Electric Operations Expo is Thursday in Baraboo: Electric utility folks from all across Wisconsin are convening at the Sauk County Fairgrounds for the Electric Operations Expo on Thursday, April 29. Hosted by MEUW, Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA), and Wisconsin Utility Suppliers Association (WUSA), the Expo promises to be a great day of learning and networking, with two sets of informative breakout sessions, vendor demonstrations, and an expansive trade show featuring dozens of suppliers showcasing the latest products, materials, and technologies. Employees representing 40 MEUW member utilities and 12 electric coops, plus representatives from more than 60 exhibitors are registered to attend.
The Expo officially opens at 8:30 a.m. Events will take place mostly outdoors or under open-air tents and pavilions; some sessions are planned for indoors. The Expo will be held rain or shine. For registration information, click here. The deadline to register is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27.
Already registered for the Expo? Please take a minute to text EXPO21 to 77222. We’re using text messaging to provide periodic updates for Expo attendees — before, during, and after the event. By signing up now, you’ll stay in the know. To preview the Expo event program, click here.
Webinar planned to review updated A to Z Guidebook: A reference guide for municipal electric utilities and electric cooperatives that have elected to create their own Commitment-to-Community program for either low-income energy assistance, energy efficiency, or both has recently been updated. First created in 2008, the A to Z Guidebook: Commitment to Community Programs for Municipal Electric Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives has been revised periodically since that time, including late in 2020. The latest version includes slight revisions to Chapter 5 related to determining how much a co-op/municipal utility is required to collect, and how the assessment is applied for net-metered accounts. The updated Guidebook can be downloaded here.
A free, one-hour webinar is planned for Thursday, May 13, beginning at 1:00 p.m., to provide a general overview of the A to Z Guidebook and cover the changes made in this revision. To participate, please pre-register at this link. The webinar will be hosted and presented by Slipstream, the firm contracted to update the guidebook.
MEUW to conduct Annual Business Meeting on May 14: The association’s Bylaws require MEUW to hold an annual meeting of the membership. This year’s meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 14, at 8:30 a.m., and will be conducted via Zoom videoconference. All MEUW members are welcome to attend. Details and a link are available on MEUW’s Event Calendar.
April 30 is deadline for next round of required PSC filings: All utilities are required to submit data to the Public Service Commission (PSC) to help state regulators assess the impact of the public health emergency on utility operations.
Early on in the coronavirus emergency, the PSC authorized all electric, gas, steam, and water public utilities to defer their COVID-19-related expenses (such as foregone revenue and carrying costs), and required utilities to report their costs on a quarterly basis (docket 5-AF-105). The PSC has provided a survey form to report those expenses from Jan. 1, 2021 through March 31, 2021. Every utility is expected to complete the survey by the April 30 deadline, even if they are not reporting any COVID-19-related expenses. The survey is available here.
The PSC also ordered all utilities to submit data related to customers’ arrears each quarter (docket 5-UI-120). The required reporting includes information regarding the utility’s plans for communicating with customers about collections and arrears management as well as the overall financial impacts of the utility’s arrears. The deadline to submit information pertaining to the first quarter of 2021 is April 30. The survey is available here.
Every utility in the state, regardless of size, is expected to provide responses to the PSC. A number of municipal utilities failed to comply with previous filing requirements (including those that were due Oct. 15, 2020, and Jan. 15, 2021). It’s important that everyone submit the required information to the PSC by the Friday, April 30 deadline.
Nominations now being accepted for MEUW Honors and Awards: Throughout its 92-year history, MEUW has proudly recognized individual contributions and achievements toward advancing public power through awards presented at the Annual Conference. We are currently accepting nominations in a number of categories. Full details are available at MEUW.org/awards. To nominate someone from your utility or community, please complete the nomination form and submit it by June 30. Those nominations submitted by the deadline that meet specific criteria will be reviewed by the Awards Committee. Awards will be presented at MEUW’s Annual Conference in August.
Send us your job postings: Remember that MEUW welcomes the opportunity to help you attract qualified applicants to your utility’s job openings. In fact, the “Employment” page is one of the most visited pages on our website.
Send your open job postings to Info@MEUW.org whenever they become available. We will work to post your position in a timely fashion and also publicize it in the next issue of Live Lines (if the position is not filled before its monthly publication date).
MEUW staff will be offsite Wednesday through Friday, April 28 to 30, for the Electric Operations Expo. The office will be closed during this time, and responses to general inquiries may take longer than usual. If you need something right away, feel free to call or text Member Services Coordinator Mallory Conradt at (608) 469-6009. Thank you.