MEUW - Live Lines, July 2001

The 2001-2003 State Budget Bill is vastly different from when Governor Scott McCallum introduced it last February. Everyone has had a say on the $43 billion spending bill. A conference committee will hammer out the differences between the Assembly and the Senate versions before passing it on to the Governor sometime in July. The issues we have been supporting, the "Power the Future - 2" generation legislation and a gross receipts tax reduction on the resale of electricity, remain in the bill. Also in the budget bill is a directive for the PSC to initiate a rulemaking proceeding on distributed generation regulations.

Assembly Bill 113, which prohibits residency requirements, is still alive, although it may be later this summer or fall before it sees Assembly floor debate.

The DNR Board is considering enacting mercury emissions reduction standards by rulemaking process.

Large wholesale customers (like MEUW members) could feel the effect if power plant owners are required by the DNR to spend millions of dollars on mercury emissions reduction programs. No legislation has been offered on this issue, however, that may change depending on how the DNR Board deals with the issue.

The Assembly Speaker's Telecommunications Task Force met for the first time in late May. An MEUW representative was not appointed to the Task Force, even though 18 MEUW members have been granted CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier) status by the PSC. The Task Force is dominated for the most part by the incumbent telecom providers. The Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association (WSTA) continues to work on draft legislation which would prohibit municipalities from providing telecom and internet services.

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APPA Washington Report

BJ and AJ
by Robert Varela, Editor, APPA'S Public Power Weekly

~~With Republicans controlling both the House and Senate, President Bush is poised to push through his energy policy~~.

You wouldn't think a one-vote margin would make that much difference, but Sen. James Jeffords dramatically changed the balance of political power in Washington when he left the Republican party.

Jeffords' decision to become an independent and caucus with the Democrats changed the Senate lineup from 50-50 (with Vice President Cheney voting in the event of ties) to 50-49-1. That's not much of a cushion when you consider that members frequently switch sides on particular votes and especially when you consider that its takes 60 votes to cut off a filibuster.

But the key to the significance of Jeffords' move is the change in leadership, both at the full Senate level and of committees. As majority leader, Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., controls the agenda for the full Senate. He has the final say on what legislation gets to the Senate floor and when. Given Daschle's opposition to stand-alone repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company Act, don''t expect a floor vote on the issue anytime soon.

Committee chairmen have relatively more power. One longtime Capitol Hill observer compared the difference between a committee chairman and the ranking minority member to the difference between a general and a major.

A committee chairman's control over the panel's agenda extends to hearings and markups. The chairman chooses the topics for hearings and the lion's share of the witnesses. So, instead of a hearing on drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge that features industry experts, a panel of Native Americans in favor of development and one environmental group, you may get a hearing on high energy prices that highlights a panel of ordinary citizens and small businesses and how the high prices are hurting them, conservation experts, and one industry witness who opposes price controls.

If the chairman decides to schedule a markup of a piece of legislation, the starting point for the markup typically is called, literally, "the chairman's mark." BJ (Before Jeffords), the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee was expected to mark up a comprehensive energy policy bill this summer, with the vehicle being then-Chairman Frank Murkowski's comprehensive bill (amended as needed to reflect the Bush administration's proposals). AJ (After Jeffords), the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee under new Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., probably won't try to mark up a comprehensive bill. If it does, the vehicle will be Bingaman's version.

On the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, previous Chairman Bob Smith, R-N.H., was working on a multi-pollutant bill that would require power generators to reduce emissions of three pollutants-mercury, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. Jeffords, who is in line to replace Smith as chairman, earlier this year introduced the Clean Power Act of 2001 (S. 556). The bill would require power plants to dramatically cut aggregate emissions of four pollutants by 2007. Under the bill, NOx emissions would be cut by 75% from 1997 levels, SO2 emissions by 75% from full implementation of the acid rain program, and mercury emissions by 90% from 1999 levels, while CO2 emissions would be cut to 1990 levels. The bill also would require older "grandfathered" plants to meet standards for new sources.

For the Bush administration, the bottom line is that Sen. Jeffords' switch made a tough job-gaining enactment of a comprehensive energy policy bill-significantly tougher. For Democrats, blocking the administration energy plan-or at least significant portions of it-got a whole lot easier.

With a one vote margin-or one-half vote since Jeffords is an independent-getting any controversial legislation passed will be a feat.

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Light Pollution - It's 1% Of Total Sales
by David S. Liebl - University of Wisconsin Extension

Have you seen a picture of the United States at night from space? The inset at right shows the lights from Wisconsin cities as they shine upward into the night sky. Beautiful? Perhaps, but research done at UW-Madison and elsewhere suggests that 1% of total elec-trical sales in Wisconsin is wasted lighting the night sky.

Light pollution is a new phrase for an old concept: waste. In Wisconsin, municipal, com-mercial and residential exterior lighting that is poorly designed and installed, wastes 650,000 Mwh of electricity each year. Use the rates you pay for electricity to figure the cost.

Does that seem like a lot of money to light the night sky? We thought so too, so we made estimates using two different methods. First we used data from satellite measurements to estimate the amount of light loss per person per year. Our second estimate was based on electrical consumption for municipal street lighting in Dane County. The results were comparable: about 1 percent of total electrical sales as waste from exterior lighting.

Where is all this wasted light coming from? Have you noticed that car dealerships, service stations and convenience stores are becoming brighter; dusk-to-dawn security lights have become commonplace; and municipal lighting has spread as communities grow? Then you do have an idea about the source of light pollution.

But increased use of exterior lighting isn't the only source of the problem. Poorly designed exterior light fixtures can waste 30 percent of their light output through glare and over-lighting that directs light where it is not needed or uses much more light than is necessary to do the job. What can be done to reduce this waste of energy? Eliminating glare and over-lighting is key to reducing light pollution while saving energy. Sensible exterior lighting puts light only where, and uses only as much light as, needed. For example: a full-cutoff streetlight can adequately illuminate the roadway while saving 1/3 the electricity, as compared to an unshielded light. Similar savings are possible from well designed residential and commercial lighting: as lighting effectiveness goes up, energy needs go down.

To find out more about how your utility can help improve the quality of exterior lighting while promoting energy efficiency, contact David S. Liebl at the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center (608/262-0385; liebl@epd.engr.wisc.edu).

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John Andler, Joe Laux and Roy Thilly Recognized

Wisconsin Well Represented at APPA Conference

Thirteen MEUW communities and Wisconsin Public Power Inc. (WPPI) were represented at the recent APPA National Conference in Washington, DC (June 18-20). Conference highlights included:

John Andler, Columbus Water & Light Superintendent, received the Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award. For more than 13 years, he has directed, coordinated and administered the operations of Columbus Water & Light. Through his deep involvement with staff in the office and crews in the field, John Andler exemplifies the dedication and commitment of public power leaders.

Menasha Mayor Joe Laux received the Spence Vanderlinden Public Official Award. In his capacity as both Mayor of Menasha and a Menasha Utilities Commissioner, Joe Laux is a strong and eager political advocate for public power. He proudly proclaims the importance of municipal utilities and his APPA membership when he lobbies members of the Wisconsin Congressional Delegation on APPA's behalf. He has been particularly active and effective in educating Wisconsin public officials about the importance of tax-exempt financing and local control.

WPPI President and CEO Roy Thilly received the Alex Radin Distin-guished Service Award. Throughout his career, Roy Thilly has worked tirelessly to protect the interests of public power utilities. Thilly is the Immediate Past President of APPA, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Electric Reliability Council (NERC) was instrumental in its recent reorganization. He is also a member of the Mid-Continent Area Power Pool Executive Committee, and chair of the Transmission Access Policy Study Group (TAPS). He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Customers First! Coalition. He was also instrumental in consolidation of the transmission systems in eastern Wisconsin into the American Transmission Company (ATC), and serves on ATC's board of directors.

E. Clarke Arnold, Columbus Water & Light Commission President, was listed on the 2001APPA Honor Roll for his significant local contributions to public power.

Cedarburg Light & Water Utility and Shawano Municipal Utilities were recognized with 2001 Century Awards.

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Papers Available from 2001 APPA National Conference

Copies of the following papers from the 2001 APPA National Conference are available to MEUW member utilities. To request a copy, just call MEUW Office Manager Linda Olson at 608/837-2263, e-mail your request to lolson@meuw.org or make a copy of this page, write your name somewhere in the margin, circle the papers you want, and FAX it to 608/837?0206.

�    Broadband Wireless Delivery Systems, Neil Shaw, Uptown Services, Colorado.
�    Changing Governance at Colorado Springs Utilities, Mayor Mary Lou Makepeace, Colorado Springs, CO.
�    Competitive Human Resource Practices: Retaining Key Employees in Today's Market, Ron Holcomb, Virchow Krause, Madison, WI.
�    Creating Powerful Hometown Partnerships, Bert Cunningham, Long Island Power Authority, NY.
�    Credit Analysis Fundamentals Remain in the "What Next" Electric Industry Transition, Dan Aschenbach, Moody's Investors Service.
�    Distributed Resources: The Illinois Municipal Electric Agency's Key to Enhanced Reliability, Increased Customer Retention and Lower Costs, IMEA General Manager Ron Earl, Springfield, IL.
�    Distributed Resources: Options for Public Power, Jerry Mendl, MSB Energy Associates, Middleton, WI.
�    EPA's New Source Review Enforcement Initiative, Andrea Field, Hunton & Williams.
�    How a Joint Action Approach Can Enhance Your Utility's Public Communications Program, Bill Radio, Missouri River Energy Services.
�    Industry Restructuring, John Hanger, Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, Harrisburg, PA.
�    Landfill Gas Utilization: Status and Opportunities, Dina Kruger, US EPA.
�    Power Supply: Decision Making in Risky Times, James Pope, Silicon Valley Power.
�    Power Supply: Decision Making in Risky Times, John Twitty, City Utilities of Springfield, MO.
�    Protecting Your Brand: Maximizing "Intellectual Property" Assets, Attorney Eli Eilbott, Duncan, Weinberg, Genzer & Pembroke, Washington, DC.
�    Public Power Rating Guidelines, Fitch.
�    Public Power's Role in Providing Reliable, Affordable, and Environmentally Sound Energy for America's Future, Mayor Kevin Crawford, Manitowoc, WI..
�    Retaining & Recruiting Employees in Today's Mar-ket, Larry Weis, TID Water & Power, Turlock, CA.
�    Staying on Course: The Public Power Compass, APPA President and CEO Alan Richardson.
�    Telecommunications Delivery Systems: Separating Facts from Fiction, Tom Johns, World Wide Packets, Washington.
�    The Energy Business Moves to the Internet, President and General Manager Jim Welsh, Kissimmee Utility Authority, FL.
�    Using Energy Policy to Safeguard the Environment: The Role of Public Power, Robert Kappelmann, JEA, Jacksonville, FL.
�    Who Said Public Power Was No Longer Relevant, Michael Kurtz, Chair, APPA Board of Directors, Gainsville, FL.

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