took away from the incident.
We’re also joined by Bud Branham, NRECA’s safety director, and Corey Parr, who runs the safety and loss control program at Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange, to discuss the hazards of the work that line crews do and good practices for staying safe.
Matheson: New Infrastructure Executive Order Paves Way for Enhanced Reliability, Reduced Wildfire Risk
PublishedApril 10, 2019
Author
Media Relations
ARLINGTON,
Va. – NRECA CEO Jim
Matheson today issued the following statement after President Trump announced a
new infrastructure executive order that will expedite the permitting process
for power line right of way maintenance on federal lands.
“Today’s
announcement paves the way for electric co-ops to enhance system reliability
and reduce wildfire risk by improving access to maintain and upgrade electric
systems located on federal lands,” Matheson said. “Permitting delays often pose
long-term safety and reliability challenges for electric co-ops that need
approval to conduct vegetation management and power line maintenance on federal
lands. By reducing bureaucratic red tape, today’s announcement helps
prevent permitting delays and promotes the safety and reliability of our power
supply.”
The new
infrastructure executive order includes language directing the secretaries of
Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce to collaborate on the development of a
master agreement that expedites renewals to federal land rights of way to
enable maintenance and vegetation management.
Electric
cooperatives constantly work to improve system reliability, including on
federal land. But federal permitting delays pose serious restrictions. For
example, Benton Rural Electric Association (BREA) in Prosser, Washington had a
Special Use Permit that allowed them right of way access through federal land
to prevent danger trees from contacting the co-ops’ power lines. Despite
submitting an application for renewal in August 2015, BREA’s permit expired
that December. USFS officials took 15 months to review the renewal application
and propose that the co-op pay for an expensive new environmental
assessment. Benton REA is currently operating under a temporary permit but is
still seeking a resolution for the long-term permit issue.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape. As local businesses built by the consumers they serve, electric cooperatives have meaningful ties to rural America and invest $12 billion annually in their communities.
Volunteers seeded the grounds of Craighead EC’s Solar One Project early this month to create sustainable habitat for quail and other wildlife. (Photo By: Today’s Power)
When Craighead Electric Cooperative staffers look at rural rights-of-way, they see big potential for wildlife habitat in addition to poles and wires, and they’re partnering with environmentalists and outdoor recreation enthusiasts to make that happen.
This spring, Craighead EC is working with volunteers from Quail Forever to help transform rights-of-way, the grounds around its substations and other facilities into low-maintenance habitat. Instead of turf grass, they’re planting native grasses, wildflowers, forage and cover plants suitable for quail, pollinators and other wildlife.
“The organization is particularly interested in establishing habitat around renewable energy developments,” said Monty Williams, vice president of marketing and communications for the Jonesboro, Arkansas-based distribution co-op. That has prompted an alliance involving Craighead EC, Today’s Power, an enterprise subsidiary of Arkansas Electric Cooperative Inc., and local Quail Forever volunteers.
Craighead EC’s 11-acre Solar One project near Brookland, which includes a one-megawatt photovoltaic array, was planted with a selected seed blend in early March.
The plant species used will top out
at 2 or 3 feet high, providing cover and producing blooms and seeds from spring
through autumn for foraging wildlife.
“We’re using native grass species like little bluestem and sideoats gramma along with a mix of wildflowers including black-eyed Susan, butterfly milkweed, purple coneflower and 14 other flowering forbs,” said Williams. “This mixture of grasses and wildflowers create brooding habitat for quail, nesting habitat for grassland songbirds, and pollinator habitat for beneficial insects.”
The relatively compact growth patterns of the selected vegetation will eliminate the need for mowing, said Williams. “We can easily trim under panel racks and around other components at the site to perform maintenance on the equipment.”
Partnering with Quail Forever on the project gives Craighead EC an opportunity to make a lasting local impact on wildlife habitat across its service territory. The organization maintains full control over locally raised donations, selects its own projects and coordinates with local community groups to recruit volunteers for plantings and other events.
Quail Forever chapters are also working with Today’s Power on two other solar array planting projects in the region to help bobwhite quail and other species.
“Native pollinators have experienced declines throughout North America, especially in agricultural areas like the mid-South,” said Jennah Denney, marketing and public relations coordinator of Today’s Power. “Insects like butterflies, moths, honeybees, native bees, and beetles are critical for native plant reproduction through pollination and plant community health.”
Members of the Craighead EC board joined local officials for the groundbreaking of a 1-megawatt solar array landscaped to improve wildlife habitat. (Photo By: Craighead EC)
It won’t produce a lot of power, but a new cooperative solar project could play a major role for butterflies, bees and bobwhite quail that live or migrate through Arkansas’s Delta region.
Craighead Electric Cooperative has just turned on a 1-megawatt solar array, but the landscaping work just getting under way will give a huge boost to wildlife for years to come.
“We’ve built the array on land that’s been used to grow soybeans and other crops for generations,” said Monty Williams, vice president of marketing and communications for Craighead Electric Cooperative Corp.
Jonesboro-based CECC developed the array on an 11-acre site near Brookland. While it’s only expected to produce enough electricity to meet the needs of 135 average homes in the co-op’s service territory, the site’s habitat management plan could improve conditions for a number of species found in Arkansas’ Delta region.
“The Craighead Electric board of directors and management emphasized that their members must receive economic as well as environmental benefits, and this solar system accomplishes both,” said Michael Henderson, president of Today’s Power Inc.
Little Rock-based TPI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc., builds and maintains photovoltaic systems, energy storage projects and electric vehicle charging stations.
“Our solar systems are customized around a utility’s wholesale billing [cost factors] and load characteristics specifically to produce maximum value for the customer,” said Henderson, noting that TPI has now built 18 such projects in Arkansas. “We have five more in the planning stage that will be announced soon.”
Craighead Electric and TPI worked with the City of Brookland and the conservation group Quail Forever to meet several environmental goals for the project’s design. They include sustainable pollinator habitat for bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects, and cover and forage for cottontail rabbits, bobwhite quail and indigenous and migratory songbirds.
Community partners including 4-H, FFA and scouting groups will be assisting with plantings and other improvements at the site in the coming months.
“This project shows Craighead Electric’s commitment to providing a low-cost source of energy to our membership,” said Craighead Electric CEO Brian Duncan, adding that the project underscores the co-op’s commitment to the environmentally responsible use of renewable energy.
A FCC panel is preparing model code for state legislatures to adopt that would be problematic for electric co-ops hoping to deploy broadband internet service for members. (Photo By: NRECA)
A Federal Communications Commission panel will call for the regulation of power poles owned by electric cooperatives as one way for states to accelerate broadband deployment, drawing serious concern from NRECA.
The FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC) included a dozen other provisions that the association said threaten co-op operations as part of a model code for states to employ as laws and regulations for delivering high-speed internet.
BDAC is expected to give final approval to the state model code by late August or early September. NRECA has had a seat on the committee that is dominated by telecom representatives since its launch in 2017.
“When the BDAC approves the model code, state legislatures will be encouraged to take it up as how the FCC believes broadband should be deployed,” warned Brian O’Hara, NRECA regulatory issues director.
State model code provisions opposed by NRECA involve rights of access to existing network support infrastructure and rights of access to poles in the communications space. One of the most troublesome articles would classify electric co-ops as infrastructure “owners” and subject them to regulations under the code.
“The state model code, as drafted, ignores current exemptions from pole attachment regulation allowed by Congress for electric co-ops. It also ignores that all 20 states that have enacted laws streamlining attachments for small cell/5G networks allow that same exemption for co-ops,” said O’Hara.
The committee on July 27 failed to reach final agreement on the state model code and is revising the draft. The final state model code, however, is unlikely to allay concerns by NRECA, said O’Hara.
“We do expect it to eventually pass. We do not anticipate the provisions with which NRECA has concerns to be improved,” he said. “Once adopted by the BDAC, we fully expect the telecom industry to push hard for adoption of the model code in state capitals across the country.”
NRECA supported the only three articles it felt would assist rural broadband. One that established a broadband assistance fund remained in the document. NRECA managed to get co-ops and other non-incumbent telecom providers included as eligible participants.
Another provision that would create a state broadband infrastructure manager and Broadband Infrastructure Advisory Council was struck from the code. The third, to allow co-ops and municipalities to partner to deliver broadband, was set aside for possible reconsideration.
Editor’s Note, Aug. 20:Hear firsthand from the workers involved in the dramatic pole-top rescue of Shelby Electric Cooperative’s Kevin Carlen in this new video produced by the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives.
Shelby Electric Cooperative’s Kevin Carlen had completed “hurt man” rescue training and was on his way down when he lost consciousness at the top of the pole.
At 22 feet in the air, the forestry foreman had suffered sudden cardiac arrest.
“He kicked back so hard that his feet came out of the pole. Basically, he was just laying in his belt,” said Thad France, a safety instructor at the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives in Springfield.
France was conducting annual pole-top rescue training at the Shelbyville, Illinois, co-op in mid-May when the incident occurred. He stood, horrified, at the base of the pole with the rest of the group.
“When he first kicked back in his belt, people thought that I had set this up for the training. But I saw the color of his face and it was gray,” said France, whose father has had a heart attack. “I knew immediately what had happened.”
Within seconds, the group sprang into action. Each person chose a role. Because a training exercise had been in progress, a trainee was already up in a bucket ready to retrieve Carlen. Another put on his climbing tools to go up the pole. Someone ran to get the AED kit, and once the Carlen was safely on the ground, two others administered CPR. France applied the automated external defibrillator (AED).
No life-saving detail was too small.
“The guy who called 911 had enough wits about him to go out in the road to meet EMTs because [construction work] was blocking the normal entrance. He had EMTs come a different way,” France recalled.
“It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my 24 years as a lineman. Every time I yelled to someone to do something, he was doing it. It was boom, boom, boom. Everyone did the right thing. As far as the actual rescue, even the EMTs said that the group of guys did better than most of his fire department.”
Regular safety training helped more than a dozen Shelby Electric co-op line crews save Kevin Carlen’s life. Carlen is seventh from the left. (Photo By: Kevin Bernson)
Regular training enabled crews to save Carlen’s life, said Josh Shallenberger, the co-op’s president and CEO.
“We learned a few things that day,” said Shallenberger, who ran out to the training yard that day to provide backup support. “We were very thankful that Kevin was wearing a BuckSqueeze belt for fall protection. Also, once the guys realized this wasn’t a joke, they jumped to action and what they’ve been trained to do over the years just came out naturally.”
Carlen, 54, is recovering at home awaiting surgery to repair a clogged artery and is looking forward to going back to work. “Someone called it the ‘perfect storm’ to have the [heart attack] happen here at the co-op office,” said Carlen. “I could have been by myself or in a right of way with one other person.”
The real-life lessons of that day remain with France still. “Even afterwards [when EMTs took Carlen to the hospital], we all looked at each other and said, ‘I guess this is why we do the training every year.’”
Basin Electric’s Cris Miller discusses tree planting plans with Sarah Tunge of the Mercer County Soil Conservation District. (Photo By: Basin Electric)
North Dakota is a prairie state, but an electric cooperative project is helping establish stands of trees and shrubs across several counties to enhance wildlife habitat and expand ecological diversity.
Basin Electric Power Cooperative is working with landowners, local governments and state agencies to plant sustainable patches of trees and shrubs in five western North Dakota counties. The Bismarck-based G&T is committed to meeting vegetation replacement obligations related to major transmission projects completed in late 2017.
“The state requires that we inventory the trees and shrubs removed from our right-of-way and replace them, two-for-one,” said Cris Miller, senior environmental administrator for Basin Electric. “About one-third of the affected landowners requested trees and shrubs to be replaced on their property outside of the transmission right of way.”
That means the remaining trees and shrubs are available for planting projects within public spaces. Some of those projects include landscaping around ballparks, picnic sites and local parks. Thousands of trees and shrubs are being planted on undeveloped public lands, including parcels managed by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.
One Big Job and Lots of Little Sites
The G&T sought approval of 225 miles of new 345-kilovolt transmission to serve Bakken Formation oil and gas development, and the North Dakota Public Service Commission stipulated vegetation replacement with three years of monitoring. Trees and shrubs that don’t survive may require replacement.
“This ultimately involved 37,000 trees and shrubs,” said Miller. “Affected landowners had the first opportunities to replace trees on their property outside of our transmission corridors.”
Miller added that many of those landowners opted for border patch plantings between field acreage sections. Those stands of trees and shrubs are commonly seen along the edges of fields and pastures and serve as natural windbreaks and shelter for wildlife.
The patches, roughly 30 feet wide, are designed to provide cover and help meet the nutritional needs of indigenous songbirds, migratory fowl and upland game species such as pheasants and grouse. The white-tail and mule deer inhabiting the area will also benefit.
After identifying planting opportunities, Basin Electric relies on the County Soil Conservation District’s expertise to select the trees and shrubs that have the best opportunity for survivability based on the soil types present and achieve the intended purpose of the planting.
Fauna Friendly
Trees planted near a spoils pile are part of a vegetation management plan related to a Basin Electric transmission project in North Dakota. (Photo By: Basin Electric)
About two-thirds of the total planting stock was made available to public agencies, including some who tapped the resource to enhance habitat near recreational space and reclaimed mining sites.
“You’ll see a lot of smaller shrubs, denser planting to provide food source and shelter for animals,” said Sarah Tunge, manager of the Mercer County Soil Conservation District. The district began planning for the two Mercer County projects in January, and plantings there took place in late May.
“We worked with North Dakota Game and Fish on this one to provide the most benefit. We looked at water sources and other habitat in the area,” said Tunge. “Deer, grassland birds, pheasants, song birds of all types, pollinators, are all going to use this new habitat.”
And it shouldn’t take long to see results. Tree species selected for bare-root planting top out at about 12 feet in height because naturalists involved in the planning aren’t interested in providing roosts for raptors.
Reshaping the Landscape
The Harmony Lake site is a former surface coal mine that predated the current state’s strict surface mine reclamation regulations. The 45-acre lake is surrounded by 450 acres of restored prairie and wetlands.
Reclamation work began in the area in 1998, and the ownership of the area was transferred to the state and opened for recreational use in 2003. At least 17 species of wildlife live in the area. Previous plantings at the site were completed to obscure and cover spoil piles left over from early surface mining operations.
“Wildlife actually like the spoil pile areas, so these trees will add to their habitat, and they will make a snow trip to keep the snow from filling in those spoil piles,” said Arvid Anderson, a resource biologist with North Dakota Game and Fish Wildlife.
Dense growth on the spoil piles will provide cover for deer and other wildlife moving between open areas, said Anderson. “It makes for better aesthetics for the public driving by, as well.”
More Work Ahead
On each of the projects, Basin Electric picks up the costs of all plantings, and the native trees and shrubs stock used are purchased from a state-owned nursery in order to ensure their hardiness. Weed barrier fabric is also laid out around the planting zones to discourage grassland encroachment while the bare-root trees and shrubs get established.
Cold, wet spring weather compressed 2018’s available planting schedule to just three weeks. Work began in late May and was suspended in mid-June.
An assessment survey of planted sites is expected to take place in September, but Basin Electric is already preparing for a series of projects with the North Dakota Department of Transportation for 2019.
The highway beautification effort will provide a visual barrier along the edges of highway right-of-way, and the trees and shrubs, once established, will be a natural snow fence, reducing drift accumulations during North Dakota’s blustery winters.
“There are four or five such projects scheduled for next year,” said Miller. “That will complete the bulk of our planting efforts.”
Josh Young, EKPC’s natural resources and environmental compliance supervisor, checks out the 1.7-acre “pollinator patch” at the co-op’s headquarters in Winchester, Kentucky. (Photo By: EKPC)
National Pollinator Week kicks off this year (June 18-24) amid talk that the federal government could designate the monarch butterfly, whose numbers have been in decline for decades, as endangered or threatened.
Electric cooperatives with territories that overlap critical monarch breeding areas and migration routes are devoting land and labor to reverse the decline of this and other key pollinator species.
East Kentucky Power Cooperative is building a 1.7-acre monarch waystation at its Winchester, Kentucky, headquarters to grow milkweed, black-eyed Susans and other native flowers where the butterflies can lay their eggs and rest on the long flights to and from their overwintering grounds in Mexico.
“We’re developing a monarch waystation to help,” said Chris Carpenter, a biologist at EKPC. “If monarchs are listed, that could significantly affect us.”
The habitat, adjacent to a 60-acre solar farm that went online in November, is also home to four hives of 25,000 honeybees, which, while not a native species, are key pollinators.
Members who tour the co-op campus “like the fact that we are helping out species that are pollinators and plants that are native,” said Josh Young, EKPC’s natural resource and environmental compliance supervisor.
EKPC is also looking into developing pollinator plots at its H.L. Spurlock Station, a coal-based plant, and Bluegrass Station, a natural gas plant.
Eddie McNutt (right), EKPC’s director of information technology, and Troy Varner, (left), facilities and security supervisor, check on one of the four hives of honeybees they established on EKPC’s campus in Winchester, Kentucky. (Photo By: EKPC)
Dairyland Power Cooperative, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, first caught the pollinator preservation bug in 1994 when it prepared to cover a closed 40-acre coal ash landfill near a power plant. General practice at the time was to plant grasses, but the co-op expanded that to native prairie of grasses and pollinator plants.
The G&T is developing large plots at all 18 of its solar farms to host monarch butterflies, bees and other pollinators. The combined 250 acres of habitat contain a diverse mix of milkweed, black-eyed Susans, sunflowers, lupine, cornflowers, forbs and other species. Fifteen sites are already up and running.
Dairyland Electric Cooperative in La Crosse, Wisconsin, began turning a coal ash site into a native prairie in 1994. (Photo By: Dairyland)
Brad Foss, Dairyland senior environmental biologist, said efforts to sustain the monarch butterfly have “ramped up in the last few years, with the plight of pollinators” becoming more known. The rusty patched bumble bee, a Wisconsin native, was listed as “endangered” by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in January 2017.
Dairyland recently planted two pollinator plots of 1.5 to 2.5 acres and identified a 3-acre site in Minnesota. Plans include interpretive walking trails and information kiosks about the benefits of pollinators and the plant species.
The co-op is also working with the Mississippi Valley Conservancy on an 8-acre bluff within a conservation easement to remove invasive species and return the land to native plants, including pollinator species.
“We want to develop high-profile sites, such as those located by subdivisions, for pollinator signage to educate the public on what we are doing and why we’re doing it,” said Foss.
Dairyland G&T is developing large pollinator plots at all 18 of its solar farms to host monarch butterflies, bees and other pollinators. (Photo By: Dairyland)
NRECA is also getting involved, partnering with the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois-Chicago to develop a voluntary conservation agreement to aid the monarch butterfly population along utility and transportation rights of way. The partnership involves 24 organizations with pollinator projects across 1.8 million acres in 45 states.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has recognized such conservation agreements as regulatory mechanisms to encourage non-federal landowners and managers to adopt practices that help pollinators. As a representative for the gas and electric sector, NRECA will provide comments on draft documents and key elements that should be incorporated into the agreement, including what types of utility activities should be covered.
Co-op volunteers cultivate a pollinator garden with native plants attractive to butterflies at a city park near AECC headquarters. (Photo By: AECC)
Fill in the blank: Pollinators are responsible for one in every __ bites of food.
That’s one of many weekly pollinator trivia questions that Casey Shepard, an environmental engineer at Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp., posed to co-op staff leading up to National Pollinator Week.
The answer? Three.
“Aside from fruits and vegetables, there are nuts, jellies, salsas, coffee, chocolate,” said Shepard, ticking off the food products that require pollination by bees and butterflies to come to fruition.
“Pollinators are not only critically important to our food chain but also to our economy,” she added. “Pollinator products are responsible for $20 billion worth of revenue in the U.S. each year. They are pretty significant. But their populations are declining globally.”
Electric co-ops across the country have been developing better ways to protect the bees and butterflies—known as “pollinator programs.” These include pollinator gardens and projects on their campuses, along rights of way and intermingled with their solar energy farms. With the potential for the monarch butterfly to be listed as threatened or endangered next year, co-ops are stepping up their efforts to conserve pollinators.
Winners of AECC pollinator trivia quizzes received a peat pot, packets of Arkansas native wildflower seed blend and a packet of milkweed seeds from Save Our Monarchs. (Photo By: AECC)
Shepard, president of AECC’s new 14-member Cooperative Green Team, is helping spread the message through educational projects.
Co-op volunteers are cultivating a pollinator garden at a city park near the G&T in Little Rock. Small areas in rights-of-ways are being explored for other possible gardens.
Winners of the trivia questions received small peat pots and packets of Arkansas native wildflower seeds, including cone flowers and black-eyed Susans. A bee “condo” is on display in the headquarters’ lobby with free seed packets of milkweed—the sole food source for the caterpillars that turn into monarch butterflies.
“Cooperatives recognize how important these pollinators are and, with as many as 40 percent at risk of extinction, we are ramping up efforts to ensure their continued protection,” said Shepard.
State legislatures are addressing easements as more co-ops pursue broadband fiber solutions for members. (USDA Photo by Preston Keres)
The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives is lauding recently passed state legislation that addresses existing utility rights of way and easements to deliver broadband internet access to co-op members at the end of the line.
“This is a crucial step in bringing high-speed internet service to rural people across the state who desperately need it,” said Caleb Jones, AMEC vice president. “It took a true grass-roots effort to make this happen. Getting this legislation passed this quickly is a testament to the hard work of our legislative staff and the entire Missouri Co-ops grass-roots team who descended on the Capitol several times to encourage their elected officials to support it.”
Easement considerations have received increased attention as electric co-ops consider running fiber optic cable, leasing their unused fiber, or allowing other providers to attach fiber or 5G wireless equipment to their poles to provide broadband service.
NRECA encourages co-ops to carefully review their state laws and easements whenever adding anything beyond electric poles and wires or using existing facilities for non-electric purposes.
Jones noted that getting the bill passed was extremely difficult because of the complexity of easement issues. “We had to overcome a lengthy and heated Senate committee hearing, two Senate filibusters and had to engage in some very stressful negotiations on amendments in order to keep moving forward.”
In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam signed a law in March clarifying that an electric co-op can use existing infrastructure for delivery of high-speed internet access. The law stated that “any easement owned, held, or otherwise used by the cooperative in pursuit of a primary purpose may be used for any secondary purpose.”
“Ensuring co-op electric easements can be used for broadband services was a huge win for Tennessee co-ops,” said Mike Knotts, vice president of government affairs at the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association.
“Not only does it reduce the risk of lawsuits, it helps co-ops deploy broadband in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. That means more people get connected to modern high-speed internet and they get connected sooner,” said Knotts.
In April 2017, Haslam also signed into law the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act, which allowed electric co-ops in the state to provide, through a subsidiary, broadband and other similar services within their service territory.
“In so many places across rural America, quality broadband service is the No. 1 challenge facing our communities,” said Knotts. “Electric co-ops are uniquely positioned to help solve this problem.”
Wi-Fi signals relayed through 5G antenna systems mounted atop utility poles could dramatically improve signal strength and data transfer capacity. (Photo By: Denny Gainer/NRECA)
5G is coming.
The much-anticipated next generation of wireless communication, expected to be launched as early as later this year, promises to deliver on a host of futuristic technologies, including self-driving cars, real-time virtual reality, and smart cities and towns.
“With the proliferation of mobile technology and the growing popularity of data-intensive services like video streaming, 5G represents the next generation of communications,” said Michael Leitman, an NRECA strategic analyst.
It’s a promising development, but one that has brought some consternation to electric cooperatives and other utilities, whose distribution poles will likely bear part of the burden of the expanded infrastructure.
“Any foreign attachment that departs from the design and construction of the original overhead line may introduce significant engineering, safety, and reliability issues which must be considered,” said Robert Harris, senior principal engineer for NRECA’s Business and Technology Strategies department.
“Co-ops and other utility providers are concerned about the added weight on the poles, and how that will affect their stability and integrity during wind and ice storms, or prolonged rain events,” said Harris.
The technology is expected to take root at first in densely populated areas, before extending into nearby suburbs. It could be several years before it arrives in rural communities distant from major metropolitan areas, and it will not likely ever be extended to isolated locations.
5G will be able to deliver extremely fast speeds, low latency (responsiveness), and high capacity in part because it will rely on a dense network of small, connected antennae. A single 5G antenna weighs only a few grams, but some parts of the system are designed for so-called block-matrix mounting, where hundreds of the devices are housed in arrays.
“The 5G attachment that will be placed in the communications space on a pole is being sold as pizza-box-sized equipment,” said Tammy Embrey, an NRECA senior legislative adviser. “The reality is that when you factor in the total amount of equipment that will be added, this could add 300 to 400 pounds of weight to a pole.”
Additional equipment includes control units, auxiliary backup batteries and other support equipment housed in metal or composite refrigerator-sized boxes.
“This equipment is fundamentally different than any other type of attachment we’ve ever put on our poles,” said Embrey. “There’s more weight, wind and ice loading involved, there are reliability and worker safety issues, and most designs include a communications conduit running the length of the pole.”
Servicing that communications equipment is also a major concern, said NRECA’s Harris. “Some of that equipment could be near or above energized lines, so training, safety and potential service reliability issues need to be considered.”
Keeping Connections Local
Control units, back-up batteries and other support equipment connected to 5G antenna arrays is installed beneath power lines, and could restrict climbing access. (Photo By: Denny Gainer/NRECA)
The race to 5G could have a major impact on pole attachment oversight and cooperatives’ local control, as the wireless industry pushes for streamlined and uniform pole attachment procedures and lower rates nationally. That could lead to increased federal regulation of right-of-way relationships electric cooperatives have spent decades developing with private landowners and state and local jurisdictions.
NRECA and its member cooperatives are supporting a resolution opposing regulatory authority over pole attachments by the Federal Communications Commission.
“Congress long ago recognized the consumer-focused nature and democratic local control inherent in the cooperative business model and exempted electric cooperatives from federal pole attachment regulation,” said Embrey.
Over the last few years, 19 states have enacted legislation to streamline pole attachment policies and reduce rates for small cell and 5G deployment.
“Legislators in all of those states have had the foresight to make sure these rules do not apply to electric cooperatives,” said Brian O’Hara, NRECA’s senior director of regulatory issues, adding that several states have excluded electric utilities more broadly from new pole attachment regulations, citing their critical infrastructure status.
“In some cases, the addition of foreign attachments may necessitate installation of taller or stronger poles, relocation of poles, or additional poles, increasing costs to the electric cooperative members,” said O’Hara.
“Each cooperative is unique and faces specific challenges and costs. Pole attachment rates should reflect the actual cost of providing attachment service.”
According to NRECA, receiving full compensation for pole attachment costs cannot be guaranteed with a uniform regulatory policy. Artificially low rates could burden co-op members with undue costs, effectively subsidizing large, for-profit telecommunications companies.
NRECA has joined several entities representing utility, telecommunication and communications technology interests in calling for cross-industry compromises on spectrum issues related to 5G technology and its deployment. A letter outlining their position was submitted to the FCC on May 9. It includes measures that will help ensure options of some local involvement in how the technology is deployed and administered.
NRECA CEO Jim Matheson addresses the closing general session at the Safety Leadership Summit in Atlanta. (Photo By: Alexis Matsui)
ATLANTA—Northfork Electric Cooperative’s Heath Martin survived a 7,200-volt shock, and he’s the first to admit the accident was his fault.
Martin and his co-worker, Chad Crompton, had worked all night but were then called to a routine outage near the Sayre, Oklahoma-based co-op.
On Martin’s mind was an upcoming fishing trip with his buddies. “I was in a hurry, but it was no reason to take a shortcut,” said Martin, who suffered severe burns to his hands and face resulting in skin grafts, multiple surgeries and physical therapy.
Remarkably, Martin retooled his career at the co-op and as its safety director talks about his experiences. “Grounding that line down would have taken me maybe five minutes at the most and…I just made a bad decision that day.”
That fateful day was nearly two decades ago. Today, the number of serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs) among co-op lineworkers remains stubbornly high even though the overall injury rate has fallen. A nationwide survey of 51,000 co-op employees conducted annually between 2006 and 2015 found an average of more than 23 SIFs each year.
Contact with energized lines and equipment caused more than 40 percent of the incidents.
Serious injuries and fatalities for co-op lineworkers
In the past decade, the overall injury rate has fallen among co-op lineworkers, but high rates of serious injuries and fatalities persist, a national survey found.
The factors that increase the likelihood of SIFs vary, but creating a strong culture of safety helps mitigate the risk at all levels of an organization, NRECA CEO Jim Matheson told safety professionals April 27.
“If you have a strong organizational culture, it creates better teamwork, improves communications and reduces injury rates,” said Matheson.
“Those electric cooperatives that are top performers in this area keep a close eye on cultural aspects of their organization. They measure it and never lose sight of it,” said Matheson. “They intentionally onboard new employees into that culture with a sharp focus on safety. They’re always looking for potential gaps in that culture and, above all, are always looking for ways to strengthen that culture.”
Typically, the worst accidents happen during routine jobs where risk awareness declines and complacency is most likely to occur, said Bud Branham, NRECA director of safety programs.
Combined with people’s natural instinct to favor the “fast brain” even during situations that require analytic thinking and reasoning, the factors can lead to deadly consequences.
“Research shows that you can have the best injury rates in the world, but you can still fall victim to a catastrophic incident. We must all remain focused,” said Branham, adding that persistent SIFs are an industry-wide problem.
Commitment to Zero Contacts suggests that co-ops avoid a “bad cop” mentality and instead focus on a systemwide approach that helps them:
Clarify and define life-saving rules.
Verify use of life-saving rules.
Create effective job planning on all jobs.
Form a structured safety management process.
Seek employee involvement.
“When you change attitudes, there will be a lot of naysayers. It’s a tough job. But this is doable,” said Phil Irwin, president and CEO of Federated. “We have the tools and the training.”
Already, co-ops are pledging to work safer and smarter. At least 30 percent of Federated members have downloaded the smartphone app, S.A.F.E. (Stop and Focus Everyday).
The three-day Safety Summit also featured 20 “safety improvement talks” from co-ops with innovative safety ideas and stories. Among them:
Clarifying organizational roles and responsibilities for safety at the Merom Generating Plant operated by Hoosier Energy in Bloomington, Indiana.
Southern Pine Electric CEO Jason Siegfried makes an impassioned plea to fellow co-op leaders to take safety issues to heart. (Photo By: Luis Gomez Photos)
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Four years later, it still haunts Jason Siegfried.
“I’ll never forget the look on Jeremy’s face when his wife and I walked into that burn unit,” said Siegfried. They were there that December 2013 day to see Jeremy White, a lineman at Southern Pine Electric, who came into contact with a power line while on a service call.
“He was lying there, missing part of his left arm and both legs below the knee. He couldn’t talk for all the machines hooked up. But his expression, as he shrugged his shoulders and looked at his wife, said clearly, ‘I’m sorry.’”
White died Jan. 11, 2014. He was 36 and left behind a wife, daughter and son.
It might not be a typical thing to hear about at the NRECA Annual Meeting, but Siegfried made clear it needs to be.
“I believe there is not a single topic to be discussed during this annual meeting that’s more important than the safety of the men and women at our co-ops,” he said to applause from the packed room at the Feb 26 opening session.
As CEO of Taylorsville, Mississippi-based Southern Pine Electric, Siegfried called on fellow co-op leaders to “band together to annihilate complacency, and place accountability front and center.” He said it’s the only way to accomplish NRECA’s goal of zero contacts.
A moving video, “A Lineman’s Call—The Story of Jeremy White,” was played at the general session. It’s told by his widow, Liz, and the colleagues he left behind.
“I want you to know that creating that video was hard. As many times as I’ve watched it, it never gets any easier,” said Siegfried, who often wonders why White was in such a hurry that he overlooked several safety rules.
“I’ll admit I was angry. It never should have happened,” said Siegfried.
“But at some point I realized that instead of asking why Jeremy did the things he did, I need to focus on what can I change.”
To that end, Siegfried urged meeting participants to think long and hard about what they need to do when they return home.
At Southern Pine Electric, “We demanded that each person, no matter rank or tenure, take complete ownership in holding themselves and others accountable,” said Siegfried. “No more shortcuts. No more covering for anyone regardless of how small or minor the violation may seem.”
He acknowledged it isn’t easy. But neither is going to a burn unit—or a funeral.
“I’ve looked some people in the eye and said some pretty harsh words about what safety violations will mean moving forward. And here today I’d like to look you in the eye and say this is where a movement can begin to lead this industry.”
This video is the property of Southern Pine Electric Cooperative and may be used for safety training only. Its use for any other purpose is strictly prohibited.
NRECA’s Safety Leadership Summit takes place April 25-27 in Atlanta. Details are available on cooperative.com.
A sign on the side of an electric co-op truck informs motorists of the state’s “Move Over” law. (Photo by Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives)
In his decades of experience as a lead electric cooperative lineman, Cal Wolterman has had more than his share of close calls with motorists zipping by work sites on highways.
Take the time Wolterman, his crew and their bucket truck from Estherville-based Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative were sandwiched between two speeding vehicles on a two-lane highway in northern Iowa. They had blocked off a lane when a tractor-trailer and another vehicle approached from opposite directions.
“Instead of one vehicle waiting to use the other lane, they both used the other lane and the shoulder to go around our truck, barely missing the outrigger on the truck,” said Wolterman, who escaped without injury. “We’ll have signs and cones up, and we’ll have a guy out there with a ‘slow’ sign, and they’ll still fly by us at 60 miles per hour.”
Signs and orange cones have failed. But Iowa electric utilities are hoping penalties under the state’s new “Move Over or Slow Down” law will do the job.
The law, which took effect July 1, expands a 2002 law that covered emergency vehicles by imposing fines and penalties for failure to change lanes or reduce speed when passing utility vehicles.
“I sure hope people abide by it, move over and slow down,” said Wolterman. “It’s kind of crazy out there.”
Electric utilities launched a campaign to promote the law and are taking extra steps to make sure it sinks fully into people’s consciences. A news conference featuring Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds kicked off the effort, along with catchy signs promoting the campaign on the sides of utility vehicles.
Organizers want to get at “why a driver wouldn’t instinctively move over or slow down when approaching a stationary utility vehicle with flashing lights,” said Erin Campbell, director of communications at the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives in Des Moines.
“We want to proactively change drivers’ behavior to prevent close calls or incidents from happening in the first place,” said Campbell.
Drivers can go to the Move Over website for information and sign an online pledge that shows “they are consciously making a decision to alter their behavior by agreeing to move over or slow down,” said Campbell.
And for behind-the-wheel multi-taskers, organizers use a humorous touch with ads that utilities can customize on various outlets. “Bad time to search for those missing Skittles” reads one ad. “Bad time to text Chris about Friday night” reads another.
While all states have “move over” laws, about a dozen specifically protect utility service vehicles. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens recently signed a measure to add utility vehicles to a list of other emergency vehicles for which motorists must pull over. It takes effect Aug. 28.
Co-ops without protections for utility service vehicles aren’t waiting for their legislatures to act. They are helping each other.
Line crews at Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative in Sussex, New Jersey, have affixed ALEC-designed bumper stickers on trucks. And Claverack REC in Wysox, Pennsylvania, designed an on-screen ad for local movie theaters with a no texting and driving message and is considering creating its own video.
Line crews hope the focus on driver conduct helps because the problem is getting worse.
In the ALEC video, an apprentice lineman from Beauregard Electric Cooperative in DeRidder, describes a scene that’s increasingly familiar to line crews.
“We’re set up on [the] side of [the] road, we’ve got our cones out, our lights are flashing, maybe we have a lane of traffic blocked, and yet we have a distracted driver either texting or flying right by us. We have to worry about them and still continue to do our job,” said the co-op’s John Hobbs.
The House of Representatives has passed co-op-backed bills on the nuclear energy production credit and rights-of-way management. (Photo By: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A pair of electric cooperative priorities have passed the U.S. House of Representatives and are headed to the Senate.
For the second time in less than two years, the House approved a measure that would make it easier for co-ops to maintain rights of way on federal lands. The Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act, H.R. 1873, cleared the chamber June 21 on a bipartisan 300-118 vote.
On June 20, the House passed legislation to provide more equitable treatment of nonprofits, such as co-ops, that own nuclear power projects. H.R. 1551, sponsored by Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., also eliminate the 2020 construction deadline for new nuclear power plants to be eligible for tax credits established under a 2005 law.
NRECA CEO Jim Matheson praised the House votes and said they represent important steps in helping co-ops to continue to provide affordable and reliable power to their members. He noted that both the nuclear tax credit legislation and vegetation management bill were spotlighted at this year’s NRECA Legislative Conference.
“Passage of this legislation demonstrates that co-op leaders from across the country make a difference when they come to Washington to meet with their elected officials,” he said. “We’re pleased that the House has approved these bills and look forward to advancing them in the Senate.”
The rights-of-way bill seeks to correct problems co-ops have had securing permits to control vegetative overgrowth and trees that can topple onto power lines, causing fires and outages.
Utilities could receive preapproval from federal agencies to remove trees that could affect transmission and distribution line rights of way instead of waiting for authorization. It shifts liability to federal agencies if they deny permission to manage vegetation and a fire ensues.
The bill includes a floor amendment supported by NRECA to ensure Interior Department staff involved in rights-of-way management issues are trained on how unmanned technologies can help identify and reduce wildfire risks.
The tax legislation would enable four reactors currently under construction to benefit from production tax credits beyond the current timetable. It also could help the development of small modular reactors, a technology option that interests some co-ops.
NRECA and other trade groups wrote House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on June 19, the day before the vote, urging favorable action on nuclear power as “a strategic national imperative.”
NRECA: Co-ops Acting to Protect Lesser Prairie Chicken
PublishedJanuary 30, 2017
Author
Media Relations
ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) today filed comments with the Fish and Wildlife Service arguing against listing the Lesser Prairie Chicken under the Endangered Species Act. In its filing, NRECA pointed to scientific data showing that the Lesser Prairie Chicken population is stable, thanks in part to the extensive voluntary conservation measures already underway by public and private stakeholders.
“The range-wide conservation plan approved by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 2014 along with other measures, are working,” said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson. “America’s electric cooperatives have continued to engage with state wildlife agencies and additional co-ops are enrolling in conservation plans to help the species. As the huge swath of available habitat – more than ten million acres in five states – continues to grow, the best available data show the Lesser Prairie Chicken population has stabilized.”
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million people in 47 states.
NESARC Questions FWS Statutory Authority in Testimony on Proposed Changes to Mitigation Policy
PublishedSeptember 21, 2016
Author
mlynch
In offering testimony today to members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works’ Fisheries, Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, National Endangered Species Act Reform Coalition (NESARC) Chairman Ryan Yates outlined the Coalition’s concerns with proposed changes to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Mitigation Policy.
Reiterating many of the points included in NESARC’s written comments to FWS earlier this year, Yates highlighted NESARC’s concern that the agency lacks the statutory authority for implementing the Mitigation Policy. According to Yates, “[t]he proposed revisions to the Mitigation Policy, and the Administration’s other recent policies addressing mitigation, test the boundaries of agency authority and likely exceed the scope of the applicable statutory framework without offering clear and transparent guidance to the regulated community.”
Yates also took issue with the imposition of a “net conservation gain” standard in the status of affected resources. “[T]he Mitigation Policy fails to provide the basis and authority for imposing a net conservation gain requirement and needs additional clarification on how the implementation of such a requirement would occur in practice,” he said. “Federal agencies cannot, by fiat, attempt to impose a net conservation gain as an absolute mitigation requirement, absent a clear grant of such authority from Congress.”
In his testimony, Yates contended that the Mitigation Policy’s landscape-scale approach is overly expansive and fails to consider the role of states and local jurisdictions in species conservation. Specifically, he testified that “FWS cannot incorporate landscape-scale mitigation into permitting decisions or authorizations without explicit statutory authority that requires such a broad ecological approach. Further, FWS’s definition of landscape and its reliance on a landscape-scale approach are not conducive to consistent application and would undermine the role of States and other local jurisdictions in the management of species and habitat.”
Finally, Yates called for flexibility and innovation to encourage conservation. “Assuming that FWS demonstrates the requisite statutory authority, to be successful, the Mitigation Policy must provide incentives and reduce the barriers for landowner participation. FWS must recognize voluntary conservation planning efforts that are associated with a particular species, habitat, or activity and allow such efforts to be applied as mitigation under the Mitigation Policy,” said Yates.
Earlier this month, the agency published a draft Endangered Species Act Compensatory Mitigation Policy (CMP). According to Yates, “the CMP contains many of the same issues and deficiencies that are inherent in the general Mitigation Policy.” NESARC is still reviewing the proposed CMP in order to submit comments and is awaiting FWS’s response to its request for an extension of the comment period.
NESARC is the country’s oldest broad-based, national coalition dedicated solely to achieving improvements to the ESA and its implementation. The Coalition includes agricultural interests, cities and counties, commercial real estate developers, conservationists, electric utilities, energy producers, farmers, forest product companies, home builders, landowners, oil and gas companies, ranchers, water and irrigation districts, and other businesses and individuals throughout the United States.
NESARC Condemns Continued use of Litigation to Drive Listing of Species
Calls upon Lawmakers to Amend the ESA to Promote Improved Species Conservation
PublishedAugust 25, 2016
Author
NRECA
The National Endangered Species Act Reform Coalition (NESARC) expressed frustration with the most recent announcement that the environmental community intends to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in an effort to drive the listing of hundreds of additional species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This week’s “notice of intent” to sue the Federal government calls for listing decisions on 417 species for which petitions have been filed with FWS, which, if pursued, would be one of the largest ESA lawsuits in the statute’s 43 year existence.
“Environmental groups continue to use the courts to drive listings under the ESA to serve a narrow and radical agenda,” said NESARC Chairman Ryan Yates. “By continuing to employ ‘sue and settle’ practices, these organizations are forcing the Federal government to expend limited resources that otherwise could be directed toward the recovery of listed species and the pre-listing conservation of candidate species and species-at-risk,” said Yates.
This week’s announcement is reminiscent of the “mega-listing” litigation that was filed in 2010 to force listing decisions on 251 candidate species, as well as hundreds of other species determinations and designations of critical habitat. The outcome was an unprecedented settlement agreement in 2011 between FWS and several environmental groups, which set the stage for a 20% increase in listed species in the five years following agreement on the settlement.
“The Coalition fundamentally disagrees with the use of litigation to drive FWS species listing decisions. Litigation should be a last line of defense and not the first course of action,” said Yates.
NESARC contends that the uptick in litigation signals more significant flaws with the law itself that must be addressed by Congress. Specifically, the ESA requires that FWS — or the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for most marine species — make a finding within 90 days of receiving a petition as to whether or not there is “substantial information” indicating that the petitioned listing may be warranted. If this preliminary finding is positive, a 12-month status review is conducted. FWS must make a further finding that the listing either is or is not warranted within one year of receipt of the petition.
NESARC has long argued that these statutory deadlines are far too short, especially given the significant increase in petitions received by FWS and NMFS over the last decade. Missed deadlines account for the much of the litigation that ultimately drains limited resources that should be used for promoting species conservation and recovery.
“This latest action once again highlights the long overdue need for Congressional action to improve the ESA. Statutory and regulatory flaws need to be addressed through legislative reform to prevent unnecessary litigation and ensure that species recovery is primary objective of the ESA,” Yates said.
NESARC is the country’s oldest broad-based, national coalition dedicated solely to achieving improvements to the ESA and its implementation. The Coalition includes agricultural interests, cities and counties, commercial real estate developers, conservationists, electric utilities, energy producers, farmers, forest product companies, home builders, landowners, oil and gas companies, ranchers, water and irrigation districts, and other businesses and individuals throughout the United States.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA) implements four treaties that provide for international protection of migratory birds. Read about it’s impact on co-ops, NRECA’s position and the status of the issue.