Wisconsin Climate Change Summit

More than two hundred local government, private industry, environmental and other leaders from over 70 Wisconsin communities gathered on Friday, Dec. 12 at the Wisconsin Climate Change Summit in Stevens Point to create a framework for regional and local responses to global climate change and energy independence, and to sign a Climate Change Regional Action Resolution. The summit, a part of Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton’s Green Economy Agenda, was convened by Lawton, co-hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and co-sponsored by MEUW.

Summit participants heard from environmental policy expert, former California EPA director and author Terry Tamminen. He said we have the choice today between sustainable living or becoming a footnote to human history: “We must shape our future before it shapes us.”

Summit planning committee member Manitowoc Mayor Kevin Crawford said, “The most important element of the summit is the call to action – issued by Lt. Governor Lawton — to make the sustainability movement sustainable in each of our Wisconsin communities. Certainly the make-up of the summit has elevated the concerns regarding climate change and a community’s ability to achieve positive, incremental change.”

Climate change discussions and subsequent legislation are anticipated to be hot topics in Congress as well as the Wisconsin Legislature in 2009.

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Session A (Communication, Time and Project Management) on Feb. 11, 2009
Kick Off for 2009-2010 MEUW Management Certification Program

The 2009-2010 MEUW Management Certification Program will kick off with “Session A” (Communication, Time and Project Management) in Marshfield on Wednesday, February 11, 2009. Your utility should have received a program brochure in late December (if you would like additional copies of the brochure, just let us know, or download a copy from www.meuw.org).

We are offering this six-part series for the third time. Since 2004, over 250 MEUW member employees registered for one or more of the sessions, and 43 were recognized with official certificates at an MEUW Annual Conference for attending all six sessions.

Over the course of this past summer, the MEUW Management Certification Program Committee (Carrie Fisher, Chair, River Falls; Dale Bender, Richland Center; Lisa Christensen, Oconto Falls; Bob Trussoni, Marshfield; and, Pat Weber, Eagle River) reviewed the curriculum for the six sessions and all of the past session evaluations. They made some revisions to the curriculum which better aligns the topics covered in each session.

This management training series is specifically tailored for municipal utility personnel. The curriculum is designed for both existing managers and future management prospects. Here’s a sampling of the positive comments that we received from MEUW member employees on the evaluations from prior sessions:
      “Training was great. Very informative. Lively conversation and
          participation”;
     “Really enjoyed the speaker and how fast the time went by.  Had
          to think of how I do things and what I need to change to help
          with office situations!”;
      “Learned positive techniques to solve situations. Learned that
          most places/businesses have the same personnel/customer
          challenges as I do”;
     “Getting much more out of this management program than the
          UW-Madison series. Will be attending all future sessions”;
     “This is the best class that I have ever attended. The speakers
          were great, very interesting and understandable”;
     “Have thoroughly enjoyed the three seminars this year, have
         come away with new and useful knowledge”; and
     “Presenters connected the topics very well – the day had a nice
          flow, and the reference material was very good – will be very
          helpful. Good interaction exercises.”

Each session will take place at the Holiday Inn in Marshfield, Wisconsin, will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the fee is $250 per person per session. We have locked in dates and lined up instructors for the first three sessions:
     Session A (Communication, Time and Project
        Management), Wed., Feb. 11, 2009: The instructor for this
        session will be Darla Leick, a Continuing Education instructor at
        UW-Marshfield and UW-Stevens Point. Leick has an MA in
        Communication, and was recognized by UW-Stevens Point for
        “Teaching Excellence” in 2007. Registration materials for this
        session will be sent out in late December.

     Session B (Effective Skills for Leadership and Team
        Building), Thur., March 12, 2009: Jeffrey Russell, Russell
        Consulting, will lead this session again. Jeff has a Masters Degree
        in Industrial Relations and is an adjunct faculty member at
        UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay where he
        has presented similar sessions for over the past 15 years.
        Registration materials for this session will be sent out in early
        February. Please note that Session B will take place on the day
        after the MEUW Collections Seminar, which is scheduled to
        take place on Wed., March 11 at the Marshfield Holiday Inn.

     Session C (Utility Planning and Risk Management), Wed.,
        April 22, 2009: Back by popular demand, Dave Krause, P.E.,
        Krause Power Engineering, and Linda Pophal, will lead this
        session. Dave has decades of experience in the electric industry
        and has extensive experience working with a number of MEUW
        member utilities. We will send out registration materials for this
        session in mid-March.

Please consider taking advantage of this municipal electric utility series of management training sessions.

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A Wisconsin State Journal Editorial
Give Wind Farms a Fair Chance

Wisconsin cannot afford to let the statewide interest in developing wind farms be frustrated by communities that adopt a "not in my backyard" attitude.

That's why the state should develop reasonable wind farm siting standards to guide and limit local government regulation of wind farms and to provide an avenue of appeal for developers.

The goal should be to prohibit the "not in my backyard" disease known as NIMBYism while preserving local authority to restrict or reject wind farms when warranted.

Recent proposals to erect wind turbines on and near the Great Lakes demonstrate that it's in the public interest to take advantage of wind power. Wind power is expected to meet 90 percent of Wisconsin's goal to more than double the renewable energy contribution to electric needs over the next six years.

When developers propose wind farms of more than 100 megawatts in size they face a rigorous review from the state Public Service Commission, which protects both the public interest in regulation and the interest in wind power.

However, small wind farm developers fall outside the PSC's jurisdiction and are left to local regulation. Too often, they are blocked by unreasonable restrictions.

Local governments are frequently cowed into imposing impossible-to-meet requirements, or even moratoriums, after opponents raise alarming concerns, commonly based on misinformation.

Trempealeau County, for example, in 2007 adopted a wind power ordinance requiring turbines to be set back at least a mile from any neighboring residence, school, hospital or business. The ordinance effectively banned turbines.

The Legislature should step in. The Sensible Wind Siting Bill, which failed to pass earlier this year, offered a sound solution.

The bill -- proposed by Sen. Jeff Plale, D-South Milwaukee, and Rep. Phil Montgomery, R-Green Bay -- required the PSC to issue model rules specifying what restrictions local governments can impose on wind farms. Furthermore, the bill granted developers a right to appeal a local decision to the PSC.

The adoption of similar legislation should be a top priority for lawmakers in 2009.

Wisconsin should not let NIMBYism harm the public interest in a clean, renewable source of electricity.

This editorial was first published in the December 12, 2008, edition of the Wisconsin State Journal and is reprinted by permission.

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February 5-6, 2009 in Madison
10-Hour OSHA Course Designed Exclusively for Electric Utilities

MEUW is hosting a 10-hour OSHA Course designed exclusively for electric utilities. The 10-hour course will be held February 5-6, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the east side of Madison.

This 10-hour OSHA Course is the only OSHA-certified course in the country that is specifically designed (by instructor Pam Tompkins of SET Solutions) to cover safety regulations that apply to electric utilities. The Course will also include an overview of the revised National Electric Safety Code and proposed OSHA standards. Although Wisconsin’s municipal electric utilities do not fall under the jurisdiction of OSHA, they are regulated by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, who in turn adopt rules that duplicate current OSHA laws.
This course will be beneficial for Managers, Superintendents, Foremen, or Lead Linemen – those who are responsible for the safety of employees. In addition, for those who supply equipment or tools, this course will help you to understand the rules which dictate required safe work practices, and relevant tool and equipment requirements.

The Course will be held February 5-6, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Madison. The cost will be $250 per person. The registration deadline is Fri., January 30. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Crowne Plaza for Feb. 4-5, 2009; call 608/244-4703 no later than Fri., January 23, and ask for the “Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin” block to receive the special rate of $70 for a single or double room.

Your utility received registration materials in mid-December. If you need another copy, contact MEUW Receptionist Shari Baumann (608/837-2263 or sbaumann@meuw.org) or visit www.meuw.org/events.htm.

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February 16-19, 2009 in Green Bay
13th Annual MEUW Watthour Meter Workshop

MEUW is again teaming up with Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) to provide meter technicians an outstanding meter workshop. The MEUW Watthour Meter Workshop features hands-on training. Attendees will work in pairs and perform a meter installation with assistance from WPS’s experienced staff of meter technicians. Other topics include metering basics, meter programming, metering safety, AMR metering, voltage investigations, recognizing properties involved in drug manufacture, FR clothing, and energy theft.

Attendees can choose two break-out sessions from the following topics: meter output pulses and calculations, testing of meters, meter installation verification and vectors, high bill investigations, stray voltage, radio & TV interference, power quality, and a second opportunity to complete a hands-on three-phase meter installation. There will be an optional Introduction to Metering session on the afternoon of Mon., February 16. This three-hour session will give beginners a chance to learn the basics that will be applied throughout the workshop. Attendance at this optional session could make a substantial difference in what beginners take away from the workshop. The cost for the optional Introduction to Metering session will be $50 in addition to the $395 workshop fee.

There is a hotel room block at the Best Western Midway Hotel, a short drive from the WPS Service Center. Rooms are $67 for single occupancy and $10 for each additional adult. To make reservations, call the Best Western Midway Hotel at 920/499-3161 by Fri., Jan. 16, 2009; when making reservations reference the“MEUW” room block.

Attendees must bring their own metering tools to include at least: wire strippers, wire cutters, screwdrivers, nutdrivers or socket set, and a knife. In addition, attendees must bring their personal protective equipment including: hard hat, safety glasses, and work gloves.

Your utility received registration materials in late December. If you need another copy, contact MEUW Receptionist Shari Baumann (608/837-2263 or sbaumann@meuw.org) or visit www.meuw.org/events.htm.  The registration deadline is Mon., Feb. 9, 2009.

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Lisa Haen Promoted to Fill New Safety & Health Manager Position

This past September the MEUW Board of Directors authorized a new MEUW staff position, that being the MEUW Safety & Health Manager, a position that will oversee and manage the entire MEUW Safety Program (i.e., the Job Safety & Training Program and the Regulatory Compliance/Regional Safety Group Program).

Based on the Board’s direction, we posted for this new management position in October and November. In total we received 26 applications: 18 from Wisconsin (one of whom was an internal candidate), two from Illinois, two from Minnesota, and one each from California, Missouri, Texas and Washington. The MEUW Executive Committee, joined by Tom Bushman (Two Rivers), Chair, MEUW Safety & Education Committee, interviewed the top five candidates in early December, and offered the position to the top candidate, MEUW Eastern Regional Safety Group Coordinator Lisa Haen!

Most of you know Lisa Haen, since she has been on the MEUW staff since January 2004. She was the first MEUW Regional Safety Group Coordinator hired when we launched that program in 2004, and has been an enthusiastic member of the MEUW Safety Team ever since. She has managed and implemented a broad range of municipal safety programs for MEUW communities Kaukauna, Menasha, Plymouth, Shawano, Sturgeon Bay and Two Rivers over the last five years. Prior to joining MEUW, Lisa worked as a Human Resource/Safety Manager for Marinette County and a DePere based utility construction company.

Lisa will start her duties as the new MEUW Safety & Health Manager as soon as we are able to hire a new Eastern Regional Safety Group Coordinator, which we hope will be in the first quarter of 2009. Lisa’s new duties will focus on managing and leading the MEUW Safety Team. Lisa and her husband Tom plan to relocate to the Sun Prairie area in mid-2009.

Congratulations, Lisa, on your appointment as the new MEUW Safety & Health Manager!

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USDA Program Focuses on Rural Energy Conservation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development will, in the near future, publish a notice inviting applications for the Rural Energy for America Program. This program, authorized through the 2008 Farm Bill, is an expansion of Section 9006 of the 2002 Farm Bill which established the Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements loan and grant program. Eligible applicants include agricultural producers and small rural businesses, but residential purposes are not eligible.

Since implementation of the program in 2003, Wisconsin Rural Development has awarded over $17 million of grant and guaranteed loan funding to assist more than 60 agricultural producers and/or small businesses with energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The energy efficiency projects have included replacing on-farm grain dryers, high-efficiency lighting systems, green house thermal curtains, and energy-efficient manufacturing equipment. Examples of renewable energy systems include solar, wind, anaerobic digesters, wood boilers and biodiesel facilities.

Program funds can assist projects that improve energy efficiencies of existing agricultural, commercial, or industrial buildings; replacing equipment, such as pumps, motors, and processing equipment; or replacing systems such as heating, cooling, lighting, heat exchange systems, etc. Recipients may also apply for renewable energy projects to install wind turbines, solar panels or solar systems, wood boilers, other types of biomass systems and other systems to produce renewable energy or renewable fuels. Grants may fund up to 25 percent of the project costs and loans finance up to 75 percent of the total cost. Projects combining loan and grant financing cannot exceed 75 percent of the total project costs. Projects must be located in an eligible rural area, which are areas other than cities with greater than 50,000 population.

Don’t wait to apply! Call the USDA Rural Development State Office at 715-345-7610 for more information and to get started on your application. Additional information on Rural Development programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA’s web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/wi.

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