TAKE THE BITE OUT OF YOUR BILL · K. David Hagen S t a ˜ Edwin Ausman Director of Purchasing and Warehousing Lisa Hall Manager of Financial and Office Services Douglas Pfaff Manager

4230 Hatwai RoadLewiston, ID 83501(888) 743-1501 toll free(208) 743-1501 localwww.clearwaterpower.comE-mail: [email protected]

Propane: (888) 798-5280 toll freePropane: (208) 798-5220 local

Board of Directors:Richard E. Butler, Culdesac, Idaho President

Alan Lansing, Lenore, Idaho Vice-President

Kenneth Weiss, Asotin, Washington Secretary-Treasurer

M.M. Harris, Saint Maries, Idaho Assistant Secretary-Treasurer

Pamela Anderson, Potlatch, IdahoRobert Callison, Kendrick, IdahoThomas Hutchinson, Craigmont, Idaho

General ManagerK. David Hagen

Sta� Edwin Ausman Director of Purchasing and WarehousingLisa Hall Manager of Financial and Office ServicesDouglas Pfaff

Manager of EngineeringRobert Pierce

Manager of Member ServicesScott Seegmiller

Manager of Information SystemsCynthia Tarola Director of AccountingLisa Tuell

Director of Member ServicesStanley Vannoy

Manager of Operations

Business Hours:Monday - Thursday7:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.Closed Friday

ID-1

EASY WAYS TO SAVE

1-888-743-1501 • CLEARWATERPOWER.COM

TIP #45 UNUSED APPLIANCES

TVs, stereos, coffee makers, garage-door openers, cell-phone chargers and other items can use energy

when plugged in even if the device is turned off!Use power strips that can be switched off or simply

unplug unused items.

Learn more at:EnergyStar.gov -or- wikipedia.org/wiki/Standby_power

TAKE THE BITE OUT OF YOUR BILL

Unused items may be biting into your budget.

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Board of DirectorsPresident Lori Anderson, Condon Vice President John Qualls, HeppnerSecretary/Treasurer Roy Carlson, Fossil

Gary Wilde, OlexRaymond Harrison, Condon Todd Lindsay, Heppner Mark Wunderlich, HeppnerDeacon Heideman, Ione

ManagerJerry Healy, Heppner

171 Linden WayP.O. Box 398

Heppner, OR 97836 (541) 676-9146

http://[email protected]

Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative’s main objective is to provide reliable electric service to its members at the lowest cost consistent with good business practice.

OR-2

32 F E B R uA R y 2013

Water and electricity don’t go together. To avoid becoming a victim of electrocution, follow these safety tips:

• When your hands are wet or you are standing near water or wet areas, do not touch a light switch or use electrical equipment.

• Water conducts electricity, so if you hear a storm warning and are swimming outdoors, get out of the water as quickly as possible.

• Never set a radio, telephone or any other electrical appliance on the edge of a tub or sink. If you want music in the bathroom, get a battery-operated radio meant for use near water.

• Appliances used near water—such as a hair dryer—should be unplugged when not in use. If a plugged-in appliance falls into the water, don’t reach in to pull it out, even if it is turned off. Unplug it first. After retrieving it, don’t use it until it has been checked by a qualified repairman.

Water and Electricity Don’t Mix Avoid this potentially deadly combination.

Board of DirectorsMilt Skov, PresidentHoward Gonser, Vice PresidentBarbara Nagle, SecretaryDan Williams, TreasurerClay Smith, Director

ManagerDwight D. Langer

Board MeetingsUsually the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the PUD offices, 2345 River Rd. The public is always welcome.

Our MissionTo provide reliable, competitively-priced energy and related services that benefit our customers, in the tradition of public power.

Our Core Values and BeliefsLocal citizens championed and fought to create our People’s Utility District. They believed—and we believe—in the public’s right to own and control its electric utility.

Today, our values are a legacy from our public power heritage, as well as guideposts for a changing future.

We believe in: Public ownership and local control. Integrity. Keeping power rates as low as possible.

Providing quality essential services. Quality customer service. Community involvement.

2345 River RoadThe Dalles, OR 97058(541) 296-2226 FAX 298-3320www.nwasco.com Dear Customers—Our Friends and Our Neighbors,

The year 2012 is in the books, so to speak, and it’s full-speed-ahead for 2013! At the intersection of closing one year and the start of a new year, we often find ourselves contemplating the year just past and the changes we might see in the next.

I was reading a report the other day that opened with the theme, “Planning for the long term while coping with uncer-tainty.” I was struck by how true that phrase is for Northern Wasco PUD in today’s electric energy environment.

Northern Wasco PUD plans long term while being ever cog-nizant of opportunities that may present themselves along the way. Because baseload supply projects require years to plan,

construct and bring online, we must start making decisions today to ensure adequate, reliable and affordable energy supplies exist a decade from now.

Will more conservation-conscious attitudes, energy-efficient appliances, LED light-ing and other technological advances lead to reduced energy demand in the future? Will electric cars and the proliferation of consumer electronic devices increase demand? Will local, state, national and worldwide economic conditions accelerate or diminish demand? Even more difficult to predict are how consumer behavior, politi-cal and regulatory changes, and economic conditions will impact power supply and demand in the future.

At the PUD, we take all of these factors into account when making our decisions to ensure our customers energy security and affordability. We believe the best days for Northern Wasco PUD and our community are ahead of us!

Until next time, have a great day.

Dwight LangerGeneral Manager

OR-3

Manager’s Report

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Board of Trustees President Ralph RiseDistrict 2, Elmer City

Vice President Albert PreugschatDistrict 8, Bridgeport

Secretary/Treasurer Monte JosephDistrict 5, Nespelem

Martin OlbrichtDistrict 3, Belvedere

Dorothy PalmerDistrict 4, Nespelem

Patrick Morin Jr.District 6, Nespelem

Gilbert Desautel Jr.District 7, Disautel

Ricard TuplingDistrict 9, Okanogan

Board meetings are the fourth Tuesday of every month.

P.O. Box 31 • 1009 F St.Nespelem, WA 991558 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (M-F)Phone: (509) 634-4571Fax: (509) 634-8138 email: [email protected]: www.nvec.org

For after-hours emergencies, call 634-4571 to page an on-duty employee.

WA-5

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Dear Members,As I reported in the January issue

of Ruralite, the Board of Trustees of Nespelem Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc., approved a rate adjustment to take effect March 1, 2013.

This increase is primarily attributed to a rise in the cost of power purchased from Bonneville Power Administration, our wholesale supplier. BPA’s rates to NVEC have increased 22 percent during the past three years.

Your board has delayed the rate increase as long as possible. Your trust-ees and staff are aware an increase in your monthly electricity bill will not be an easy adjustment, but the increase is now necessary to maintain dependable,

affordable service to all of our members. We will mail new rate schedules with

your February billing statements. The amount your monthly bill will

increase depends on how much electri-city you use and the rate class under which you are billed.

If you have questions after receiving the new rate schedules, please do not hesitate to call the office for clarification. Our staff also can provide information and tips to help you reduce your monthly energy consumption to make the adjust-ment easier.

Sincerely, Laura McClureGeneral Manager

Rates E� ective March 1, 2013Residential Facility Charge ........... $17 (up from $15) kWh Charge ............... $0.065 (up from $0.063)

CommercialkWh Charge ............... $.065 (up from $.063) � rst 15,000 kWh $.050 (up from $.015) more than 15,000 kWh

IrrigationCapacity Charge ......... $9 (up from $4.50) per horsepower per month

Power FactorShould measurements indicate the power factor at the time of recording the maximum demand is less than 95 percent, the demand for billing purposes shall be the demand indicated or recorded by the demand meter multiplied by 95 percent and divided by the percentage power factor.

Large Irrigation Power FactorShould measurements indicate the power factor at the time of recording the maximum demand is less than 95 percent, the demand for billing purposes shall be the demand indicated or recorded by the demand meter multiplied by 95 percent and divided by the percentage power factor.

Manager’s Message

Dear CPI Members:Good news: Last month Bill Drummond

was selected as the new administrator for the Bonneville Power Administration.

Bill has served as BPA’s deputy administra-tor since October 2011 and he brings 30 years of experience in the energy industry. He has been a leader on many regional task forces and committees, including the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Northwest Energy-Efficiency Alliance, Northwest Wind Integration Forum and Northwest Energy-Efficiency Task Force. Nationally, he has served on committees of the American Public Power Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Current BPA Administrator Steve Wright retired this month and Drummond began serving as administrator.

This is a critical position for the Northwest in terms of the impact BPA has on the regional economy, and the need for reliable, clean, low-cost electricity. Bill has industry experience, leadership, knowledge of the mission and stat-utory responsibilities of BPA, and a commit-ment to furthering the interests of Northwest electricity consumers.

We believe Bill will work effectively with public power customers of BPA and other interests to guide the agency through the dynamic and evolving energy future in our region.

We also send our best wishes to Steve in his well-deserved retirement after 12 years at the helm of BPA.

Recent Cold Snap Will A� ect Your BillsIn mid-January, temperatures around our ser-vice area plummeted. According to weather data from the Corvallis area, several days had lows in the 20s and not many with a high of more than 40 degrees.

One can assume that higher elevation areas where we provide service—in the Santiam Canyon east of Salem up to Detroit and Idanha—were even colder.

That means heating bills probably will show an increase no matter what source of energy you use to heat your home.

We welcome your calls to ask about energy use, but keep in mind that heating units work hard to keep temperatures warm. For those who have a heat pump, remember they will call for additional back up, usually when tem-peratures fall below 30 degrees. For some heat pumps, that means a switch to resistance heat-ing elements that can cause bills to rise.

CPI has resources available for you to help rein in energy use no matter the season.

We offer several rebates for energy-effi-ciency projects, including sealing air leaks in your home’s duct system or adding insula-tion. Give us a call or write to us to receive the Energy Savers booklet, which features many tips on saving energy around your home. To order your copy, call us at (541) 929-8520 or write [email protected]. Roman GillenPresident/CEO

OR-6

President’s Report

Mailing addressP.O. Box 1180Philomath, OR 97370

(541) 929-3124(800) 872-9036

Local O� ces6990 West Hills Rd.Philomath, OR 97370

1900 W Oak StreetLebanon, OR 97355

Chairman Russ Sapp

Vice President Thad Springer

Secretary Mary Jane Swink

Assistant Secretary Terry Plagmann

President/CEORoman Gillen

Treasurer/CFOTony Wilson

www.cpi.coop

Space Heater Safety• Keep units at least three feet away

from combustible materials such as bed-ding, drapes, clothes and rugs.

• Space heaters have parts that can spark, so avoid using them in areas where you store flammable liquids, such as kero-sene and gasoline.

• Plug space heaters directly into a wall outlet. If you must use an extension cord, make sure it is the correct type and boasts the right wire gauge for your particular space heater.

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

OR-8

UEC Scholarship Applications Due Soon What is Umatilla Electric Cooperative’s Academic Scholarship Program?

The UEC Scholarship Program is designed to encourage and recognize the academic achievements of the members of UEC and/or their dependent children. This recognition will be in the form of scholarships to assist with their college education.

How can I apply?

To apply online, you must complete the required criteria and the scholarship applica-tion through the Oregon Student Assistance Commission (OSAC). Applications must be completed by Friday, March 1, 2013. The applicant is responsible for submitting all nec-essary information to apply for a scholarship.

How much is the scholarship?

The Umatilla Electric Cooperative Scholarship Program will award a minimum of 10 schol-arships in the amount of $2,000. A total of $20,000 in scholarships will be awarded each year. The scholarships must be used for edu-cational costs, and the student must enter col-lege in the fall of the school year for which the scholarship is given.

Who is eligible to receive the scholarship?

Dependent children of members are eligible. Also eligible are members of Umatilla Electric Cooperative. The applicant must be a student who is enrolled or planning to enroll in a full-time graduate or undergraduate course of study at an accredited, two-year or four-year college or vocational/technical school.

How are the recipients selected?

Awards are based on academic excellence, which includes the following criteria: SAT/ACT scores, grade-point average, work experi-ence, participation in school and community activities and four short essays on your long -range goals and significant challenges or accomplishments. A Umatilla Electric selection committee will screen applications. The deci-sion of the committee is final.

What are the recipient’s obligations?

Except for the requirements outlined above and a requirement to attend the UEC Annual Meeting during the year of scholarship award, no obligations will be imposed upon the stu-dent as a scholarship award winner. Other than payment of the scholarship, no obliga-tions or liability are assumed by Umatilla Electric Cooperative.

Do you offer other academic opportunities?

We also offer a $5,000 electrical engineer-ing scholarship for college students who have completed their sophomore year in college and have selected power systems engineering as their degree path. Students can also apply using the OSAC application.

A $2,000 Line College scholarship applica-tion is available at UmatillaElectric.com and has the same due date.

We are proud to make these scholarships available to the UEC membership in recogni-tion of the recipients’ hard work and achieve-ments. Please contact us at (541) 567-6414 for further information about the scholarship program.

O� cesHermiston O� ce750 W. Elm St.567-6414

Boardman O� ce203 E. Boardman Ave.481-2220

Toll-Free1-800-452-2273

To Report An OutageCall 888-465-5701 any time day or night

DirectorsPresidentBryan Wolfe

Vice PresidentLee Docken

Secretary-TreasurerBob MacPherson

RoseEtta Ansotegui John Otis Glenn RohdeJe� Wenholz

General ManagerSteve Eldrige

MissionUmatilla Electric Cooperative is a member-owned business that sells energy and other services to improve the quality of life in our communities.

umatillaelectric.com

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

105 E. 4th St.The Dalles, OR 97058Office phone: (541) 296-2740Toll-free phone: (800) 341-8580www.wascoelectric.com

Board of DirectorsRon Holmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PresidentMichael Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vice PresidentJim McNamee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SecretaryH . Kelly McGreer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TreasurerGary Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DirectorRobert Durham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DirectorRobert “Bob” Hammel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DirectorNeal Harth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DirectorDeOra Patton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director

StaffJeff Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .General ManagerMarie Wilson . . . . Executive Admin . AssistantShannon Bessette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AccountantJim Bailey . . . . . . . . . . . . Engineering AssistantJim Green . . . . . . . . . .Engineering TechnicianTraci Brock . . . Marketing & Member ServicesLaura Correia . . . . . . . Customer Service Rep .Jennifer Lindsey . . . . Customer Service Rep .Casey McCleary . . . . . . . Operations ManagerAl Rose . . . . . . . . . . . The Dalles Line ForemanMichael North . . . . . . . . . The Dalles LinemanRobert Gridley . . . . . . . . . The Dalles LinemanWesley Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ServicemanBrewster Whitmire . . . . . . . . . . . .Field TechnicianDan Funkhouser . . . Grass Valley Line ForemanGerald Haeffelin . . . . . Maupin Line ForemanFrank Roeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maupin LinemanRay Kindley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Attorney

Mission Statement“Wasco Electric Cooperative Inc.will provide its members withcompetitively priced, reliable energyand related services.”

Office Hours:Monday - Thursday,7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

OR-9

32 F E B R uA R y 2013

Power of CommunityA Grassroots Program of Oregon Electric Cooperatives

F E B R UA R Y 2013 25

Legislature Returns to SalemThey’re back. The Oregon Legislature returns this month for a session that may have consequences for you as an electric co-op consumer.

Last year, Gov. John Kitzhaber released a Draft Ten-Year Energy Plan, which offers a blueprint for the Oregon Legislature. During the process, Oregon’s electric co-ops urged the governor to recognize the role renewable hydropower plays in Oregon’s clean energy economy. We also urged the governor to recognize your co-op efforts to promote conserva-tion and energy-efficiency programs. Now, it’s the Oregon Legislature’s turn to review the governor’s energy plan and determine what action is necessary.

Like all Oregonians, we are optimis-tic about a productive session steeped in bipartisanship. Some legislation may be necessary. We do not think it is necessary,

however, to pass legislation that amounts to costly mandates on electric co-ops. These mandates will do nothing to keep your electricity affordable and reliable.

As the session progresses, we will pro-vide a status report on important legisla-tion to electric co-ops. And we may need your help to remind lawmakers we are closely following their actions.

The Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association also wants to recognize Sen. Arnie Roblan (D-Coos Bay) as its “Cooperator of the Year.” Roblan was given the award for his “accessibility and common-sense energy policy.” ORECA looks forward to working with all the leg-islators in the upcoming session.

Provided by the Oregon Rural Electric Coopera-tive Association for its Power of Community members. To learn more or sign up, go to www.oreca.org/power-of-community.

Above, Arnie Roblan, a Democratic senator from Coos Bay, accepts the 2012 Cooperator of the Year award from Roger Meader, general manager/CEO of Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative, during the ORECA annual meeting in December. Below, legislators address energy issues during a panel discussion. From left, Rep. Val Hoyle, Sen. Arnie Roblan, Rep. John Huffman and Sen. Alan Olsen.

Legislature Returns to Salem

They’re back. The Oregon Legislature returns this month for a session that may have consequences for you as an electric co-op consumer.

Last year, Gov. John Kitzhaber released a Draft Ten-Year Energy Plan, which offers a blueprint for the Oregon Legislature. During the process, Oregon’s electric co-ops urged the governor to recognize the role renewable hydropower plays in Oregon’s clean energy economy.

We also urged the governor to recognize your co-op efforts to promote conserva-tion and energy-efficiency programs. Now, it’s the Oregon Legislature’s turn to review the governor’s energy plan and determine what action is necessary.

Like all Oregonians, we are optimis-tic about a productive session steeped in bipartisanship. Some legislation may be necessary. We do not think it is necessary, however, to pass legislation that amounts to costly mandates on electric co-ops. These mandates will do nothing to keep your electricity affordable and reliable.

As the session progresses, we will pro-vide a status report on important legisla-tion to electric co-ops. And we may need your help to remind lawmakers we are closely following their actions.

The Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association also wants to recognize Sen. Arnie Roblan (D-Coos Bay) as its “Cooperator of the Year.” Roblan was given the award for his “accessibility and common-sense energy policy.” ORECA looks forward to working with all the legislators in the upcoming session. n

Provided by the Oregon Rural Electric Coopera-tive Association for its Power of Community members. To learn more or sign up, go to www.oreca.org/power-of-community.

Arnie Roblan, a Democratic senator from Coos Bay, accepts the 2012 Cooperator of the Year award from Roger Meader, general manager/CEO of Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative, during the ORECA annual meeting in December.

Dear Member,

Every two years, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) adjusts the pricesof wholesale electricity (power and transmission) it supplies to Douglas ElectricCooperative and 145 other electric utilities in the Northwest. BPA has proposed anaverage increase of 9.6% in the wholesale power rates, and a 13% increase in trans-mission rates. But don’t add these percentages together. BPA’s total power bill to us consists of about 90% cost of power and 10% cost of transmission, so a 13% increase on just the transmission part isn’t quite as scary as it sounds. Also, this doesn’t mean that your Cooperative will increase your retail rates by these percentages, since about half of the rate you currently pay represents the cost of power from Bonneville.

� ere are many reasons for the increases, but the main cause is falling natural gasprices. How does the cost of a fossil fuel a� ect the wholesale price of emission-free,renewable, hydropower we buy from BPA? To explain, whenever Bonneville calcu-lates what it must charge to recover its costs, it includes the ability to sell surpluselectricity to utilities beyond its 146 primary customers. (Typically for prices higherthan what we pay.) � ose surplus customers of BPA include the northwest’s nonpub-lic utilities and many electric utilities in California. � e more surplus sales, thebetter for BPA’s primary customers like Douglas Electric, because those revenueso� set some of BPA’s costs and enable it to lower its wholesale rates, or at least notincrease them as much.

In a nutshell, falling natural gas prices have driven surplus electric prices down,causing a decrease in BPA surplus power revenues, which means less outside revenueavailable to help keep our rates stable.

BPA’s rate proposals will be considered during a public rate-setting process thatis just starting. � e � nal decision is expected this summer. � rough the Paci� cNorthwest Generating Cooperative, we will be an active participant in the rate-set-ting process. Naturally we want the lowest rates possible, but we also don’t want BPA to undercut rates in the short-term if it results in higher than necessary wholesale power and transmission rates in the long run. With our members in mind, our goal is to insure that BPA’s � nal wholesale rates are right where they should be.

Best Regards,

Dave SabalaGeneral Manager

OR-10

OwnedBy ThoseWe ServeDouglas Electric Cooperative Inc.,Roseburg, OregonPhone (541) 673-6616 (800) 233-2733

O� cersPresident. . . . . . . Terry NelsonVice President . . Robert PoageSecretary. . . . . . . Shirley CairnsTreasurer . . . . . . . Dick McHa� eDirector . . . . . . . . Larry ShipleyDirector . . . . . . . . Roy EllisDirector . . . . . . . . Carey Weatherly

ManagerDave Sabala(541) 637-0342

SuperintendentTodd Sherwood(541) 580-7205

O� ce ManagerPaul Leonard

Member ServicesTodd C. Munsey

Douglas FastnetTodd Way

Mission StatementThe mission of Douglas ElectricCooperative, a member-owned and operated cooperative, is to provide a� ordable, reliable electric and other compatible services that enhance the quality of life for its members, using pro-gressive marketing in conjunc-tion with sound � nancial and management principles.

BPA Rate-Setting Cycle Under Way

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

P.O. Box 97Monument, OR 97864

(541) 934-2311Toll free (888) 203-7638

DIRECTORS President Paul WaltonVice President Dave Humphreys Sec./Treasurer Tom Campbell Dan CannonCheryl JenisonLaReta JonesAdam Temple

MANAGERTroy Cox

The board of directors meets the second Monday of each month.

Columbia Power Co-op

POWER OUTAGE NUMBERSCo-op office . . . . . . . . . 934-2311Randy Sweek . . . . . . . . 934-2743Gary Warner . . . . . . . . . 934-2961Troy Cox . . . . . . . . . . . . . 934-2155Brian Woodell . . . . . . . . 934-2260 Josh Hamilton . . . . . . . 934-2133Mike Osborne . . . . . . . . 934-2067Joe Ringering . . . . . . . . 934-2198

OR-11

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013







There is Strength in Our NumbersCentral Electric welcomed 241 new accounts in 2012. This was the highest number in four years, but still far below levels we saw during the first years of this century.

The year’s numbers say two things about Central Oregon. First, they are a sign of an improving economy. Second, the fact that we continue to see growing account numbers—however slight —demonstrates our region appears to have avoided a worst-case scenario.

Such a situation has been experienced by co-ops in some parts of the country as their number of accounts actually decreased. This makes a bad situation worse because operating costs are then shared by fewer members, driving up per-member costs. That is a circumstance we are fortunate to avoid, especially in these times of increasing pressure on rates.

With that in mind, I view the past four years’ average increase of 213 new accounts a year as a positive sign. Although significantly under the annual average of 1,016 new accounts we experienced from the “boom years” of 2000 through 2007, we have expe-rienced growth each year since we were hit by the “Great Recession.” About 70 per-cent of the new accounts in 2012 were residential, which is right in keeping with the overall percentages of the CEC membership. There were 169 individuals or families who saw fit to move to our largely rural area.

It is clear these are not the strongest numbers in Central Electric’s 72-year history. But these positive numbers indicate the underlying strength and stability of our coop-erative and the communities we serve. I believe 2013 will show another upward trend, one that continues to benefit every one of Central Electric’s 25,042 members.

Sincerely,

Dave MarkhamPresident and Chief Executive Officer

OR-12

Central IssuesCentral Electric CooperativeDIRECTORS:

Chairman Ray Clarno, RedmondVice Chairman Tom Strand, TerrebonneSecretary/Treasurer Kip Light, Madras David C. Clemens, SistersBoyd Keeton, TumaloShirley McCullough, Prineville Kelly McFarlane, Powell ButteKenneth H. Miltenberger, Alfalfa Dan Steelhammer, Bend

Attorney Robert E. Maloney Jr.Lane Powell PC, Portland

STAFF:President Dave Markham

Chief Financial Officer Rawleigh White

Operations Manager Bob McConnell

Corporate Information Officer Lisa Cutter

Member Services Director Jeff Beaman

Bend District ManagerKaren Lewis

24-HOURPHONE NUMBERS:

Redmond .............(541) 548-2144Bend ......................(541) 389-1980Madras ..................(541) 475-3266Prineville ..............(541) 447-5321Sisters ....................(541) 549-5698

Board meets the third Thursday of each month at the CEC office, 2098 N. Highway 97, Redmond, OR.

www.cec.coop

Mission StatementThe aim of Central Electric Co-op is to make electric energy available to its members at the lowest cost consistent with sound economy and good management.

President’s Report

32 F E B R uA R y 2013

Exceeding Expectations Every Day“Exceeds expectations.”

My kids always combed their grade-school report cards for EEs, which signified they had attained the coveted “exceeds expectations” rating in aspects of school life that couldn’t be assigned a letter grade. As they grew, EEs turned into (we hoped) As and Bs. Yet I don’t think any of my children lost that desire to exceed expectations.

At Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative Inc., we also strive for EEs—every single day. We don’t want to do what you only expect us to do—provide you with affordable, safe, and reliable electric service. We want to go farther and do better, from providing superior member service to offering programs that help you save time and money.

Perhaps the most visible to you are our lineworkers, who put in the hours needed in our winter storms to restore power when the lights go out. Your cooperative is also out there the rest of the year—trimming and removing trees and making sure the electric system is ready for winter storms.

However, we have many people behind the scenes who also make our cooperative the best it can be. Our engineers continually explore new technologies to improve ser-vice reliability, such as our automated meter reading infrastructure. This infrastructure will pave the way for programs such as meter data management, will help you moni-tor your energy use and save money. We recently launched an outage management system that helps us identify the extent of an outage as soon as we get that first call. It does not take the place of your phone call, but it does allow us to respond more quickly and hopefully restore power more quickly as well.

Our finance department works to make paying bills easier and more convenient through programs like Budget Billing, electronic transfers and credit card payments. Our member services representatives want to make sure you have a positive and satis-fying experience when you call or come into one of our offices for help. The extended office hours we began almost five years ago give members the ability to stop by on their way to or from work Monday through Thursday. Our after-hours call center is available to take payments or manage outages outside our normal business hours. As far as communications, we recently launched a Facebook page and are committed to doing a much better job of informing you of what’s happening at your cooperative, especially when we are experiencing an outage.

And because we are a cooperative, we have a commitment to the communities we serve that goes beyond supplying electricity. Our commitment is to find ways to bring more value to your lives. One program, Co-op Connections, has saved members more than $1 million on prescription drugs alone since early 2009. That is added value.

Whether it’s a power outage or energy audit, a billing question or community event, we’re working hard to achieve those EEs from you every day. Every other year we con-duct telephone surveys to gauge how we are doing. This year, we will also randomly select a handful of members every month to seek input. I hope you will participate when you get the phone call. If you aren’t selected and something is on your mind, please bring it to our attention. This way, we will know if we are meeting your expec-tations, exceeding them, or need to improve in a specific area.Roger Meader, General Manager

OR-13Board of Directors PresidentPeter C. Radabaugh, Bandon

Vice PresidentCheryl McMahan, Southern At-Large

Secretary/ TreasurerJim Kolen, Gold Beach

Edward Dowdy, Northern At-Large John G. Herzog, Brookings/Harbor Dave Kitchen, Brookings/HarborDaryl C. Robison, Port Orford/Langlois

Attorney—Melinda J. Davison

StaffGeneral Manager/CEORoger Meader

Corporate Services/CFOFrank Corrales

Operations ManagerC. Dale Wilson

Manager of System Planning & EngineeringAndrew McBride

Marketing and Member Services ManagerChristine L. Stallard

Local numbersCoquille ........................... (541) 396-3118Port Orford ..................... (541) 332-3931Gold Beach ..................... (541) 247-6638Brookings ....................... (541) 469-2103

Area office hours 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Closed Friday.

After-Hours Outage Number (866) 352-9044

Call Before You Dig811

www.ccec.coop

32 F E B R uA R y 2013 www.ccec.coop

OR-14 652 Rose Ave

P.O. Box 69Vernonia, OR 97064

(503) 429-3021 Toll free (800) 777-1276

www.westoregon.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORSPresident Robert VanNatta (Dist. 2 – Mist, Apiary, Birkenfeld)

Vice President David Hess (Dist. 7 – Manning, Hagg Lake,Yamhill County)

Sec./Treasurer Marty Van Dyken(Dist. 3 – Vernonia, Keasey)

Brian Baker(Dist. 1 – Jewell, Elsie, Hamlet)

Dan Murphy(Dist. 4 – Vernonia)

Bob Paleck(Dist. 5 – Timber, Buxton)

Dixie London (Dist. 6 – Chapman, Scappoose)

GENERAL MANAGERMarc Farmer

Contact the Board: [email protected]

Board meetings are the third Tuesday of each monthat 7 p.m.

West Oregon Electric Co-op

What’s InsidePage 4-5,A Big Thank You to the wives and families of our LinemenPowering Up ~ the order of power restoration after a storm

Page 28 & 29Empowered members: successful grassroots advocacy campaigns

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Help Us Help YouIn our constant effort to reduce costs at West Oregon we look at each and every

aspect of our operations and administrative expense. One of the largest categories of expenses that has a negative effect on both cash flow and whether or not we meet our Tier requirements is outage expenses. The cost of two employees and vehicle costs adds up in a hurry, especially after hours when overtime begins. We need your help to reduce unnecessary trips and reduce costs.

What makes it a waste of our member’s money is when we roll a truck after hours for an outage that is not on our side of the meter, but is instead on the member’s side. The rest of the membership then pays for the costs of these non-outage expenses. For example, a member calls in an outage and we call out two employees and roll out the truck which results in a minimum two hours of overtime and vehicle expenses only for the employees to discover it is due to a breaker off or an electrical issue on the members side of the meter. In an effort to reduce the number of unnecessary and expensive outage calls, WOEC will be instituting a fee for these instances in order to cover the costs from the member responsible for the expense, not the rest of the membership. Starting March 1, 2013, if a member calls in an outage and it is on their side of the meter, they will be assessed a $200 fee.

How can a member know if it is on their side or our side? The simplest way is to go out to the meter and see if the red light is on. If the red light is on in the meter, then the problem is on the member’s side of the meter. The member should then check all of the breakers in their home to make sure one or more haven’t tripped. If all the breakers are operating properly, then the member should call an electrician to track down the problem. When a member calls in to our office or after hours dis-patch, they will be asked to check their meter and breakers before we roll a vehicle to help them avoid any fees and us the expense of an unnecessary trip.

Another way members can assist us to keep their information up to date is to call in, drop by with, or email us an updated phone number. It is especially helpful for us to be able to reach you during outage situations. We notify members who will be affected by a planned outage for repairs by phone calls, which is only successful if we have a current working number. We also make the effort to contact members after repairing damaged lines to check and see if we got everyone back in service. We have had instances where a member still had problems on their individual line but we were not able to contact them due to outdated or incorrect phone numbers. Please let us know if your number has changed, or to just check in and make sure we have the right number for you. We appreciate your help so that we can better serve you.W. Marc Farmer, General Manager

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Dear Member:

Each month, I feel that it is important to share things with you that are timely, applicable and relevant. This month, I’ll reflect upon safety, both past and present.

Make no mistake, safety has always been Lane Electric’s first priority, both public and employee. In 2009 however, your board, staff and employees were prompted to revisit our safety record after which two serious “on the job” injuries occurred. While we were everconcious about safety in the workplace, we discovered that our record didn’t match our perception. That prompted change.

In 2010, Lane Electric recommitted themselves to improving its safety culture, company-wide. As part of our recommitment to safety, we evaluated the way we worked, thought and acted, as we moved through our respective work days, in the office, and in the field.

CAT Safety Services, a professional safety consultant, was retained to assist us in developing a “Quest For Zero” plan, designed to better match our perceptions and safety record through effort, education and awareness.

It has been just over two years and your board and I are proud to report that we not only ended 2012 with no lost time injuries, we’ve gone a “full calendar year” with no lost time injuries, and that’s a huge accomplishment. I’ll explain.

A full calendar year is far different than simply 365 days. To achieve a full calendar year without a lost time injury, you essentially have to work two full years, without incident, to meet the goal, and I’m happy to report to you that as of this report, Lane Electric has worked 654 days without a lost time injury. More importantly, this is the second time we have achieved this milestone since the injuries in 2009.

We are very proud of our employee’s efforts and accomplishments with our renewed focus on safety. We believe that a successful safety culture is not only good for us, it is good for our members as well.

As we look to 2013 we will remain focused on our goal of ZERO accidents. Thank you in advance for all of your support, as we move through this next year.

Down the line

787 Bailey Hill Road / P.O. Box 21410Eugene, Oregon 97402O� ce Phone: (541) 484-1151Website: www.laneelectric.com

BOARD OF DIRECTORSJeri Nelson, PresidentOakridge District

Chris Seubert, Vice-PresidentCentral District

Pat Dymock, SecretaryMcKenzie River District

Chuck Leighter, TreasurerCentral District

Loy Sparks, DirectorCentral District

Jim Hill, DirectorOakridge District

Ed Bangle, DirectorRow River District

MANAGEMENT STAFFTony ToncrayConstruction & Maintenance

Doug StockdaleEngineering Services

Debi WilsonO� ce & Sta� Services

Dave D’AvanzoMember & Regional A� airs

BOARD MEETINGS4th Monday of each month(Unless otherwise noted)Lane Electric's O� ce at 11 a.m.

Rick CrinklawGeneral Manager

MANAGEMENT STAFFTony ToncrayConstruction & Maintenance

Doug StockdaleEngineering Services

Debi WilsonO� ce & Sta� Services

Dave D’AvanzoMember & Regional A� airs

BOARD MEETINGS4th Monday of each month(Unless otherwise noted)Lane Electric's O� ce at 11 a.m.

OR-16

SmartHub: New Ways To Manage Your Account..

Power Of Community...

PowerLines...

Down the Line...

In this issue...Feature: Page #

4,5,8

25

28-29

32

A Touchstone Energy® Cooperative

Dear Members,Most electric utility bills include more than one type of charge. Typically, there is a

facilities charge, an energy charge and, for some larger customers, a demand charge. Some charges are for recovering fixed costs, which don’t vary with electrical use. Others are for recovering variable costs, which vary with electrical use.

One of the least popular and most misunderstood charges on members’ electric bills is the facilities charge. This charge is pretty standard for most utilities and may also be known as a “base,” “basic charge” or “fixed charge.” This charge is intended to recover the costs the utility incurs in serving its customers regardless of how much power is consumed.

Utilities incur many costs unrelated to their customers’ electrical consumption, such as plant maintenance and depreciation, tree trimming, meter reading, postage, taxes, interest expense and others.

If a utility tries to recover all of its costs using only an energy charge, larger con-sumers will subsidize the cost to serve smaller consumers by paying a dispropor-tionate share of the fixed costs. Cost-of-service analyses have determined that all of Blachly-Lane’s facilities charges except industrial do not recover all the fixed costs they should.

Some customers dislike the facilities charge because they have no control over it, yet the utility incurs these costs on behalf of the customer and needs to recover them in a way that is fair to all customers.

When a utility changes its facilities charges, it shifts cost from some customers to other customers. The shift is due to different amounts of energy used and the rela-tive size of the facilities charge to each customer’s total bill. Blachly-Lane’s Board of Directors increased most of the facilities charges for 2013 to more closely reflect the actual fixed cost to serve its members. At the same time, it lowered the energy charge for residential and some other classes of customers, resulting in an overall net decrease for the average residential customer using 1,300 kilowatt-hours a month. The board chose to make this change gradually, to spread out over time the impact on residential members whose use is significantly different from average.

Joe JarvisGeneral Manager

OR-17

Why Facilities Charges Are Necessary

General ManagerJoe Jarvis

Blachly-LaneElectric Cooperative90680 Highway 99Eugene, OR 97402(541)-688-8711(800)-446-8418www.blachlylane.coop

Mission Statement: Blachly-Lane’sprimary objective is to provide safe, cost-e� ective, reliable, and competitive electrical energy and service to its members.

Board of Directors:Ernie Jacksch, Chairman(ph: 927-3466) District 1(Low Pass, Blachly, Deadwood andIndian Creek areas)

Bob Sikes, Secretary/Treasurer(ph: 935-7602) District 2(Fern Ridge and Elmira-rural areas)

Cheryl Haskell, Director(ph: 998-3954) District 3(Junction City-rural and Hwy 99N)

Tom Irwin III, Director(ph: 998-6428) District 4(Hwy 36, Hall Road andNorth Poodle Creek Road)

Cliff Kelley, Vice Chairman(ph: 935-5728) District [email protected](Warthen, Sheffler and Walton areas)

In this issue ...Page 4: Climbing the TreesPage 8: New Power RatesPage 25: James DulleyPage 28: Power Lines

Monthly board meetings on the fourth Monday at 5 p.m. Check the website monthly.

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

BPA Rate-Setting Cycle Under Way February is here and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I hope you take the opportunity on this day to show the special people in your life how much they mean to you. Here is a fun Valentine’s Day quote: “Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart.”

Now for an update on what is going on with the Bonneville Power Administration. Every two years, BPA resets the price of wholesale electricity it supplies to Northern Lights Inc., and 145 other electric utilities in the Northwest. Recently, BPA proposed increasing rates at an average of 9.6 percent during the next two-year rate period beginning October 1, 2013. The announcement is the latest in a prolonged process that ultimately will determine the effect on NLI’s rates.

In January 2012, BPA initiated a discussion with the region about its proposed pro-grams, future costs and its potential rates for fiscal years 2014 and 2015. At the onset of those discussions, BPA forecasted its power rates could increase by 12 to 21 percent for those years. In the following months, BPA conducted a public process that enabled its customers to analyze proposed program spending levels and submit comments. That process—plus identifying opportunities to reduce costs during the two-year rate period—enabled BPA to adjust the percentage downward. However, the final percent-age won’t be determined until late this summer.

I assure you Northern Lights is fully engaged in the BPA rate-setting process that leads to the decisions that ultimately affect your rates. Providing safe and reliable electrical service at affordable rates is at the core of our commitment to you. We con-tinually work to reduce costs that we control directly, and keep those costs outside of our control as fair and reasonable as possible. I will keep you informed about the rate-setting process throughout the year.

—Annie TerraccianoGeneral Manager

ID-19

Manager’s Report

The power of local service

Board of Directors by DistrictDist. No. 1—Eric Anderson, Priest Lake, ID(208) 443-1201Dist. No. 2—Judith Simonson, Noxon, MT(406) 847-2643Dist. No. 3—Steve Elgar, Sandpoint, ID(208) 265-0570Dist. No. 4—David Pemberton, Careywood, ID(208) 661-5911Dist. No. 5—Don Vickaryous, Moyie Springs, ID(208) 267-1601Dist. No. 6—G.E. Butch Hagen, Bonners Ferry, ID(208) 819-3191 Dist. No. 7—Vern Hollett, Priest River, ID(208) 265-5249

www.nli.coopP.O. Box 269Sagle, ID 83860

For Outages: (866) NO-LITES(866) 665-4837 For regular business within the Sandpoint area: (208) 263-5141

Outside Sandpoint:(800) 326-9594

Board President Don Vickaryous

Board Vice PresidentSteve Elgar

Board Secretary/Treasurer Judith Simonson

General Manager Annie Terracciano

32 F E B r uA r y 2013

Idaho County Light & PowerCooperativeP.O. Box 300Grangeville, Idaho 83530Phone: (208) 983-1610Tollfree: (877) 212-0424Fax: (208) 983-1432E-mail: [email protected]: www.iclp.coop

DirectorsPresident Ernie RobinsonWhite Bird

Vice President John SolbergKamiah

Secretary-Treasurer Cliff TackeGreencreek

Frank McIntireKamiah

Gerald FreiGrangeville

Kim DahlerKooskia

Jim PoxleitnerCottonwood

AttorneyGreg FitzMaurice

ManagerJake Eimers

ID-21

Dear Members,Here is an early reminder to all of our members with children in high school who

have interest in going to college or technical school. Your cooperative sponsors the Youth Rally Scholarship competition each year, awarding three $750 scholarships. Each of the scholarship winners also receives an all-expense paid trip to the the Ida-ho Consumer-Owned Utilities Association Youth Rally Leadership Summer Camp.

To be eligible for the scholarship and leadership camp, a student must be at a sophomore or junior class level in an accredited high school or home schooled, and their parents or guardian must be active members/consumers of Idaho County Light & Power Cooperative.

To apply, the student and parent or guardian will need to fill out the application we will publish in the March issue of Ruralite. You also may find the application ma-terials on our website at www.iclp.coop. With the application, candidates must sub-mit a 400-word essay on the subject, “An accomplishment or some adversity I have experienced and how it has impacted my life.” The essays will be judged by a panel of five co-op members. The authors of the top eight scoring essays will be invited to interview with the judging panel. Essay scores combined with interview scores will determine the three scholarship winners.

While the money is always welcome and the competition is good training for later in life, the ICUA Leadership Camp is a great experience for students to gain valu-able lessons and lasting friendships. Did I mention there are additional scholarships available at the Youth Rally? If you are selected the top participant, you may repre-sent Idaho at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Youth Tour in Washington, D.C.

If you have a student who is interested in saving money for college or tech school, don’t miss this opportunity.

Thanks for listening,Jake Eimers, Manager

Youth Rally Scholarships Available

32 FEBRUARY 2013

Columbia REA lineworkers don’t work alone on our power lines. Whether they are climbing 45 foot poles, restoring power, or clearing tree limbs to prevent future outages, they are never far from the hearts of the families who love them.

At this time of year, stores seem flooded with hearts, candy, and cards professing true love. But to be honest those sentiments pale in comparison to the bonds of love I see every time a storm sweeps through our area.

If the lights go out, our lineworkers’ families send their loved ones out into the elements. When other electric coop-eratives are in trouble after devastating hurricanes, torna-

does, fires, and floods, our lineworkers have traveled as far as the coast and Idaho to bring the lights back on for complete strangers. Each time these brave workers leave home to help those in need, their families are left behind, praying for a safe return.

Working with high-voltage electricity, lineworkers find themselves in life and death situations on a regular basis. That’s why Columbia REA focuses on safety first. Columbia REA not only believes in safety first, but we practice what we preach. CREA has invested in dedicated safety professionals to ensure that our linemen have the best and most current training and information concerning all aspects of the industry. In fact several other utilities (co-ops, municipals and PUD’s) have requested that CREA provide safety services for them. We know the folks who love our 15 lineworkers appreciate the time we take to make sure our employees get home safe every night.

Marrying into this profession isn’t easy. Lineworkers are often on call, and must be ready to respond at a moment’s notice if our community needs them. This makes children’s sporting events and family get-togethers hard to pull off sometimes. But the bold workers who keep your power flowing do so because they know without their commitment, many of the things we’ve come to expect—cold food, lights, entertain-ment—wouldn’t be possible. By devoting their lives to working on utility lines, they connect all of us to a better way of life.

This Valentine’s Day I’d like to take a moment to thank the families who support and love the 15 lineworkers who brave the elements and work long hours to keep power flowing to our homes each and every day. Thank you for putting your love on the line—we’re committed to making sure the family member you love return home safe.

Until next time!Les teel, CEO

WA-22

Letter from Les...

Columbia REA115 East Main Street,P.O. Box 46Dayton, WA 99328Phone: (509) 382-2578Fax: (509) 382-2736

2929 East Melrose Street,Walla Walla, WA 99362Phone: (509) 526-4041Fax: (509) 526-3666Toll Free: (800) 642-1231

ColumbiaREA.coop

Board of DirectorsBill Stonecipher, PresidentDennis Munden, Vice PresidentKatie Wooldridge, Sec/TreasurerMarc Armstrong, DirectorDon Meiners, DirectorTim Pettyjohn, DirectorBruce McCaw, DirectorVic Parks, DirectorEric Johnson, Director

Board meetings are normally the fourth Tuesday of each month. The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. and is held in the Dayton office.

Staff

Chief Executive Officer, Les Teel

Executive Assistant/HR, Jennifer Aichele

Manager of Marketing &

Member Services, Scott Peters

Manager of Engineering & Operations, Dave Reller

Manager of Financial Services, Jim Cooper

Manager of Communications & IT, Bob Greene

Manager of Safety and Regulatory Affairs, KC Dors

32 F E B R uA R y 2013 www.columbiarea.coop

16755 Finley Butte RoadP.O. Box 127

La Pine, OR 97739

[email protected]

(541) 536-2126 • (800) 722-7219

DepartmentsCustomer Service . . . . . . . Option 3Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . Option 4Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Option 5Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Option 6

After Hours Outage and Emergencies: (541) 536-2165or (800) 752-5935

OFFICE HOURS Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed holidays.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PresidentDiana Cox, Christmas ValleyVice PresidentAlan Parks, Fort RockSecretary/Treasurer Gordon DeArmond, Crescent Bud Kendall, La PineRobert Reed, La PineVic Russell, Fall RiverRon Sommerfeldt, Gilchrist-CrescentLeland Smith, SunriverKen Wilson, Chemult

Board meets the fourth Mondayof each month at the co-op office.

STAFF General Manager Bill KopaczAssistant General ManagerDave SchneiderOperations/Engineering ManagerDarwin ThurstonMarketing ManagerTeresa LackeyInformation Services AdministratorShaun LamarAttorneyWilliam Sheridan Jr.

Manager’s MessageOR-23

Dear Member:The Oregon Legislature convened briefly in January and

returns this month for a long-haul session that likely will not end until late June. It is a session that may have consequences for you as an electric cooperative member/consumer.

Last year, Gov. John Kitzhaber released a draft 10-Year Energy Plan, which offers a blueprint for the Oregon Legislature. During the process, Midstate Electric provided comments to the plan, noting we should guard against pro-posals that would unnecessarily raise the cost of electricity.

Along with the other Oregon electric cooperatives, we urged the governor to recog-nize the role renewable hydropower plays in Oregon’s clean-energy economy. We also urged the governor to recognize the cooperative’s efforts to promote conservation and energy-efficiency programs. Now, it is the Oregon Legislature’s turn to review the gov-ernor’s energy plan and determine if action is necessary.

Like all Oregonians, we are optimistic about a productive session steeped in bipar-tisanship. Some legislation may be necessary. We do not think it is necessary, however, to pass legislation that amounts to costly mandates on electric cooperatives. These mandates will do nothing to keep your electricity affordable and reliable.

As the session progresses, we will provide a status report on important legislation to electric cooperatives. We may need your help to remind lawmakers we are closely following their actions.

Midstate Electric Prepares for 61st Annual Meeting Preparations are progressing for Midstate Electric’s 61st Annual Meeting of the Members Saturday, May 18 at La Pine Middle School. Registration, health fair and barbecue lunch begin at 10:30 a.m. The business meeting starts at 12:30 p.m.

Districts 3 (Crescent), 4 (Gilchrist) and 6 (La Pine) are up for election in 2013. Candidates to represent those districts may be nominated for director by filing a petition signed by at least 15 members of the cooperative who reside in that district. Petitions for the three positions must be on file by Friday, March 15.

Petitions are available at the cooperative’s office. For additional information, see page 8.

Bill A. Kopacz, General Manager

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

BIG BEND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.

P.O. Box 348Ritzville, WA 99169

Ritzville office 659-1700

Toll free (866) 844-2363

www.bbec.org

DIRECTORS

President Robert ClinesmithVice President Curtis DahlSecretary Daniel HilleTreasurer Ken StoryDaniel BauermeisterJohn HarderLyle HoltJames PersonDennis Swinger Sr.

GENERAL MANAGER/CEODaniel P. Murphy

LEGAL COUNSEL

Kenneth D. Carpenter

® WA-25

•••••

Ritzville, Lind, Washtucna areaafter hours, Saturday, Sunday and holiday emergency calls:

659-0487

All other areas after hours, Saturday, Sunday and holiday emergency calls:

(866) 844-2363

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Dear Members:Big Bend Electric Co-op will hold its 74th annual meeting Saturday, February 23.

Seventy-four years is a long time, and we want to share our success with you, our members.

Have you ever attended an annual meeting? We have talked with people who said they wanted to go in years past, but something happened or they forgot and ended up missing another one. We also visit with members who make the Basin City meeting or the Ritzville meeting every other year. But we also see a few of our most dedicated members every year.

� e Big Bend annual meeting gives people a chance to catch up with their neigh-bors or chat with employees or board members. You can hear our three scholarship recipients read their essays about the importance of dams and hydropower in the Northwest. You also can visit with our young co-op representatives who will travel to Washington, D.C., for the Washington Youth Tour in June.

� ose of you who attended last year’s meeting in Basin City were lucky enough to hear Kay Gabriel from Northwest River Partners talk about the dams on the Snake River. Kay will be back this year with a presentation � lled with valuable information about protecting our Northwest dams.

Just to make it more fun, we will draw door prizes at the end of the meeting just before lunch. Bring your children because we have prizes they may be lucky enough to win.

Members will vote for three board members at the meeting, unless they have already submitted their ballot. We will have displays for our members and a game or two for the kids. It is a great way to spend a Saturday morning in February. We will also treat our membership to a catered lunch to � nish the morning meeting. As you enjoy the lunch, we will present an electrical safety demonstration we hope will bet-ter inform members and their families about being safe when they use electricity at their homes or at work.

We hope to see you in Ritzville at the Lions Legion Building on February 23. You can read more about the annual meeting on pages 4 and 5 of this issue.

—Dan Murphy, General Manager/CEO

You are Invited to Our Annual Meeting

32 f e b r ua r y 2013

P.O. Box 1253521 Davis DriveOdell, OR 97044

(541) 354-1233www.hrec.coop

DirectorsPresident butch GehrigVice President Patrick MooreSecretary bernie Wells Treasurer roger NelsonGary bloomOpal DeboardDoug MahurinJohn McGheeMike udelius

ManagerJohn Gerstenberger

Serving rural Hood River County

since 1945

Hood RiverElectric

Cooperative Or-26

Dear Members,It is time again to pencil in the dates on your calendars for annual membership meetings for Hood River Electric Co-op and the Communications Access Co-op. Your board of direc-tors set these dates at its January meetings.

The CACHE Annual Meeting is Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. HREC conducts its annual meeting the following day, Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. Both meetings will be at the Community Building at the Hood River County Fairgrounds. If you are a member of one or both of these organizations, you will receive a notification/invitation in the mail. I hope you can join your directors and employees for these important events.

Your directors also fulfilled an important requirement of the HREC bylaws at their January meeting. They appointed a committee of members for the nomination of candidates for positions on the board of directors. The terms of three directors expire each year. Members fill the positions by electing —or re-electing—fellow members from the list of candidates identified by the nominating committee, by petition—as specified in the bylaws—or nominated from the floor at the annual meeting. Members must attend the annual meeting to cast their votes.

Safety ReportYear-end statistics reveal that HREC personnel worked 31,496 employee hours in 2012, all without a lost-time injury.

In fact, prior to year-end 2012, the last lost-time injury was May 10, 2002. In that period of more than 10 years, co-op staff worked 319,646 employee hours safely. I never get tired of reporting these impressive statistics.

John Gerstenberger, Manager

Manager’s Message

Board of DirectorsPresident John Ugalde Sec./Treasurer Gary MillerFrank AlbisuJoe CroninGary DefenbaughAlex Dufurrena Zach Sword

General ManagerRandy WhitakerOperations Manager/Line SuperintendentBrent BeverlyElectrical EngineerShane SweetOffice ManagerFred FlippenceAttorneySteve Finlayson

Harney Electric Cooperative

277 Lottery Lane Hines, OR 97738 (541) 573-2061

[email protected]

Orovada, Nevada (775) 272-3336

[email protected]

www.harneyelectric.org

OR-27

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013







P.O. Box 384Challis, ID 83226 Phone: (208) 879-2283 Fax: (208) 879-2596After-hours emergency numbers: Propane: (208) 879-2201 Electric: (208) 879-4900

As I sit down to write this article, the mercury on the ther-mometer sits near zero degrees. � is is about 20 degrees warmer than our low temperatures were the previous four days. Extreme cold events can be problematic for an electrical utility.

Extreme cold causes overhead power lines to become banjo-string tight. � is places additional strain on conductors, poles, guy wires and other electrical hardware. It can lead to power pole and conductor failures that interrupt our ability to deliver electricity to your homes and businesses. In addition, extreme cold periods typically cause increased electrical loads, which can cause transformer, conductor and electrical connector failures and interrupt electricity delivery to you.

We prepare the best we can for the e� ects of cold weather by doing preventative maintenance on our power delivery system. Despite our best e� orts to keep the power � owing to your homes and businesses, occasionally it is interrupted. We know this can be disrupting and even life threatening to you. We believe we do a great job delivering reliable electricity. But reliable electricity can cause complacency in our electric consumers, who believe their electricity will be ever-present or at least miss-ing for just a short time.

Perhaps this is a good time for each of us to consider if we have become com-placent about the availability of our electricity and whether we are prepared for an extended power outage, especially in an extreme cold event. It is good to consider how we rely on electricity in our homes and businesses and how we might function without electricity. A great place to start is to think about everything you use elec-tricity for in your lives. Once you identify those items, you should consider which are vital to your survival and how you can prepare, assuming electricity could be absent for an extended time.

For example, you might make provisions for water, heat, cooking and lighting. Most of us rely on electricity in some form to provide for these vital items. Provi-sions could include stored water, an alternative heat source such as wood or propane, an alternative cooking device such as a wood or propane stove, candles, batteries, electric generator, supply of � rewood, food supply and fuel supply.

Of course our goal at SREC is to continue providing reliable electricity to you and we hope you never have to experience extended power outages. In the words of Stephen King, “� ere’s no harm in hoping for the best as long as you’re prepared for the worst.”

—Ken Dizes, Manager

ID-28

Manager’s Report

Board of DirectorsPresident Bob BorenVice President Jeff BittonSec./Treasurer Norman WallisMichael MillerDoug ParkinsonEric TilmanChuck Wunch

Manager Ken DizesAttorney Dale Storer

Board meets the third Wednesday of each month

Email: [email protected]: www.srec.org

Be Prepared for Extreme Cold

Ken Dizes

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

What is the role of United Electric’s Board of Directors in serv-ing the membership?

Board directors are democratically elected by the member-ship to govern and direct the affairs of the cooperative. The board of directors are fiduciaries—people to whom power is entrusted for the benefit of others. The fundamental fiduciary responsibility of the board of directors at United Electric is to prudently represent the interests of the members as a group in directing and overseeing the business and affairs of the coop-erative within the law.

Whew, that is quite a responsibility. The electric utility industry is an evolving high-tech system that must be designed and engineered to meet regulatory and consumer standards for reliability, quality and safety. In addition, there are myriad, ever-chang-ing, challenging industry issues such as power supply, regulatory requirements and environmental issues.

For directors to govern effectively in these challenging times, it is essential they have a solid understanding of what is happening in the electric industry. Ongoing education helps board directors meet the challenges facing our co-op both today and tomorrow.

To fulfill their duties, the board directors at United Electric commit time to edu-cation. On a regular basis, board directors attend training courses on topics such as board governance, financial decision-making, and strategic planning, to name a few. This education helps to prepare the directors to make wise business decisions in the boardroom.

Albert Einstein said, “Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” At United Electric, we agree with this philosophy.

Jo ElgGeneral Manager

ID-29

In the Boardroom at United Electric

UNITED ELECTRICCO-OP, INC.

UnitedElectricCo-op Inc.Directors President George TonerVice President Dean NielsenSec./Treas. Bruce Beck Gary JonesRonald Osterhout David PhillipsCordell SearleJohn R. West

General ManagerJo Elg

Director of Engineeringand OperationsDick Hagemann

Mailing address:1330 21st St.Heyburn, ID 83336

Phone: (208) 679-2222

Fax: (208) 679-3333

Email: [email protected]

Web address:www.unitedelectric.coop

After Hours: (208) 679-4444

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Jo Elg

Board of DirectorsCarl Crosman, President Will Stark, Vice PresidentDan Stowe, SecretaryLon Rake, TreasurerPaul Kildal, DirectorJim Manning, DirectorJe� Saxe, DirectorFred Williams, Director

P.O. Box 45Glennallen, AK 99588www.cvea.org

Copper Basin District(907) 822-3211(907) 822-5586 (fax)Mile 187 Glenn Hwy.Valdez District(907) 835-4301(907) 835-4328 (fax)359 Fairbanks Dr.

After hours outage line(866) 835-2832

Important Dates

FebruaryDeadline: Scholarship applications must be received by Friday, February 15, 2013, prior to 5 p.m.Deadline: Board of Director petitions must be received by Friday, February 15, 2013, prior to 5 p.m.CVEA O� ces Closed: The CVEA o� ces will be closed, Monday, February 18, 2013, for President’s Day CVEA Board Meeting: The February meeting of the Board of Directors is 2 p.m. Thursday, February 14, 2013, in Glennallen

MarchCVEA Board Meeting: The March meeting of the Board of Directors is 2 p.m. Thursday, March 21, 2013, in ValdezCVEA O� ces Closed: The CVEA o� ces will be closed, Monday, March 25, 2013, for Seward’s Day

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Save the Date!CVEA 2013 Annual Membership MeetingCopper Basin, Tuesday , April 16, 2013 Valdez, Thursday, April 18, 2013

Help WantedCVEA needs you! Serve your community and your electric cooperative by volunteering for a CVEA committee.

Credentials & Election CommitteesCredentials & Election (C&E) Committees are responsible for validating signa-tures on the back of director election ballot envelopes and counting the ballots for Director elections and Bylaw amendments.

The committees, one for each district, are comprised of interested members who are not employees, directors, candidates, or close relatives of these persons.

Service on the C&E Committees takes place during March and April, with most of the work performed the week prior to the annual meeting.

CVEA Community Foundation Scholarship Selection CommitteeCVEACF Scholarship Selection Committees review scholarship application packets, determine which students to interview, conduct the interviews and select who will receive the scholarships being offered this year.

Participation on the committees requires attending three or four meetings, and is estimated to take up to 20 hours.

If you have questions, would like more information, or would like to volunteer for the C&E or Scholarship Committees, please contact Sharon Crisp at 822-5506, 835-7005, or email [email protected].

AK-34

Dear Customers,At the PUD board’s regular meeting in January, re-elected

board members, Harry Hewitt and Doug Olson were sworn in. The board also installed its 2013 officers, as follows: Doug Olson, president; Ed Jenkins, vice president; Ken Phillips, treasurer; Harry Hewitt, secretary; and Barbara Trout, director.

During the 2013 budgeting process, we worked hard to prepare a budget that meets our goals of providing safe, reli-able and affordable electric service to you. In December, the board adopted an operating budget that meets all of our finan-cial obligations for 2013. Short of something unpredictable or extraordinary weather events, I’m pleased to report we have no plans for a rate increase this year.

The year is off to a busy start with the Oregon Legislature convening for a session that likely will not end until late June. It is a session that may have consequences for you as a consumer-owned utility customer. There will be many proposals of interest to us, including net metering, transmission and carbon legislation. Along with those will be Gov. John Kitzhaber’s 10-Year Energy Plan, which was released last summer. Tillamook PUD, along with others, provided comments to the plan, noting we should guard against proposals that would unnecessarily raise the cost of electricity. As the session progresses, we will stay engaged in the process and the important legislation that affects our utility and service to you.

Also this year we will continue our work on the Tillamook-to-Oceanside transmis-sion line project. The project is a proposed 115-kilovolt transmission line and substa-tion that would run about seven miles from the BPA Tillamook Substation to a new substation to be built near Oceanside. This is a major project that includes extensive permitting, public involvement, design and construction. Our goals are to minimize the impacts to affected landowners, listen and respond to concerns from the commu-nity and other stakeholders, and manage the costs associated with this project to keep electricity prices affordable for all customers.

We will also work on ways to keep you better informed about your service from Tillamook PUD. Our website at www.tpud.org is filled with comprehensive informa-tion, from energy-savings tips to ways to pay your electric bill. You can read about our new electronic bill payment platform called SmartHub. Not only can you pay your bill online, you will be able to do so from any mobile device. We also will use Nixle to electronically notify you of major outages. Read more about SmartHub and Nixle on page 28 of this issue and in next month’s Ruralite.

It certainly looks like another busy year. As always, I appreciate and thank you for supporting your Tillamook PUD.

Sincerely,Raymon D. SielerGeneral Manager

OR-35

Board of DirectorsDoug Olson, President Ed Jenkins, Vice PresidentKen Phillips, TreasurerHarry Hewitt, SecretaryBarbara Trout, Director

General Manager Raymon Sieler

Board meetings are in the PUD office at 6 p.m. the first Tuesday after the 11th of the month

Mission StatementTillamook People’s Utility District is dedicated to delivering the best value of electric services, while continuing our commitment to the customers and communities we serve.

CreedWe shall work together to:XX Provide exceptional customer service;

anticipate and strive to exceed our customers’ needs.

XX Provide high-quality and cost-effective services to our customers.

XX Assure a safe electrical system and working environment for our customers and employees.

XX Operate a financially stable business.XX Encourage cooperation and open

communication among the customers, board of directors, management and employees of Tillamook PUD.

XX Support all the communities we serve.XX Be environmentally responsible.

1115 Pacific Ave. • P.O. Box 433Tillamook, OR 97141Phone: (503) 842-2535 Toll free: (800) 422-2535www.tpud.org

Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

For EMERGENCY service afterbusiness hours, call (800) 842-2122

32 F E b R ua R Y 2013

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

A well-maintained vehicle needs only two to four hours of heating to start. By using a timer, setting it to come on two to four hours before you leave in the morning, you could save $50 a month on your elec-tric bill.

Plug-in timers can be purchased locally for about $20; hard-wired timers for about $50. You can receive a vehicle plug-in timer with your Home$ense Energy Audit – installed for you.

Schedule your Home$ense Energy Audit and discover your power to use less.

Sign up at www.gvea.com/audits.

Energy Waster #1: Plugging in all night.

Timers can be purchased locally at Brown’s Electric, Fred Meyer, Home Depot, Lowes and TESCO.

Golden Valley Electric Association

AK-37

“Owned By Those We Serve.”

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bill Nordmark, Chairman (District 7)Tom DeLong, Vice-Chairman (District 2)John Sloan, Secretary (District 6)Rick Schikora, Treasurer (District 3)Ronald Bergh (District 5)Aren Gunderson (District 1)Frank Eagle (District 4)

MAIN OFFICE

758 Illinois StreetPO Box 71249Fairbanks AK 99707-1249

Regular Business Phone(907) 452-1151Fax (907) 458-6365Member Services

DISTRICT OFFICES

Delta Junction1681 Richardson Hwy.PO Box 909Delta Junction AK 99737(907) 895-4500Fax (907) 895-5472

NenanaMile 303.5 Parks Hwy.PO Box 00130Nenana AK 99760(907) 832-5481Fax (907) 458-6387

Toll-Free Number1-800-770-GVEA (4832)

www.gvea.com

The Power to Use Less

Plug-in timers can be purchased locally for about $20; hard-wired timers for about

timer with your Home$ense Energy Audit

Audit and discover your power to use less.

February 1 A Taste of Beef, A Sip of Wine. Susanville Elks Lodge. 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tickets $28 pre-sale at the Chamber offi ce, The Pardner and Every bloomin Thing, or $30 at the door. For more information, call (530) 257-4323.

February 2Ice Fishing Tournament. J & J’s Grizzly Store, Lake Davis, Portola. Check in: 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.; start: 8 a.m.; weigh-in: 3 p.m. $20.For more information, call (530) 832-9659 or visit www.420incfi shing.com.

Groundhog Fever Festival. Quincy Courthouse lawn, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Special showings of “Groundhog Day” at the Quincy Town Hall Theatre, 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Don’t miss this iconic bill Murray comedy with consecutive showings during the Groundhog Fever Festival. $5 admission. For more information, call (530) 283-3402 or visit www.groundhogfeverfest.com.

February 2 & 3, 9 & 10, 16 & 17, 23 & 24 National Park Service Ranger-led Snowshoe Walks. Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, Lassen Volcanic National Park. 1:30 p.m. Walks last one to one and a half hours. $1 donation requested, snowshoes provided. For more information, call (530) 595-4480.

February 7 Words & Music – Quincy. Patti’s Thunder, 7 p.m. a monthly series of acoustic music and the spoken word featuring the Zombie Kitten. Sign up for open mic at the door. $3. For more information, call (530) 283-3402.

February 8 & 9, 22 & 23 Line Dancing. Diamond Mountain Casino, 900 Skyline Dr., Susanville. 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call (530) 252-1100 or visit www.diamondmountaincasino.com.

February 9 & 23Calpine Elks Bingo. Calpine Elks Lodge, 71292 Highway 70, Portola. 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.For more information, call (530) 832-0950, or email [email protected].

February 14 - 18Winter Fest. Family entertainment and party weekend featuring snowmobile breakfast ride, snowshoe races, cross country ski races, Graeagle Plumas alliance Snow Carnival, sleigh rides and more.For more information, visit www.graeagleplumas.com/winterfest.

February 14ACT Comedy Night. Town Hall Theatre, Quincy, 7 p.m. The association of Concerned Theatregoers presents a night of local comedic talent. bring your sweetie for hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer, chocolate and laughs! Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets available at Epilog books for $8 each or $15 per couple. For more information, call (530) 283-3418.

February 15Words & Music – Portola. Williams House Museum, 424 E. Sierra ave., Portola. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; begins at 7 p.m.For more information, call (530) 283-3402, or email [email protected].

February 15 & 17 Susanville Symphony “The Concerto.”Susanville assembly of God Church. 7 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (530) 257-2920 or visit www.susanvillesymphony.com.

February 1617th Annual Rotary Club of Portola Lake Davis Poker Run. Staging area at J & J’s Grizzly Store, West St., Portola. Registration 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., awards at 2 p.m.For more information, call (530) 836-6811.

February 17Historic Longboard Revival Races. Plumas Eureka Ski bowl, Johnsville. 10:30 a.m. For more information, visit www.plumasskiclub.org.

February 19 Acoustic Café. Lassen County arts Council, 807 Cottage St., Susanville. 7 p.m. For more information, call (530) 257-5222.

February 28 Open Studio. Lassen County arts Council, 807 Cottage St., Susanville. 6 p.m. For more information, call (530) 257-5222.

March 2Johnny Redstreake Snow Ball 2013. Nakoma Golf Resort, 348 bear Run Rd., Clio. 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. This event is a fundraising eff ort of the Eastern Plumas Recreation District supporting the revival of the new and improved Johnsville Historic Ski bowl. The event will off er live entertainment, hors d’oeuvres, brews by our own brewing Lair, silent auction, raffl es and more. $35 each.For more information, call (530) 832-9832, or email [email protected].

Plumas-Sierra REC

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Manager’s Message

Continued from page 32

REC and TECHPlumas-Sierra is working with the region’s chambers of commerce, cities, counties, industry, recreation groups and others on the Lost Sierra Rec and Tech campaign focused on bringing new resi-dents who can work from anywhere to our region.

If you telecommute or tele-work, we would like your opinion on what would attract more tele-workers/telecommuters to our area, bolstering our schools, ser-vices and local economy.

You can provide feedback to this effort by emailing the Eastern Plumas Chamber of Commerce at [email protected].

If you have any questions, or would like more information, please call me at (800) 555-2207 ext. 6076, or email me at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Bob MarshallGeneral ManagerBob Marshall

F E b R ua R Y 2013 25

Ca-39

Dear Members:It’s been a very cold winter so far, causing an

increase in use for many of our members dur-ing January’s cold spell.

Here are some simple tips to help control your heating bill for the rest of the winter.

• The most cost-effective way to reduce heat loss is with weatherstripping and caulking. Two-thirds of the heat loss in our region is through air leaks. Be especially careful to weatherstrip and insulate attic hatches, and caulk all roof penetrations. Use weath-erstripping around exterior doors, caulk-ing around window trim, and foam around electrical and plumbing penetrations. For more on air-sealing your home, see pages 4 and 5.

• Heat where you are, while you are there. You can reduce your overall heating costs by turning down the thermostat on your central heating system as low as comfortable (please contact us for proper adjustments if you have a ground source or geoexchange heat pump), and using supplemental space heating to add heat to only the rooms you spend most of your time. For information on space heating, please visit our website at www.psrec.coop.

• Wrap your water heater, especially if it lives in an unheated space. A fiberglass insu-lating blanket can reduce heat loss 25 to 40 percent and save 4 to 9 percent on the average water-heating bill, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Insulating blankets are easy to install and inexpensive. Follow manufactur-

er’s directions for proper installation. Read more at www.houselogic.com.

• Reduce your water heater thermostats. For every 10 degrees you turn it down, you’ll save 3 to 5 percent on your bill. A setting at 120 degrees is adequate. If the thermostat on your water heater doesn’t have a numbered gauge, put it midway between the “low” and “medium” marks. If your tank has two thermostats, set them both at the same tem-perature. Wait a day, and then measure the tap temperature with a cooking thermom-eter. Keep adjusting until you hit your target temperature.

We also have assistance for our members on fixed incomes. Please visit our website to learn about our Winter Rate Assistance Program at www.psrec.coop.

We have added new rebates to our Energy-Efficiency Program to help with weatherization and energy-efficiency projects. Please see page 5 for more information.

Telecommunications UpdateConstruction of the fiber network is wrapping up. Soon, community anchor institutions will be connected, followed by businesses along the route. This wholesale fiber network will allow existing local Internet service providers to pur-chase additional bandwidth from PST, giving them the ability to improve their service offer-ings to residential customers in the region.

If you would like more information on the fiber network, what it means to the commu-nity, or about how to sign your business up for service, please call us at (800) 221-3474.

Continues on page 25

Manager’s Message

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

PresidentChris Miller, Litchfield

[email protected]

Vice PresidentDave Roberti, Sierra Valley

[email protected]

Secretary/TreasurerOle Olsen, [email protected]

Dan Kenney, [email protected]

Ivan Randall, [email protected]

Bill Robinson, Doyle [email protected]

Tom Hammond, [email protected]

Manager Robert (Bob) Marshall

[email protected]

Our subsidiary,Plumas-Sierra

Telecommunications offers a variety of high-quality

Internet solutions.For more information,

please visitwww.pstcomm.com

For information about any of our products, please call

(800) 221-3474 or visit ourwebsite at www.psrec.coop

32 F E b R ua R Y 2013

The holidays have come and gone and left behind some bitter cold weather, but thanks to the generosity of our com-munity the hearts of many were left warm and full. Nearly 100 neighbors and friends reached deep into their pockets to make liberal donations of cash and gifts to our Santa’s Elves program.

This year’s program had a 20 percent increase in applicants. Since turning those in need away was not an option, we were more dependent than ever on donations—and you certainly didn’t disappoint.

Because of you, we were able to help more than 200 children feel the spirit of Christmas, providing coats, clothing and toys to children in need. Our program, which has been in place for almost 20 years, adheres to a strict application pro-cess designed to help families who find themselves unable to celebrate the season with gifts and toys for their children.

We encourage shoppers to spend locally. Businesses such as Garnet Merchantile, V&S Variety, Sports World

and Economy Drug offer discounts to shoppers who make a purchase for the program. Approximately 180 coats and 40 bikes—along with all kinds of elec-tronics, clothing and toys—were all pur-chased from local merchants with your donations.

Making a difference in the lives of our members is always a priority here at Mt. Wheeler Power. Working together with our members to build a better com-munity is what being a cooperative is all about.

Kevin RobisonMember Services Manager

NV-40

P.O. Box 1510001600 Great Basin Blvd.Ely, NV 89315

(775) 289.8981(800) [email protected]

Emergency ContactsEly O� ce(775) 289-8981

Eureka O� ce(775) 237-5693

Outside Ely / Eureka Area(800) 97-POWER

Board of DirectorsDistrict 1 – Ron MillerDistrict 2 – Bob SwetichDistrict 3 – Jerry MorrillDistrict 4 – Don PhillipsDistrict 5 – Rick HendrixDistrict 6 – Jerald AndersonDistrict 7 – Sandra GreenDistrict 8 – Wilma SanfordDistrict 9 – Frank Leon

Proudly serving more than 10,000 residents and businesses throughout Nevada and Utah.

Winter hours are November through April; Summer hours are May through October.

Winter hours: The Ely office is open Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Eureka office is open 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Powering Your Future”

Santa’s Elves Make Christmas Better

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Reduce your energy usage with the V-Meter at: www.vea.coop

NV-42

800 East Highway 372P.O. Box 237

Pahrump, NV 89041

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

DISTRICT 1 DISTRICT 2 Peter Gazsy Shiela Rau

DISTRICT 3 DISTRICT 4Rick Johnson John Maurer

DISTRICT 5 DISTRICT 6 Dave Lowe David Dawson

OFFICE PHONE(800) 742-3330 (within Nevada)or 775-727-5312, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.Weekdays, except holidays

AFTER HOURS & EMERGENCYWe are here 24 hours a day, seven days a week for your emergency needs.775-727-5312Web site: www.vea.coopEmail: [email protected]

The Achievement of a Major Milestone in our Co-op’s History

Until next month,

Thomas H. Husted, Chief Executive Officer

January 3, 2013 marked one of the most significant developments in the history of Valley Electric Association, Inc. (VEA). On this day VEA became part of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). I have talked about this key ele-ment of VEA’s greater regionalization efforts in past editions of Ruralite, and it bears repeating what this means for you, VEA’s member-owners.

Now that we are part of the CAISO balancing authority, our transmission system will be more fully utilized, allowing us to yield greater benefits from our transmission system. Prior to our joining the CAISO, it cost us approximately $11.5 million annu-ally to own and operate our transmission facilities.

As you know, however, VEA was not using the full capacity and capabilities of our system 24/7. VEA’s participation in the CAISO will allow us to move into a much larger, more robust energy market. What this means is that Valley Electric will be able to make available excess capacity during certain times for the benefit of California consumers. In return, Valley Electric will receive approximately $11.5 mil-lion a year from other CAISO participants for the utilization of our transmission sys-tem.

VEA in turn pays CAISO about $5 million a year for the capacity we use, which nets VEA a financial benefit or “net profit” of about $6 million a year on our trans-mission system, commencing on January 3, 2013. Again, we were able to achieve this by placing our facilities within a larger market area. This reduces our cost and enables expansion of the capabilities of our system. We’re excited about this opportunity to immediately benefit our members financially. It allows us to defray future revenue requirements and costs that otherwise would be placed on our members.

There’s also an economic development aspect to VEA joining the CAISO that is worth reiterating. We are in an area with a high potential for renewable energy gen-eration and our service territory is in a geographically unique position. Placing our system into the CAISO means that any developer that interconnects into our trans-mission system is automatically considered connected to the most profitable compo-nent of the California renewable energy market. This is a huge benefit and potential for our area.

District Offices4005 23rd Street

Baker City, OR 97814523-3616

567 West PierceBurns, OR 97720

573-2666

400 Patterson Bridge Road P.O. Box 575

John Day, OR 97845 575-0161

2408 Cove Ave. P.O. Box 790

La Grande, OR 97850 963-3155

[email protected]

Report Outages at (866) 430-4265

Officers/Directors: President Charles Hofmann,Baker CountyVice President Greg Howard,Union CountySec./Treas. George Galloway,Union County

David Baum, Union CountyGeorge “Austin” Bingaman, Union CountyRobert Cargill, Harney CountyGary Miller, Grant CountyPeggi Timm, Baker County Ralph Ward, Baker County

Werner Buehler, General Manager

Ron Williams, Attorney

Due to a production error, the Co-op Connections Card letter was inserted incorrectly in the January issue. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. For more information on the Co-op Connections Card, go to www.connections.coop or call Jim Horan at (541) 524-2858.

OR-48

Our goal at OTEC is to provide our members the most reliable, lowest cost and environmentally responsible electric power we can. Every five years or so we like to ask you how you think we are doing in meeting these goals. Near the end of last year, our national association performed a survey of 400 members across our service territory. Here is what it found:

• Our ACSI score—the score used to measure customer satisfaction—was 83, which puts us among the industry leaders in electric utilities nationwide.

• Satisfaction was highest for member services, including outage reporting and billing questions.

• The reduction in outages systemwide has been noticed and appreciated.• Changes to our paper bills have made them easier to understand, and online

options have made it more convenient for members to pay.• While our rates are among the lowest in Oregon and nationwide, members are

deeply concerned about rate increases and want us to continue to keep rates low.• Our community support for economic development by facilitating Rural Economic

Development Loans in addition to our work-in-kind projects, scholarships and chari-table contributions continue to be appreciated across our service territory.

• Communicating outages to members has improved, and we have added the ability to learn more about the status of an outage.

• Members believe we are operating in an environmentally responsible manner and continue to appreciate our energy-saving programs.

• Member support for green power has decreased, along with the interest in paying any more for it.

• With Bonneville Power Administration fish and wildlife programs already accounting for one-third of our wholesale power costs, most members are not interested in paying any more for these programs.

• Most members are not interested in having their power rates become surrogates for taxes to support economic development projects.

Overall satisfaction was very good, but this does not mean we don’t have things to work on. We always can find more ways to reduce outages and get the power back on quicker when they do occur. Even with BPA proposing a rate increase this year, we will work hard to make sure your rates stay among the lowest in the nation.

We will continue to look out for you, our members. We appreciate your feedback on our performance throughout the year.

Regards,Werner Buehler, General Manager

Manager’s Message

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Member-owned since 1921

Ohop MutualLight Co.

34014 Mountain Highway E.Eatonville, WA 98328

Phone: (253) 847-4363Night troubles: 847-4363

E-mail: [email protected]

Board of DirectorsPresident Frank HoffmanVice President Louie MettlerSec./Treasurer Jerry WalterDirector Mel Cox

General ManagerIsabella Deditch

WA-49

Round Up Your Ohop Power BillDear Members:

I hope you all had a healthy and safe start for the new year. The fluctuating economy and rise in unemployment continue to affect our members. Because of these hardships, Ohop Mutual Light Co. is continuing Operation Round Up—a pro-gram designed to help our members, by our members. Contributions through this program will help low-income members living in our community.

Operation Round Up is completely voluntary and works like this: After signing up to participate in the program, your electric bill automatically is rounded up to the next dollar amount each month. For example, if your monthly bill was $74.32, it will be rounded up to $75. The additional 68 cents will be put into a fund to be used to help qualifying members.

Monthly contributions throughout the year will provide funds to help other mem-bers when they need it most. Start your new year by signing up for Operation Round Up now. Remember, it is completely voluntary. You can stop at any time. Use the form below to sign up. If you have any questions, please visit or call our office and we will be happy to help you.

Nominations for Board PositionA committee has been appointed to nominate members for board positions. Any member who wishes to run must contact one of the following people:Sally McKay (360) 832-6262Betty Deck (360) 832-3572Geneal Palmer (360) 832-4912

Nominations close 40 days prior to the annual meeting, which is scheduled forFriday, April 12, 2013.

—Isabella Deditch, General Manager

Sign Up Today For Operation Round UpTo sign up for Operation Round Up, members can call our office at (253) 847-4363 or complete the following form and mail it back to us:

Name:

Address:

Account Number:

Signature:

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

P.O. Box 142645710 SE North Bend WayNorth Bend, WA 98045-1426 Telephone: (425) 888-0623Toll-free: (800) 472-0208www.tannerelectric.coop

Board of DirectorsPresident Ed StephensonVice President Julie FrommTreasurer Susan Serrette-EganSecretary Mike HodgeRoger GuayJeff GilletteJim Singer

An electric utility ownedby those we serve in:

North BendAmes LakeAnderson Island

Tanner Electric Cooperative is an equal opportunity provider and employer

WA-50

General ManagerSteve Walter

Chief Financial O� cerRob Carr

Operations ManagerRichard Kent

32 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 3

Dear Members: It is a new year, and we are gearing up for another construction season. As

mentioned in an earlier article, we have signi� cantly cut our operating and capital budgets. � at does not mean we are not going to do any maintenance or upgrades, but we will scale it back. Our No. 1 goal at Tanner is to provide every member with the highest quality of reliable electric service at a fair cost. In the past seven years, the board has authorized working budgets to accomplish that primary objective. During that period, we have either converted or replaced more than 20 miles of un-derground primary lines. We also have installed more than 7½ miles of new under-ground to pick up new loads and provide redundancy.

As for 2013 we have a few projects in the works. On Anderson Island, we are continuing with the three-phase underground primary upgrade that started at the golf course at the intersection of Country Club Drive and Lake Josephine Blvd. � is year’s phase will continue on Lake Josephine, starting at Oro Place and heading toward the store. Your Tanner island crew has been doing the last few phases them-selves. When completed, we will have a much stronger and reliable circuit that feeds the more densely populated areas of the island. � is will allow our crews to respond to other areas to restore power more quickly.

In North Bend, we are working with Puget Sound Energy to convert the remain-ing members on North Bend Way. We also will add a new line into the distribu-tion system to help with reliability and provide a source of power for future growth on North Bend Way, starting at SE 140th to Edgewick Road. We still have a lot of preliminary work to do to get this project started, but we expect to work on it this summer. � is line will provide redundancy for members on the east side of town.

In Ames Lake, we continue to replace old underground that was directly bur-ied. � at means we have to retrench all of the lines to install new conduit and new primary lines. � is is extremely expensive and time consuming, but when � nished we will have a strong, reliable distribution system for years to come. We will focus on and around Union Hill and NE 52nd Place.

� e board has approved funds to bring in a tree-trimming contactor to assist our crews with clearance work. � is year’s cycle puts us back in Ames Lake. It has been four years since we last cleared the overhead lines. With the rain and a warm sum-mer we had an unusual amount of growth. If we don’t do this routine tree trimming the number of outages will again pick up and the length of outages will be extended because of extra work required when the crews have to restring wire due to fallen limbs and trees. We will communicate with all a� ected members as we work through the system. Please keep in mind we have to get at least three to four years of clear-ance. � is costs the cooperative a lot of money. We can’t a� ord the time and expense to return every year to trim in the same area.

From all of the sta� , we wish you and your loved ones the best for this coming year! —Steve Walter, General Manager

Projects Will Continue in 2013

Board of DirectorsChairmanCharlie Curtis, Kiana

Vice ChairmanWalter G. Sampson, Noorvik

SecretaryPhyllis Clough, Old Harbor

TreasurerHelena R. Jones, Ambler

Robert L. Beans Sr., Mountain Village

Peter Demoski, Nulato

Fred Sagoonick, Shaktoolik

Meera KohlerPresident & CEO

Alaska Village ElectricCooperative, Inc.4831 Eagle StreetAnchorage, AK 99503(907) 561-1818 (800) 478-1818

AlakanukAmblerAndreafskyAnvikBrevig MissionChevakEekEkwokElimEmmonakGambellGoodnews BayGraylingHoly CrossHooper BayHusliaKaltagKasiglukKianaKivalinaKobukKotlikKoyukLower KalskagMarshallMekoryukMintoMt. Village

New StuyahokNightmuteNoatakNoorvikNulatoNunapitchukOld HarborPilot StationPitkas PointQuinhagakRussian MissionSt. Mary’sSt. MichaelSavoongaScammon BaySelawikShagelukShaktoolikShishmarefShungnakStebbinsTellerTogiakToksook BayTununakUpper KalskagWales

Communities Served

The Outlook for Energy Costs in Rural Alaska in 2013About 55,000 Alaskans live in some 200 vil-lages spread across more than 500,000 square miles. 22,000 of those live in one of 55 vil-lages served by AVEC. Sadly, our villages suf-fer from some of the highest cost of living anywhere in the United States. What is AVEC doing about it?

A study recently completed by Commonwealth North—a policy “think tank” established by Govs. Bill Egan and Wally Hickel—found that one in five rural house-holds spends almost half its annual income on home energy. This is three times what they spent 10 years earlier and has been driven by the enormous increase in the world price of petroleum.

AVEC has been an aggressive leader in the battle to combat the high cost of energy. What have we done?

• We have reduced our nonfuel expenses in the past 10 years. As a result, we reduced our rates by 2 cents a kilowatt-hour, resulting in a reduction of income of $1.5 million annually.

• We have added several villages in the past few years: Teller, Kotlik, Ekwok and Kobuk. Adding villages allows us to spread our fixed costs over more kilowatt-hour sales.

• We have installed wind turbines; our 34 machines are the largest fleet in the state. Five percent of our generation came from wind in 2011.

• We invested in two sets of tugs and barges and contracted with Vitus Marine to operate them. This reduced our cost of fuel transportation by about 20 cents a gallon, which is about 1.6 cents per kWh. This is sav-ings passed on entirely to our consumers.

• Competition in the fuel delivery mar-ket translates to lower delivered fuel costs to everyone in rural Alaska.

• We have presented the Commonwealth North report to thousands of Alaskans in

urban and rural Alaska, urging the develop-ment and implementation of an energy plan that reduces costs for all Alaskans.

• We are spearheading an “All Alaska Energy Project” that would develop large-scale, gas-fired generation on the North Slope and a robust transmission system to deliver low-cost power to urban and rural hubs, fish proces-sors, military bases, mines and other resource developers. Since heat and electricity comprise 80-plus percent of a homeowner’s energy bud-get, addressing these costs, while supporting job creation, would be a huge step toward self-sufficiency and sustainability in rural Alaska.

So what is the outlook for 2013? In 2012, the average cost of a gallon of diesel

delivered to our tank farms was $4.03, result-ing in an average fuel charge of 32 cents in addition to the average nonfuel rate of 25 cents a kWh. The fuel charge is lowest at Quinhagak at 22.3 cents a gallon. In Noatak, where fuel must be flown in, the fuel charge is 57.4 cents. Fortunately, Power Cost Equalization lowers the cost to the homeowner to about 20 cents per kWh, but more than half the kWh used in our villages do not get PCE.

We expect the cost of fuel to stay about the same in 2013 as in 2012—perhaps even a bit lower. We do not see any significant relief to the cost of heating homes and businesses in our villages, and we expect the cost of electric-ity to be largely unchanged.

We will continue to press for significant changes in how the state develops an energy plan for the entire state. We will press for fair and equitable treatment of all Alaskans.

Meera Kohler, President and CEO

AK-105

32 F E B R UA R y 2013

65 S. Roop St. Susanville, CA 96130 Phone (530) 257-4174 Fax (530) 257-2558 www.lmud.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORSPresident H.W. “Bud” BowdenVice President Richard Vial Treasurer Fred NagelJay Dow Jr.Jess Urionaguena

STAFFGeneral ManagerWilliam H. “Bill” Stewart, CPA

Electrical Operations ManagerDavid Folce

Electric Superintendent Cort Cortez

Business Office ManagerKeri Richards

Accounting and Finance ManagerMary Anderson

Energy Services ManagerTheresa Phillips

IT Operations Technician Nick Dominguez

Executive AssistantKaren Rollings

In case of an outage: If your electricity is offfor more than a few minutes, call 257-4174. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. After-hours and weekend calls are answered by a local service and immediately forwarded to standby personnel.

The board meets at 5:30 p.m.the fourth Tuesday of each month.

CA-106

Text Alert System Passes First TestLMUD launched a new communication tool, the Text Message Outage Alert System, in December. The system sends outage information via automated text messages. Customers can sign up for this free service by texting the letters LMUD to 69302.

When the utility decided to give this technology a try, it hoped for 200-300 sub-scribers. There are more than 1,300 subscribers—a number that climbs daily.

The text alert service was launched just in time. A winter storm hit Northeast California on Sunday, December 23, and the power went out. The new system was put to the test.

The first text alert went out Sunday afternoon at 12:39 p.m. It read, “Systemwide outage. PG&E has lost both main transmission lines feeding LMUD. No estimated time of restoration. We will keep you updated as we get info.”

The challenge with text alerts is the 160 characters per message limit. It is difficult to compress all of the information in such a limited space. The goal is to provide basic information: what, where, why and when. Keep in mind that when the power goes out, messages are not automatically generated. LMUD first must determine the prob-lem. Information is relayed from the operations center to the business office, then a text alert is sent out.

The text alerts are strictly one-way communication. LMUD sends out short blasts of important information. Many customers have replied to text alerts with questions and concerns, but LMUD is not able to reply. The messages are not seen by LMUD staff until much later.

LMUD’s customer service line, (530) 257-4174, is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. During an after-hours power outage this is the only two-way communication we have with customers. Even though this line is manned around the clock, during heavy phone traffic you may encounter a busy signal. More than likely the informa-tion you receive from the customer service line is the same information sent through text alerts.

Rest assured, when the power is out LMUD crews are working on the problem. Even in severe weather conditions, crews are doing everything possible. LMUD understands it is frustrating to be without power and the power never goes out at a convenient time.

Because LMUD can’t control Mother Nature, and we live in a rural area subject to extreme winter weather, the best plan is to prepare for any type of emergency. LMUD’s website, www.lmud.org, features a link to www.ready.gov, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster preparedness website. There you will find tips and information on how to prepare yourself and your family in case of an emer-gency.

No one likes to hear, “We don’t know when the power will be restored,” but we are all in this together. If the power does go out, LMUD will make every effort to com-municate thoughtfully and meaningfully.

If you need assistance with signing up for text alerts, please stop by our office at 65 S Roop Street. Our staff is happy to help get you started.

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Escambia River

What’s the Future of Electric Cars?Probably the big-gest issue I hear about electric cars is their effect on the environment.

Will we really prevent carbon emissions with the use of electric cars? After all, you plug them in just like any other appliance, and this creates more demand for power plants. According to the Electric Power Research Institute, a California-based consortium, the short answer is yes. Despite the extra load, various airborne emissions will decline with the onset of electric cars.

Each region of the country will see reductions in green-house gas emissions through several decades, thanks in part to technologies that decrease carbon dioxide emis-sions from power plants.

In addition, electric cars could help the electric coop-erative system run more

efficiently—if members plug them in at night—because power costs and demand are at their lowest at that time.

However, the costs may still be prohibitive for most Americans.

The Cooperative Research Network estimates payback in terms of gasoline savings would take about a decade, depending on your driv-ing habits. And if you want the car to charge up quickly instead of the usual four to eight hours with a regular 110-volt outlet, you will have to install a higher-voltage out-let at your home.

Besides the cost of having the 220-volt outlet installed—which a cooperative wholesale power provider estimates to be about $2,000—your home’s wiring may need to be updat-ed to accommodate it.

The costs add up.

Whether an electric car suits you also depends on your lifestyle, how much you drive and whether you want your vehicle to have amenities that use more electricity.

Of course, the popular-ity of electric cars is going to increase in urban areas faster than it will in the rural coun-tryside. It probably will be a while before electric cars are able to handle the long dis-tances typically traveled by people living in rural commu-nities such as ours.

Cities across the country are attempting to do their part. Electric vehicle charg-ing stations are springing up at various locations. But bar-riers—including cost, limited driving range on a charge and easy access to chargers—still inhibit widespread use.

At EREC, we continue to consider the use of electric cars in our long-range plan-ning for system growth. It will be interesting to see how the future of electric cars unfolds.

Manager’s Message

Clay R. Campbell

Florida Currents (USPS PP-81) is published monthly for members for $3.96 per year, plus actual postage, by Ruralite Services Inc., 2040 A Street, Forest Grove, OR 97116—a not-for-profit Oregon cooperative corpora-tion—to serve the communications needs of five consumer-owned electric utilities in Florida. Periodicals Postage rates is Pending at Forest Grove, Oregon 97116 and at additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Please send address corrections to P.O. Box 558, Forest Grove, OR 97116.

HOW TO CONTACT FLORIDA CURRENTS

Have a problem receiving your edition of Florida Currents? Utility members should contact the local utility office listed on the back cover. Nonmembers should contact Ruralite Services, P.O. Box 558, Forest Grove, OR 97116-0558; (503) 357-2105; email [email protected].

Subscription services: Nonmember subscriptions $12 (US) per year; $25 (foreign) per year. Prepayment required. Allow 4 to 8 weeks for first issue. Be sure to identify which local edition you want to receive.

Extra copies: $2 each, pre-payment required. Supply is limited. Identify edition, month and year. Contact Ruralite Services.

Reprint permission: Direct all requests to Ruralite Services.

MANUSCRIPTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS

Please do not send unsolicited materials. If interested in writing for Florida Currents, query first. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for writer’s guidelines. Address requests and queries to Ruralite Services.

DISPLAY ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

Contact Russell Green or Brenda SomesRuralite Services Inc.P.O. Box 558Forest Grove, OR 97116-0558(503) 357-2105

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© 2013 Ruralite Services Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Side Roads 10

In the Kitchen 16Florida Gardener 18

Travel Journal 19Festival Roundup 22Outdoor Pursuits 24

Inside

Your utility pages: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32

Also In This Issue

February 2013Vol. 2, No. 4

Garden Buddy System 12Some vegetables, herbs and flowers are best grown side by side because they protect and nurture each other.

F E B R UA R Y 2013 3

As a resident of the Upper or MiddleKeys, you already know that this time ofyear is packed with our community’s mostpopular events, including FKEC’s AnnualMeeting on Saturday, April 20.

FKEC encourages both new and long-standing residents to attend these eventsbecause most of them support ourcommunity by raising critical funds forworthy local causes.

One example is the Gigantic NauticalFlea Market sponsored by the Upper KeysRotary Club. The two-day event hasraised hundreds of thousands of dollarsfor youth scholarships that benefit ourcommunity’s graduates. This is just oneexample of the many annual events thatlocal volunteers organize to help raiseneeded funds.

To make sure you don’t miss out,please visit your area’s chamber ofcommerce website to view your localcommunity events calendar. You can alsofind information online at the Key Largo,Upper Keys, and Middle Keys Rotary Clubwebsites.

It’s a great time of year to get out andenjoy some fun in the sun, mingle withyour neighbors, and help raise money forour communities.

FKEC 72nd Annual Meeting and Picnic

One event I hope you will all attendthis season is our 72nd Annual Meetingand Picnic. This event is a chance for us toshow our appreciation for you, ourmembers, and share valuable information.

The meetings have grown andevolved into much more than free lunchand speeches. We now feature greatbooths from almost every department.Our employees offer first-handinformation on green initiatives, smartplanting, energy conservation, newtechnology, and much more. Most of ourbooths also have interactive elements andpromise fun for kids as well as adults.

We will also continue our annualtradition by offering free registration giftsfor members, a free lunch prepared byFKEC staff, and of course our everpopular free raffle of great prizesimmediately following the meeting.

So mark your calendars and don’tmiss our annual meeting or any of thegreat upcoming community events.

FLORIDA KEYS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION, INC.Member Owned Since 1940

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David C. RitzDistrict 1, Key Largo • President

Gretchen HollandDistrict 1, Key Largo • Vice President

Michael H. PutoDistrict 4, Marathon • Secretary

Frank N. Hawkins, Jr.District 2, Tavernier • Treasurer

James J. BoiliniDistrict 1, Key Largo

Craig BelcherDistrict 2, Tavernier

H.B. BarrettDistrict 3, Islamorada

George D. HertelDistrict 3, Islamorada

Karl M. WagnerDistrict 4, Marathon

CONTACT US:(305) 852-2431 (800) 858-8845 toll freewww.FKEC.comMailing AddressP.O. Box 377, Tavernier, FL 33070

Members Should Know... to look forcurrent news under“Watt’s Happening”on our homepage atwww.FKEC.com.

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 3 W W W . F K E C . C O M

FKEC NEWS

Unless otherwise noted, “FKEC NEWS”writing, design & photography by:

Nikki Dunn • [email protected] by: Rebecca Callahan Newman

4 FEBRUARY 2013

SCOTT NEWBERRYChief Executive Officer

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

FKEC Supports LocalCommunity Events

FKEC-Feb2013-Final_Layout 1 1/11/13 1:14 PM Page 2

Offices

Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday

26733 U.S. Hwy. 27 East/P.O. Box 519Moore Haven, FL 33471(800) 226-4024 or (863) 946-6200Fax: (863) 946-2150

214 SR 70 WestLake Placid, FL 33852(800) 226-4025 or (863) 531-5000

111 SW Park St.Okeechobee, FL 34974(800) 226-4023 or (863) 467-5111

POwer interruPtiOn numberMoore Haven ............................. (800) 226-4024

Phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and holidays. Please have your location or account number handy when you call.

bOard Of trusteesJohn “Jack” Coxe, President, District 8 Lake Josephine, (863) 655-3056James “Jim” Aul, Vice President, District 7 Lorida, (863) 441-0441 Russell Henderson, Sec./Treas., District 3 Ortona and Palmdale, (863) 946-0865Donnie Lundy, Trustee, District 1 Moore Haven, (863) 946-0402Barney Goodman, Trustee, District 2 Hendry County, (863) 983-7324Shannon Hall, Trustee, District 4 Lakeport and Brighton, (863) 946-3242Ladd Bass, Trustee, District 5 Venus and Hicoria, (863) 441-2227Lee Henderson, Trustee, District 6 Highlands Park, (863) 633-9281Irene Lofton, Trustee, District 9 Okeechobee, (863) 467-1219

The next meeting of the Board will be at 9 a.m. February 28 at the Moore Haven headquarters office. Any changes to this schedule will be posted in the lobby of all three district offices.

executive staffCEO Jeff Brewington Dir. of Business Development Paul McGeheeChief Financial Officer Jennifer ManningDir. of Cooperative Services Tracy VaughnDir. of Employee Services Yvonne BradleyDir. of Information Technologies Bradley HillDir. of Member Services Margaret Ellerbee

FL-153

Reflecting on the Past YearCEO’s Message

As I write, New Year’s is now past and there are only 351 shopping days to Christmas! That day will be upon us too soon, and another year of milestones will be behind us before we can catch our breath.

2012, the International Year of Cooperatives, was a good one for your cooperative in spite of contin-ued diminishing sales volume. We closed out the year with one of our best cash positions ever with our short-term operating line of credit paid off and having borrowed $3.5 million less than anticipated.

This was accomplished only through the dedicat-ed work of each and every one of the cooperative’s employees—many wearing multiple hats in our sig-nificantly downsized workforce.

The books are not yet completely closed, but mar-gins will be positive and our members’ equity will grow closer to our goal, which once reached will allow us to award you with much-deserved capital credit refunds in the not-so-distant future.

Glades Electric Educational Foundation benefited greatly from the cooperative’s abandoned capital credit program in 2012. “Abandoned capital credits” are refunds from several years prior that members did not claim. These unclaimed or abandoned capital credits are passed on to GEEF for use in its scholarship program. This bless-ing will allow the foundation to increase its annual scholarship awards beginning in 2013 from $6,000 to $8,000 a year in each of the four counties the cooperative serves: Glades, Hendry, Highlands and Okeechobee. Only the children of cooperative mem-bers are beneficiaries of this valuable program.

In 2012, Glades Electric Charitable Trust was able to provide $55,321.97 in assis-tance to 39 families and $10,836 to five organizations within the cooperative’s terri-tory. The Charitable Trust is funded through your participation in Operation Round Up. I thank you for supporting your neighbors.

This good year also has positioned the cooperative to continue sponsoring the annual National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Washington Youth Tour in 2013. Two high school juniors from the cooperative’s four-county service area can win all-expense-paid trips to our nation’s capital, joining with hundreds of other juniors from around the country. Check out the application on page 26 of this issue of Florida Currents.

In yet another positive, the hard work accomplished in 2012 will allow us to return to supporting our service territory’s youth livestock shows. We look forward to that.

2012 was a hard year, but it has transitioned us to a prosperous future. We look forward to serving you exceptionally in 2013 and beyond. More details on 2012 will be available at the cooperative’s annual meeting on March 16, 2013, at Lake Placid Middle School. I hope to meet you there.

Jeff Brewington

32 F E B R UA R Y 2013

Offices722 West Highway 22P. O. Box 220Wewahitchka, FL 32465(850) 639-2216 or (800) 333-9392 9434 Highway 77 P. O. Box 8370Southport, FL 32409(850) 265-3631 or (800) 568-3667

6243 East Highway 98Panama City, FL 32404Phone: (850) 481-1188

www.gcec.com

ceO/General ManaGerMichael E. White

TrusTeesPresident Kinneth DanielsVice President Gary Cox Secretary Eddie JonesTreasurer Robert ByrdDoug BirminghamJimmy BlackRupert BrownWaylon GrahamGus Wise Jr.

Trustees normally meet the third Tuesday of each month at 12:30 p.m. CST. The board meets at the Wewahitchka office in even-numbered months (February, April, June, August, October and December) and the Southport office in odd-numbered months (January, March, May, July, September and November).

The mission of GCEC is to continually evaluate and implement technologies and seek solutions that fulfill a diversified memberships’ changing expectations for cost-effective, dependable utility services through a dedicated and responsive workforce.

FL-154

GCEC President’s Message

Putting Their Love on the LineGulf Coast Electric Cooperative lineworkers don’t work alone on our power lines. Whether they are climbing poles, restoring power or clearing tree limbs to prevent future outages, they are never far from the hearts of the women who love them.

At this time of year, stores seem flooded with hearts, candy and cards professing true love. But to be honest, those sentiments pale in comparison to the bonds of love I see every time a storm sweeps through our area.

If the lights go out, our lineworkers’ wives send their loved ones out into the elements.

When other electric cooperatives are in trouble after devastating hurricanes, tornadoes, fires and floods, our lineworkers have traveled to bring the lights back on for complete strangers.

Each time these brave men leave home to help those in need, their families are left behind, praying for a safe return.

Working with high-voltage electricity, lineworkers find them-selves in life-and-death situations on a regular basis. That is why Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative focuses on safety first. We know the folks who love our lineworkers appreciate the time we take to make sure our employees get home safe every night.

Marrying into this profession is not easy. Lineworkers are often on call and must be ready to respond at a moment’s notice if our community needs them. This makes children’s sporting events and family get-togethers hard to pull off some-times.

But the bold men who keep your power flowing do so because they know without their commitment, many of the things we have come to expect—cold food, lights, entertain-ment—would not be possible.

By devoting their lives to working on utility lines, they con-nect all of us to a better way of life.

This Valentine’s Day, I would like to take a moment to thank the women who support and love the men who brave the ele-ments and work long hours to keep power flowing to our homes each and every day.

Thank you for putting your love on the line. We are commit-ted to making sure the men you love return home safe.

Kinneth Daniels

32 F E B R ua R y 2013

To reporT power ouTage call:1-877-282-3656

corporaTe HeadquarTers 210 Metheny Road Wauchula, Florida 33873 Hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F Telephone: 1-800-282-3824FAX: 863-773-3737

BradenTon office15105 59th Ave. EastBradenton, Florida 34211 Hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., M-FTelephone: 1-800-282-3824

indian lake esTaTes17363 County Road 630Lake Wales, Florida 33898For your convenience, a payment drop box is located at the front gate. Payments will be posted on the next business day.

Board of direcTorsMaurice HendersonP R E s i d E n T

leonard crawleyv i C E P R E s i d E n T

Bruce Vickerss E C R E TA Ry/ T R E A s u R E R

John MartinA s s T. s E C R E TA Ry/ T R E A s u R E R

Hollis albritton, Jr.d i R E C T o R

george w. Millerd i R E C T o R

a. Byron newberryd i R E C T o R

samuel rawls d i R E C T o R

Harold schatschneiderd i R E C T o R

Board MeeTing aTTendance

Any PRECO member may attend a Board Meeting. Due to building security requirements and for us to facilitate attendance, members wishing to attend a Board Meeting should contact the Cooperative in a timely manner for logistical information regarding the meeting.

upcoMing Board MeeTing daTes February 26, 2013 March 26, 2013 April 24, 2013

32 F E B R u A R y 2013

district Meeting: Your Voice, Your Vote

ll Peace River Electric Cooperative members have one thing in common — ownership. We are a member-owned electric distribution utility.

As such, our members are entitled to have a voice and a vote in how their co-op is governed.

For this reason PRECO holds yearly district meetings for the purpose of electing member representatives to a three-year term on the Board of Directors. Your district meeting provides the opportunity for you to exercise the privilege, responsibility, and benefit of being a member-owner by casting your vote.

Meetings are staggered so members meet once every three years at a location within their own district. In addition to director elections, an informal agenda includes providing information on PRECO’s programs and services, a member Q&A session, as well as updates on electric utility industry issues that could affect your cooperative.

This month the member-owners of Districts 3, 6, and 9 are invited to attend their local meeting to vote for a director. If you live in one of these districts, you will soon receive a flyer in the mail describing the date, time and location of your District Meeting. It will also contain important bylaw requirements, registration instructions, and biography information.

Your democratically elected Board of Directors strives to ensure the co-op is operated with your best interests in mind. Their duties include assuring compliance with governmental regulations, maintaining sound financial standing, setting electric rates and much more. This is why it is important for you to have a Board of Directors you can trust.

what is the most important element necessary for holding district Meetings? Members! Each meeting requires it own unique number of members in order to have a quorum. Without a quorum, business cannot be conducted, so we are offering some incentives for you to attend.

Randy shawGeneral Manager & CEOPEACE RivER ElECtRiC COOPERAtivE

Each registered member: n receives a $10 electric bill credit! n is entered in a drawing for an iPad Mini!

Also, door prizes will be drawn and light refreshments served. For more information, see page 4 of this magazine.

Remember: Watch your mailbox for a flyer. I’ll see you at District Meeting.

register

to win an

ipad

Mini

13-0003_PREC_FebruaryRuralite_final.indd 12 1/10/13 8:47 PM

Documents

TAKE THE BITE OUT OF YOUR BILL · K. David Hagen S t a ˜ Edwin Ausman Director of Purchasing and Warehousing Lisa Hall Manager of Financial and Office Services Douglas Pfaff Manager