Monday is deadline for final COVID-19 financial impact report to PSC: All utilities are required to file a report about COVID-19-related expenses, foregone revenue, and carrying costs incurred during the fourth quarter of 2021. Due to any increased number of utilities responding that they do not have any amounts to report as well as the declining financial impacts of COVID-19, this is the final quarterly reporting in docket 5-AF-105. The report is due Jan. 31, and full details are available here.
MEUW’s Board of Directors held a regular meeting on Jan. 14. The draft minutes of the Board meeting are here (member log-in required).
Free webinar to explore federal grants available for municipal utility projects: Power System Engineering (PSE) is holding a one-hour webinar to provide an in-depth overview of numerous funding opportunities that will soon be available to Wisconsin municipal utilities. The funding is provided mainly through grants coming out of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. Potential eligible projects include LED street lighting, hydro generation modernization and/or repair, modernization of load management resources (diesel and/or natural gas), substation modernization/ replacement, distribution system reliability, behind-the-meter solar projects, broadband, cybersecurity, and more. The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 9 a.m. More details are available here. There is no cost to attend and pre-registration is not required.
Baby, it’s cold outside — the perfect time for some online training! With temperatures forecast in the single digits statewide this week, we’re making it possible to binge-watch some useful and informative presentations from last year’s online Lineman University session. The expert presenters cover a wide range of timely and informative topics. The recording can be viewed on demand from any computer with an internet connection, and is available at no charge for MEUW member utilities. The link can be used by any municipal employee at any time — to watch one or two presentations or all six, in one sitting or during multiple sessions. Group viewing is encouraged to foster discussion of the important training subjects. To access the recordings, following the link here (member log-in required).
Excavation Competent Person workshop planned in Marshfield on Feb. 8: A one-day, in-person workshop to learn the safety aspects of excavation and trenching and to understand protective systems and shoring options is planned for Tuesday, Feb. 8, in Marshfield. The session will be conducted by Tim Palet, an instructor who brings decades of knowledge and experience. Upon completion, attendees will be certified as Competent Persons according to OSHA standards. Registration details are here. The same workshop will be offered on April 21 in Chetek.
Utility Accounting and Finance subject of upcoming Management Training session: The next session in MEUW’s popular and long-standing Management Training Program focuses utility accounting and finance. The one-day session will be led by Jodi Dobson, a partner in the Energy and Utilities Group at Baker Tilly.
The training (Session D in the series) takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at the Glacier Canyon Lodge in Wisconsin Dells. Complete details about the subject matter and a biography of the instructor are available here. The Management Training Program provides education for existing managers, mid-level managers and future management prospects. Participants may start at any point in the six-session series and are recognized after completing the program.
