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4/25/2016 eBulletin Online | Northwest Public Power Association

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Northwest Public Power Association eBulletin

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Monday, April 18, 2016

Are you registered yet to attend NWPPA’s 76th Annual Conference &

Membership Meeting? If not do so today and make sure not to miss

out on networking with other utility leaders, learn about new

regulations, new technologies and the new workforce. Charge up to

charge ahead. Click on the conference image to register today!

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Legislative Announcements

Senate energy bill final vote this week; Senate set to pass FAA bill, would

allow drone use by critical infrastructure owners; Energy and Water

Appropriations bills moving in both chambers; DOE report: Western power

grid “totally vulnerable”; Transportation committee holds hearing on grid

security; and House Resources Panel holds hearing focused on western water

users.

Read more…

Public Power Industry Announcements

WSU Vancouver engineering students visit NWPPA’s E&O Conference;

Douglas PUD Commission honors Klinge; Okanogan presents more service

awards; WPUDA names new officers; WPUDA honors Douglas County PUD’s

http://netforum.nwppa.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?webcode=EventInfo&Reg_evt_key=2d962f4f-0abf-4f5f-bdb1-03c47810d425&RegPath=&FreeEvent=0&Event=NWPPA

https://www.nwppa.org/ebulletin/legislative/



Brad Hawkins; Energy Assist providing monthly bill credits to 108 OPALCO

members; Tacoma Power recognized for providing reliable, safe electric

service; SMUD helps jobseeking military veterans find work; and TPU

volunteer program wins first employerbased Governor’s Volunteer Service

Award.

Read more…

Associate Member Announcements

General Pacific announces FR clothing and FR Apparel Program.

Read more…

Upcoming Educational Opportunities

Looking to plan your training for 2016 or view a catalog of training events?

Click on the button

below.

2016 eCatalog PDF

Check out these upcoming training events:

Writing Eective Job Descriptions

May 11 – 12, 2016

Situational Self-Leadership

May 12, 2016

Optimal Motivation

May 13, 2016

NWPPA Annual Conference and Membership Meeting

May 15 – 18, 2016

https://www.nwppa.org/ebulletin/public-power/

https://www.nwppa.org/ebulletin/associate-member/

https://www.nwppa.org/wp-content/uploads/NWPPA-2016-Training-e-Catalog-3-15-2016.pdf

https://netforum.nwppa.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?webcode=EventInfo&Reg_evt_key=39368a9b-70fa-482f-bce4-9474f265a895&RegPath=&FreeEvent=0&Event=Writing%20Effective%20Job%20Descriptions&FundraisingEvent=0&evt_guest_limit=9999

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Diversied Communications

May 17 – 18, 2016

Accounting & Finance Fundamentals for Utility Personnel

May 25 – 26, 2016

Distribution Engineering Series: Session 1 – Distribution System Planning &

Analysis

June 6 – 10, 2016

Register for our Annual Golf Tournament

Cohosted by Platinum/Diamond Sponsor EES Consulting and NWPPA

Are you coming to this year’s Annual Conference & Membership Meeting in

Tulalip, Wash.? If so, come early and network with fellow members while

playing some golf on Sunday, May 15, at the beautiful Kayak Point Golf

Course. Selected as one of America’s Top 50 Public Courses to Play by Golf

Digest, Kayak Point offers players of every skill level a unique golfing

experience. Kayak Point’s serene setting, beautiful sloping fairways, and

magnificent views of the Olympic Mountains offer an unrivaled combination

of beauty and challenge.

The modified shotgun start is at 8 a.m. on Sunday and the awards will be

handed out around 2:15 p.m. Cost is $75 per person and you can register to

play when you register to attend the conference. Golf registrations are due

by May 1.

Please be sure to let us know if you need to rent clubs so that we can make

arrangements to have them ready upon your arrival to the course. Also,

please let us know if you will be driving yourself to the course so that we can

make appropriate bus arrangements. Kayak Point Golf Course is located at

15711 Marine Drive NE, Stanwood, WA 98292.

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DOE Grid Modernization Regional Workshops

The importance of our nation’s electric system cannot be overstated. It underpinsour economic prosperity, national security and our overall quality of life. However,as our country moves toward a more digital economy and we witness aconvergence of information technology with communications, electricity,transportation and other sectors, the demands being placed on our gridinfrastructure are changing dramatically.

As part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Modernization Initiative, theDepartment is convening industry stakeholders across the U.S. in a series ofregional workshops. These workshops will seek feedback on the Department’s gridrelated research and demonstration strategy, and provide opportunities forstakeholders to inform the Department on the grid-related technical challenges andemerging policy issues you see confronting your region and the nation as a whole.To incorporate both these goals, the workshops will include two tracks:

Track 1 will focus of the Department’s Grid Modernization Multi-Year ProgramPlan (MYPP) that identifies key challenges and specifies research anddemonstration priorities for achieving a modernized grid. The research plan wasdeveloped based on input from the Quadrennial Energy Review and QuadrennialTechnology Review as well as the private sector, including the industry-led Futureof the Grid Initiative; however, stakeholder input is needed to help refine theDepartment’s research portfolio to ensure that it aligns with regional needs.

Track 2 will explore the technology implications and challenges associated withemerging policies related to grid modernization efforts. These multi-stakeholder

http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/?u=24a1fe3fcf89d557662f8a4b4&id=eefcb19f50&e=a46d54f097/

https://www.smartgrid.gov/GMI_Workshops.html

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/01/f28/Grid%20Modernization%20Multi-Year%20Program%20Plan.pdf

http://energy.gov/epsa/quadrennial-energy-review-qer

http://energy.gov/quadrennial-technology-review-2015

https://www.smartgrid.gov/grid_of_the_future.html



discussions and the insights stakeholders provide will help inform efforts to assiststate and local decision makers as they consider future grid investments anddevelop their own roadmaps for grid modernization. Stakeholder participation willalso help us to better understand the technology developments needed to addressfuture policy changes.

The workshops will take place from March through June 2016 in the followingregions:

Central: Austin, TX – March 2-3 Northeast: Boston, MA – April 13-14 Northwest: Seattle, WA – April 26-27 Midwest: Minneapolis, MN – May 9-10 Southeast: Atlanta, GA – May 17-18 2016 Southwest: San Francisco, CA

Regional Designations

Industry Calendar of Events

Mark your calendars for these upcoming public power meetings.

Read more…

RFP/RFQs

Utilities: NWPPA offers its utility members the opportunity (at no cost) to

post RFPs and RFQs on our website at no charge. Reach out to NWPPA’s

https://www.nwppa.org/ebulletin/events-calendar/



almost 4,000 associate member contacts that supply goods and services to

the utility industry and might be interested in responding to your utility

RFP/RFQ. To post your RFP/RFQ, visit our RFP/RFQ page. For more

information, contact Debbie K. at [email protected].

Associate Members: Make sure to check out NWPPA’s RFP/RFQ Web page

to view utility RFP listings. Listings are posted as they are received by

NWPPA.

New RFPs posted April 4th, 2016!

Read more…

Recent Industry Job Openings

View the job opportunities posted to NWPPA’s website in the past week.

Read more…

On This Day in History

The Great San Francisco Earthquake; JFK denies U.S. military intervention in

Cuba; Benoit wins Boston Marathon; and Dick Clark, host of “American

Bandstand” and “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” dies.

Read more…

Copyright ©2016 Northwest Public Power Association. All rights reserved. 9817 N.E. 54th Street, Ste. 200, Vancouver, WA 98662 (360) 2540109 – [email protected]

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4/25/2016 Legislative Announcements | Northwest Public Power Association

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Legislative Announcements

Senate energy bill nal vote this week

Update provided by Morgan Meguire

The Senate energy bill, S. 2012, once thought dead, is set for a vote

this week after leaders reached an agreement on consideration last

week. The Senate is set to take a voicevote on a package of 29

amendments and a roll call vote on eight other amendments with a

60vote threshold, before a vote on final passage.

The amendments to be added en bloc include, among other things, a

resources title by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D–Wash.) and Lisa Murkowski

(R–Alaska); Sen. Jeff Flake’s (R–Ariz.) Western Area Power Authority

pilot program to publish certain data in a searchable database; and an

amendment on energy efficiency in LEDs from Sens. Jeanne Shaheen

(D–N.H.) and Rob Portman (R–Ohio).

Amendments of interest to receive individual votes include:

Sen. John Boozman’s (R–Ark.) amendment requiring aDepartment of Energy (DOE) report on rate impacts and powerpurchase agreements before approving any transmission project

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under Sec. 1222 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (including theClean Line project);The SAVE Act (to allow underwriters to account for energyefficiency improvements in mortgage calculations), championedby Sens. Johnny Isakson (R–Ga.) and Michael Bennet (R–Colo.);An amendment limiting spending on the Land and WaterConservation Fund’s maintenance backlog; andAn amendment from Sen. Tom Udall (D–N.M.) establishing $50billion in Clean Energy Victory Bonds issued by the Treasury toprovide additional support to existing federal financing programsand funding for clean energy investments by the Department ofDefense and other federal agencies.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources staff told Morgan Meguire the

bill could come to the floor as early as Tuesday morning.

Senate set to pass FAA bill, would allow drone use by

critical infrastructure owners


The Senate is poised to pass an FAA Reauthorization bill as soon as

April 18 that includes an amendment allowing for the operation of

unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – or drones – by owners and

operators of critical infrastructure. Advanced by Sens. James Inhofe

(R–Okla.) and Cory Booker (D–N.J.), the amendment would allow for

UAS use beyond the line of sight of the operator and at night (for civil

aircraft, which public power can opt to utilize). The term “critical

infrastructure” applies to all electric power generation, distribution,

and transmission facilities; it also applies to natural gas pipelines.

APPA, the Edison Electric Institute, and the National Rural Electric



Cooperative Association sent a letter supporting the InhofeBooker

bipartisan critical infrastructure amendment. “The electric power

industry sees great potential in UAS for a number of uses: from

routine maintenance of our infrastructure, to helping restore

electricity service to customers following natural disasters. Many of

our member companies already use UAS under existing FAA

regulations, generally limiting flights to daytime hours within visual

line of sight. Your amendment takes the next important step forward

to safely deploy this technology beyond visual line of sight,” the trade

associations’ letter said.

The underlying bill codifies existing authority to authorize

governmental aircraft operations, but it does not address the issue of

public power utilities flying UAS as “public” aircraft.

Clean energy tax extenders dropped

After several days of highlevel negotiations, efforts to add a package

of energy tax credits inadvertently left out of the 2015 yearend

funding bill abruptly collapsed. The primary focus was on tax credits

for combined heat and power, small wind, fuel cells, and geothermal

heat pumps. After realizing a drafting error had omitted the credits,

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R–Ky.) and Minority Leader

Harry Reid (D–Nev.) had agreed they would move the forgotten

credits in the next tax vehicle. The FAA Reauthorization, which

includes a tax title, was the first tax vehicle up for consideration in the

Senate this year.

In addition to the renewable credits above, various senators sought to



include additional energy credits in the package, including tax credits

for carbon capture and sequestration, hydropower, biomass,

geothermal, and nuclear – many of which have not yet expired.

Because including a tax package appeared to become too large and

too expensive, Senate leaders jettisoned the deal to avoid

jeopardizing the passage of the mustpass FAA reauthorization bill. It

is unclear at this time what the next tax vehicle will be to move the

energy credits forward.

House version of FAA bill pending

On the House side, Reps. Jeff Denham (R–Calif.) and Grace

Napolitano (D–Calif.) are working with committee staff to include

report language that will clarify that public power utilities’ use of UAS

would qualify as a public aircraft. The House bill awaits floor

consideration, but has run into political difficulties over provisions that

would privatize Air Traffic Control (ATC).

The current FAA authorization expires on July 15, which does not

leave a lot of time to reach a final agreement.

Energy and Water Appropriations bills moving in both

chambers


This week, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees

advanced their Energy and Water Development Appropriations bills –

the legislation responsible for funding the DOE, the Bureau of



Reclamation (BOR), and the Army Corps of Engineers.

The House bill totals $37.4 billion – $259 above FY16 enacted levels

and $168 million over the president’s budget request. On April 13, the

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water

Development advanced the bill by voice vote, despite disagreement

on some contentious provisions (including drought language). It

provides $150 million in funding to the DOE to move forward on the

Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site and $20 million to the Nuclear

Regulatory Commission to restart the licensing process for Yucca. The

full committee will consider the bill next week.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water

Development reported its version on the same day, but followed with

a 300 full Committee approval on April 14. Senators offered and

withdrew amendments, some controversial – including pieces on the

Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Waters of the U.S. rule and

advanced energy research funding – with the anticipation of offering

them on the floor. The Senate bill sets spending levels at $37.5 billion

– $355 million more than FY16 enacted levels and $261 million more

than the President’s budget request.

Of interest to NWPPA, the bill includes a pilot program to consolidate

nuclear spent fuel at interim storage sites, introduced by Dianne

Feinstein (D–Calif.) and Subcommittee Chair Lamar Alexander (R–

Tenn.). In an interview with trade press, Alexander laid out three

tracks to solving the spent fuel storage conundrum: move forward

with Yucca Mountain, start a consolidated nuclear waste pilot

program, and allow the DOE to license private waste sites. He said,



“Speaking for myself, I’m going to continue to try to move ahead

simultaneously on all those tracks until we find safe ways to move

used nuclear waste.”

The Senate bill also contains $100 million in funding for emergency

drought activities – an effort pushed by Energy and Water

Subcommittee Ranking Member Feinstein. Feinstein has insisted on

more environmental protections than the more comprehensive,

Republicanbacked House version provides.

DOE report: Western power grid “totally vulnerable”


On April 14, the DOE’s inspector general (IG) released a report that

revealed that WAPA “had not always established adequate physical

security measures and practices for its critical assets, addressed

physical security measures recommended in prior risk assessments,

and conducted performance testing to ensure that security measures

for physical assets were performing as designed.”

Particularly damaging is the IG’s conclusion that Western has

apparently done little to improve physical security in the wake of the

2013 sniper attack on the Metcalf Substation. The IG’s office wrote

that “Western lacked specific policies for maintaining security

equipment, controlling access keys, implementing risk assessment

recommendations, and conducting performance tests” and claimed

that Western has experienced threats but did not have the physical

security capabilities to detect and deter the intrusions.

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/04/f30/DOE-OIG-16-11.pdf



The IG’s report identified several areas the agency needs to improve

in order to maintain adequate security. Nevertheless, the report is

sure to raise alarm bells among Members of Congress and other

stakeholders, as Western is one of the top 10 power providers in the

nation and could be seen as a prime target for security threats and

attacks.

Transportation committee holds hearing on grid

security


On April 14, the House Transportation and Infrastructure

Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and

Energy Management held a hearing titled “Blackout! Are We Prepared

to Manage the Aftermath of a CyberAttack or Other Failure of the

Electric Grid?” The purpose of the meeting was to discuss risks posed

by widespread power outages and assess planning efforts among

public, private, and nonprofit utilities in the electric sector.

Subcommittee Chair Lou Barletta (R–Pa.) and Ranking Member Andre

Carson (D–Ind.) both expressed concern about grid security and

pointed to the December cyberattack on Ukraine’s power system,

saying that the right preparation can avoid a catastrophic event.

Witnesses included Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Patricia Hoffman, assistant

secretary for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability at DOE; Caitlin

Durkovich, assistant secretary for Infrastructure Protection, National



Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), Department of

Homeland Security; Richard Campbell, specialist in energy policy,

Congressional Research Service; Gerry Cauley, president and CEO,

North American Electric Reliability Corporation; William Spence, CEO,

PPL Corporation; and Bobbi Kilmer, president and CEO, Claverack

Rural Electric Cooperative, on behalf of the National Rural Electric

Cooperative Association (NRECA).

Fugate, Hoffman, and Durkovich each emphasized the importance of

the federal government to be prepared to work with their partners in

state, local, and tribal governments, along with the private sector.

Cauley told lawmakers about the GridEx exercises led by the

Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center with participants

from industry and government to practice responding to physical,

cyber, and natural attacks on the grid.

Lawmakers probed Hoffman about DOE’s spare transformer plan;

Hoffman said the Department is complying with mandates in the

Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act calling on DOE to

submit a plan to establish a Strategic Transformer Reserve, including

proposing locations for sites, determining voltage classes of the

transformers, and determining the amount of transformers needed.

Hoffman said they are working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory on

this issue and are well on their way to meeting the December 2016

due date.

House Resources Panel holds hearing focused on

western water users




On April 13, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water,

Power, and Oceans held a hearing entitled “Empowering States and

Western Water Users Through Regulatory and Administrative

Reforms.” The purpose of the hearing was to discuss state water

rights in as much that each state has laws that govern both public and

private water.

The purpose of the hearing was to highlight the complex relationship

between states and the federal government on water regulations. Due

to the complexity in federal regulations, water users are reluctant to

construct needed water infrastructure. One option that has been

floated is to transfer federal water projects to local water users, as a

means of leveraging infrastructure investment in order to reduce

costs. The question of the hearing was how to reform federal

standards to make this possible.

“I’ve been doing this for half a century, and I have never seen the

situation less friendly; and I don’t know what we’re going to do about

it, and I don’t know how we can make it better,” said Robert Lynch,

an energy and water regulatory attorney with the Phoenixbased firm

Robert S. Lynch & Associates.

Jan GoldmanCarter, director of Wetlands and Water Resources for

the National Wildlife Federation, sought to defend the Administration’s

Clean Water Rule (also known as Waters of the U.S. or WOTUS),

which was repeatedly held up as an example of overreach. Goldman

Carter argued that the regulation seeks to more clearly define which



waters receive automatic protection under the Clean Water Act

following two muddled Supreme Court decisions.

“The final rule clarifies and definitely restores protections for

tributaries and adjacent waters, but the rule actually removes

protections for millions of nonfloodplain wetlands that were once

covered by the Act,” GoldmanCarter said.

Lawrence Martin, a Washington state water attorney, testified that

conflicts between the implementation of the Clean Water Act and the

Endangered Species Act are common. He highlighted a case in Los

Angeles County, Calif., in which a water district’s technology to kill

pathogens in urban runoff (to comply with the Clean Water Act)

required the San Bernardino Municipal Water Department to lower

outflows to their plant. This in turn lowered water levels and affected

the habitat of the Santa Ana Sucker, a listed fish.

Rep. Paul Gosar (R–Ariz.) targeted the Obama Administration’s 2015

mitigation memo, which called for federal land management agencies

to standardize their processes for offsetting environmental harm. He

also brought up the possibility that the U.S. Forest Service would

reintroduce its 2014 groundwater directive, a proposal that the

agency withdrew last year after Republicans and Western governors

criticized it. The directive would have required the Forest Service to

better account for how certain activities would affect groundwater and

groundwaterdependent ecosystems.

Lynch responded to Rep. Gosar’s questions on the directive saying

that the agency could not legally regulate groundwater.



“[The Forest Service] has a legal right to protect a water right and

can, like any other landowner, protect it,” Lynch said, “but it is not a

regulatory agency.”


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4/25/2016 Public Power Announcements | Northwest Public Power Association

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Public Power Announcements

(L-R) WSU Vancouver engineering studentsLennae Misiewicz, Rachel Campbell, DaveNguyen, Richard Vallejo, and DeanMontgomery.

WSU Vancouver

engineering students

visit NWPPA’s E&O

Conference

Last week at our 2016

Engineering & Operations

Conference and Trade Show,

five WSU Vancouver Campus

IEEE Chapter student engineers joined nearly 1,000 utility

professionals to learn from educational sessions, walk the trade show,

and network with the public power community. Of the five students,

there were three seniors, one junior, and one sophomore. Lennae

Misiewicz, one of the seniors, will be working at Cowlitz PUD this

summer and was able to meet some Cowlitz personnel at the

Previous Section Next Section Return to eBulletin







(L-R) Commissioner Molly Simpson, RoseKlinge, and Commissioner Ron Skagen

(L-R) Okanogan PUDAccounting Manager FredBurke and GeneralManager John Grubich.

conference. NWPPA was excited to have them all at the conference

with us for the week.

Douglas PUD Commission

honors Klinge

Douglas County PUD

Commissioners Jim Davis, Molly

Simpson, and Ron Skagen

awarded Customer Accounting

Supervisor Rose Klinge with her

30yearservice award during

the April 11 commission meeting held at the District’s East Wenatchee

(Wash.) office. Commissioner Davis thanked Klinge on behalf of the

citizens of Douglas County for her years of service. Klinge in turn

thanked the commission and said, “I am thankful each day to come to

work for this utility. I work with great people.

Okanogan presents more service

awards

At the April 11 regular Okanogan PUD Board of

Commissioners meeting, General Manager

John Grubich presented service awards to Fred

Burke and Karen Williams.

Burke joined Okanogan PUD on April 2, 1996.



(L-R) Okanogan PUD CustomerService Rep Karen Williams andGeneral Manager John Grubich.

(L-R) Vice President Ron Skagen,Secretary Dean Dahlin, PresidentDennis Reid, and Past PresidentDennis Bolz. Not pictured:Treasurer Ben Kostick.

Before coming to

the PUD, he had six years of experience

in the utility industry and over 25 years

of experience in management in other

industries. In 2004, Burke became the

chief accountant, with a title change to

accounting manager in 2013, the position

which he currently holds. Burke received

his 20yearservice award at the

meeting.

In December 2004, Williams was hired by the Methow Valley

Community Center to be a contract employee for the PUD. To better

accommodate the PUD’s customers, she became a PUD employee on

April 3, 2006. Williams was hired on as a customer service rep, the

position she currently holds. Williams received her 10yearservice

award at the meeting.

WPUDA names new ocers

Commissioners from four public utility

districts assumed top leadership positions

for 20162017 as the Washington Public

Utility Districts Association (WPUDA)

announced the election of its new officers

last week. Wahkiakum County PUD

Commissioner Dennis Reid was tapped to

serve as president; Douglas County PUD



Commissioner Ron Skagen was elected vice president after serving a

year as secretary; Lewis County PUD Commissioner Dean Dahlin was

elected secretary; and Lewis County PUD Commissioner Ben Kostick

will continue to serve as treasurer. Chelan County PUD Commissioner

Dennis Bolz completed his year of service as president and will now fill

the role of past president on the Executive Committee.

The new officers assume an important leadership role in achieving the

Association’s mission to “support, protect, and enhance members’

ability to conserve power and water resources of the state and to

provide notforprofit, locally controlled utility services.”

WPUDA honors Douglas County

PUD’s Brad Hawkins

Washington Public Utility Districts

Association (WPUDA) presented Douglas

County PUD’s Brad Hawkins with a

special award recognizing his longterm

effort to pass federal legislation needed to preserve the value of HRA

VEBA plans for employees of public utility districts. Congress took

action this year to enact a simple technical fix that was necessary due

to a 2006 IRS ruling that made these plans less attractive by

prohibiting the savings accounts from passing to nondependent heirs

when no surviving spouse or qualified dependents remain after a

participant’s death.

The award “recognizes and honors” Hawkins for “spearheading the



successful legislative effort” and his “energy, dedication, and service

in building and playing a major role in a coalition to advocate these

changes.” Hawkins was honored for his ongoing work on the issue

during the Association’s meetings in Cle Elum last week.

Energy Assist providing monthly bill credits to 108

OPALCO members

OPALCO (Eastsound, Wash.) announced that 108 coop members

have applied for and received a monthly credit on their power bill

since the new Energy Assist program began in February. The monthly

bill credit ranges from $10/month (for a oneperson household) to

$25/month (sixormoreperson household). Members who meet the

qualifications for other assistance programs, such as Federal Free

Lunch, LIHEAP, or OPALCO’s Project PAL, are likely to qualify for

Energy Assist. Members on the Energy Assist program are also

qualified for a similar bill credit with Rock Island Communications for

Internet services.

“We recognize the affordability gap in San Juan County,” said OPALCO

Board President Jim Lett. “We’re committed to doing our part and

hope to inspire other utilities and services in the County to dig deep

and find solutions to help seniors and lowincome housings meet the

rising cost of living in the islands. The sustainability of our

communities depends on it.”

Tacoma Power recognized for providing reliable, safe



electric service

Tacoma Power (Wash.) was recently recognized by the American

Public Power Association (APPA) for its reliable, safe electric service.

APPA gave 29 of the country’s public power utilities an RP3

designation, meaning Reliable Public Power Provider. The designation

is a reflection of a utility’s high proficiency in reliability, safety,

workforce development, and system improvement.

Only 219 of the more than 2,000 public power utilities across the

country hold the RP3 designation, which lasts for three years.

Criteria within each of the four RP3 areas are based upon sound

business practices and recognized industryleading practices. Entries

were judged by 18 APPA panel members.

Key elements of Tacoma Power’s success include:

Collecting and analyzing reliability dataHaving a mutual aid agreement with other utilitiesRunning a strong vegetation management program to preventpower outagesHolding annual refresher trainings for bucket truck rescue, laddersafety, poletop rescue, and CPRConducting disaster drillsRunning successful power conservation programsAnalyzing longterm infrastructure needs

“I’m proud of our team,” said Tacoma Power Superintendent Chris

Robinson. “We are dedicated to providing our customers with safe and

reliable power, and being honored with this RP3 designation is one



more way to show it.”

SMUD helps job-seeking military veterans nd work

SMUD is partnering with the State of California Employment

Development Department (EDD), to host the Honor a Hero, Hire a Vet

Job and Resource Fair for the greater Sacramento area on April 28.

The job fair is free to veterans, guardsmen, and reservists returning

from active duty. Job seekers will be able to meet with more than 100

employers and 25 supportive services providers.

Attendees will have opportunities for oneonone resumé review and

career coaching. Workshops will be offered to help job seekers find

and apply for state and federal jobs.

SMUD is a strong supporter of veterans in its community. The electric

utility’s partnership with EDD includes California Community Colleges;

California Department of Veteran Affairs; California Labor and

Workforce Development Agency; Department of Industrial Relations

Apprenticeship Standards; Starbucks; Sacramento Employment and

Training Agency; Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency;

and other federal, state, local, and private organizations within

Sacramento and surrounding counties.

For more information, please call EDD’s Ryan Perez or John Plane at

(916) 2270301.

TPU volunteer program wins rst employer-based



Governor’s Volunteer Service Award

Volunteerism and giving thrive at Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU).

Throughout the year, employees give their time, skills, and money to

help those most in need.

Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee recognized that and awarded TPU’s

Community Connection program with the Governor’s Volunteer

Service Award for employerbased programs. Tacoma Public Utilities is

the first organization to receive the award.

“We were impressed that employees volunteer on their own time and

give their own money to support the community,” said Serve

Washington Executive Director Debbie Schuffenhauer. “The volume of

the activities and the impact they make stood out. It was an easy

choice to select Tacoma Public Utilities’ Community Connection

program for this award.”

In 2015, TPU employees volunteered 2,200 hours after work and on

weekends participating in Community Connection activities. They

donated nearly $318,000 in cash, product donations, and volunteer

hours. <?

Community Connection has a mission to match employees’ unique

skills and resources to help meet the most pressing needs in the

communities where TPU serves. The Community Connection program

offered more than 40 volunteer and giving opportunities to TPU

employees in 2015 through 13 local nonprofit agencies.

“Our employees have unique skills that can be costly for nonprofits to



procure,” said Community Connection Program Manager Erika Tucci.

“Our employees bring construction, energy and water conservation,

plumbing, electrical, and logistic skills to projects like the annual

Rebuilding Together South Sound event and the impact is

unbelievable.”

According to the United Way, utility bill assistance is one of the top

needs in Pierce County each quarter. Community Connection helps fill

the gap by addressing basic household needs, like food security. TPU

volunteers repack food at the Emergency Food Network at least one

Saturday each month. Last year, TPU employees repacked more than

226,000 pounds of food.

TPU volunteers serve hot meals and bag groceries at least one

Monday each month at My Sister’s Pantry, an organization that

supports people who are struggling financially.

Two events, a bake sale and motorcycle ride, raised more than

$3,300 for the TPU Senior Assistance Fund, which provides onetime,

$100 utility bill assistance to lowincome, senior customers.

The annual BowlAThon raises about $16,000 each year for the Boys

and Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound.

During the holidays, employees donate hundreds of gifts through the

Salvation Army Giving Tree and through the AdoptAFamily program.





4/25/2016 Associate Member Announcements | Northwest Public Power Association

https://www.nwppa.org/ebulletin/associate-member/ 1/2

Associate Member Announcements

General Pacic announces FR clothing and FR Apparel

Program

General Pacific is proud to offer an expansion to its offerings: flame

resistant (FR) apparel. Featuring FR apparel from Bulwark and

Carhartt, General Pacific now offers a complete line of FR apparel to

help you and your employees meet current industry regulations.

There are two ways to outfit your crew: onetime/bulk purchase and

the annual FR Apparel Program.

Features of the GenPac Apparel Program:

We’ll create your own utilitybranded website based on theGenPacApparel.com platform – a modern, fullfeatured ecommerce website. Visit www.GenPacApparel.com to check it out.All employees are set up with their own account ID and password,and each account is loaded with credit in the amount you choose.Employees can make purchases with their account credit; no outof pocket payment is required. If an order exceeds the annualallowance maximum, the employee can pay for the balance with acredit card.






4/25/2016 Associate Member Announcements | Northwest Public Power Association

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Account credit can roll over or be reset each year.The FR program manager has the ability to select specificproducts to make available, or open the program to the entireGenPac Apparel catalog.Embroidery is available.A dedicated General Pacific account manager is here to providetechnical and customer support via phone and email should youever need assistance.

General Pacific (GenPac) is one of the leading wholesale stocking

distributors in the Northwest region of the United States. Serving the

electrical utility, water utility, and contractor markets since 1965 has

helped General Pacific build longlasting relationships with our

customers by providing them with quality products and value added

services. Please call us at (503) 9072900 or email

[email protected] for more info.








4/25/2016 Calendar of Events | Northwest Public Power Association

https://www.nwppa.org/ebulletin/events-calendar/ 1/6

Calendar of Events

2016 Upcoming Industry Meetings

Send your 2016 meeting dates and locations to Debbie at [email protected].

April 2016

21 – Celilo Converter Station Celebration, Portland, OR

20 – Connected Everything









22-24 – 10th Annual Wildland Fire Litigation Conference

http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/?u=24a1fe3fcf89d557662f8a4b4&id=eefcb19f50&e=a46d54f097/



Have you heard about the 10th Annual Wildland Fire

Litigation Conference? Last year’s event was attended by

participants from 21 states and 1 Canadian province. In

attendance in recent years were wildland re investigators;

forensics experts; re-ghting and prevention personnel;

plainti, defense, subrogation, government, utility, and

insurance attorneys; public utility personnel; appraisers and

environmental damage appraisers; Department of Forestry

personnel (California and Oregon); USFS, BLM, tree

inspection, and tree trimming contractors; insurance

adjustors and insurance subrogation managers; arborists;

foresters; and academics. This year’s program has been

expanded to include re investigation topics, legal topics,

forensics topics, damages, and environmental issues. We

have an outstanding faculty of professionals ready to

expand our knowledge on many important topics and

issues. For more information, visit

http://wildlandrelitigation.com/.

26-27 – DOE Grid Modernization Regional Workshops

DOE Grid Modernization Regional Workshops

The importance of our nation’s electric system cannot be overstated. It underpins oureconomic prosperity, national security and our overall quality of life. However, as ourcountry moves toward a more digital economy and we witness a convergence ofinformation technology with communications, electricity, transportation and othersectors, the demands being placed on our grid infrastructure are changing dramatically.

As part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Modernization Initiative, the

http://wildlandfirelitigation.com/

http://wildlandfirelitigation.com/



Department is convening industry stakeholders across the U.S. in a series of regionalworkshops. These workshops will seek feedback on the Department’s grid relatedresearch and demonstration strategy, and provide opportunities for stakeholders toinform the Department on the grid-related technical challenges and emerging policyissues you see confronting your region and the nation as a whole. To incorporate boththese goals, the workshops will include two tracks:

Track 1 will focus of the Department’s Grid Modernization Multi-Year Program Plan(MYPP) that identifies key challenges and specifies research and demonstrationpriorities for achieving a modernized grid. The research plan was developed based oninput from the Quadrennial Energy Review and Quadrennial Technology Review as wellas the private sector, including the industry-led Future of the Grid Initiative; however,stakeholder input is needed to help refine the Department’s research portfolio to ensurethat it aligns with regional needs.

Track 2 will explore the technology implications and challenges associated withemerging policies related to grid modernization efforts. These multi-stakeholderdiscussions and the insights stakeholders provide will help inform efforts to assist stateand local decision makers as they consider future grid investments and develop theirown roadmaps for grid modernization. Stakeholder participation will also help us tobetter understand the technology developments needed to address future policy changes.

The workshops will take place from March through June 2016 in the following regions:

Central: Austin, TX – March 2-3 Northeast: Boston, MA – April 13-14 Northwest: Seattle, WA – April 26-27 Midwest: Minneapolis, MN – May 9-10 Southeast: Atlanta, GA – May 17-18 2016 Southwest: San Francisco, CA

Regional Designations

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/01/f28/Grid%20Modernization%20Multi-Year%20Program%20Plan.pdf

http://energy.gov/epsa/quadrennial-energy-review-qer

http://energy.gov/quadrennial-technology-review-2015

https://www.smartgrid.gov/grid_of_the_future.html



May 2016

1-4 – NRECA Legislative Conference, Washington, D.C.

5 – PPC Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR

15-18 – NWPPA Annual Conference & Membership Meeting, Tulalip, WA

17-18 – Western Reliability Summit, Hilton Hotel Salt Lake City, Utah

WECC is excited to announce its first-ever Western Reliability Summit. The Summit will be heldin Salt Lake City, Utah on May 17 and 18. For more information about the event and to register,visit the Summit website at http://www.westernreliabilitysummit.org/ or email us [email protected]. This is a unique opportunity for you to share your thoughts andparticipate in discussions that will help inform our understanding of the electric reliabilitychallenges facing the Western Interconnection and shape and influence the direction of our workand products over the coming years.

June 2016


7-9 – APA Federal Legislative Conference, Washington, D.C.

10-15 – APPA National Conference & Public Power EXPO, Phoenix, AZ

14-15 – WRECA Annual Meeting, Red Lion Hotel Richland Hanford House, Richland, WA

July 2016


12-14 – ORECA Mid-Year Meeting, Seven Feathers Casino Resort, OR

August 2016


http://netforum.nwppa.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?webcode=EventInfo&Reg_evt_key=2d962f4f-0abf-4f5f-bdb1-03c47810d425&RegPath=&FreeEvent=0&Event=NWPPA

http://www.westernreliabilitysummit.org/

http://www.westernreliabilitysummit.org/




September 2016


19-20 – National Hydropower Association Alaska Meeting, Cordova, AK

21-23 – APA Annual Membership Meeting, Cordova, AK

October 2016

4-6 – Regions 7 & 9 Meeting, Reno, NV


November 2016


29-Dec. 1 – ORECA Annual Meeting, Location TBA, OR

December 2016

8 – PPC Annual Meeting, Sheraton Portland Airport, Portland, OR – 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.







4/25/2016 Submit an RFP or RFQ | Northwest Public Power Association

https://www.nwppa.org/rfprfq/ 1/5

Submit an RFP or RFQ

NWPPA oers its members the opportunity to post RFPs and RFQs on our website at no charge. For

more information or questions, contact Debbie K. at [email protected] or complete the form below.

CURRENT RFPs/RFQs

16-34 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS No. 16-34 for Employee benets consulting

Oered by: Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington

Response deadline: May 18, 2016

2:30 p.m. PDT

Posted on: April 20, 2016

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS No. 16-34

for

Employee benets consulting

Proposals will be received by Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington (the “District”),

at the oce of, Procurement and Contract Services, Attention Alexandria Smith, Contract Specialist,

327 North Wenatchee Avenue, Wenatchee, Washington 98801, until 2:30 p.m., Pacic Daylight Time,

May 18, 2016 for

Employee Benets Consulting

The Proposal Documents, in whole or in part, are available in read-only format at

Submit an RFP/RFQ for publication on NWPPA.ORG





http://www.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids. The District makes no representation as to the completeness

of the electronic le. Interested companies may obtain Proposal Documents from the Procurement

and Contract Services Department. Requests are accepted online at

http://www.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids, or in writing to P.O. Box 1231, Wenatchee, WA 98807, or in

person at 327 North Wenatchee Avenue, Wenatchee, WA 98801, or by telephone at (509) 661-4479 or

(888) 663-8121, extension 4479.

The District reserves the right to reject any and/or all Proposals, and/or to waive informalities, and to

accept any Proposal which is in the District's best interests.

16-33 BID NO. 16-33 Truck Uptting

Oered by: Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County,Washington


2:30 p.m.


Sealed bids will be received by Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County,Washington, at the oce

of the District, Attention: Mark Belton, Procurement and Contract Services, 327B North Wenatchee

Avenue, Wenatchee, Washington, 98801, until 2:30 pm, Pacic Time, Friday, May 6, 2016, for supplying

all labor, materials, tools equipment, facilities, and all other appliances and supplies as specied, and

performing all work required in accordance with the Contract Documents.

The Contract Documents, in whole or in part, may be available in read-only format

at http://www.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids. Prospective Bidders may obtain Contract

Documents in electronic format from the Procurement and Contract Services Department. Requests

are accepted online at http://www.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids, or in writing to P.O. Box 1231,

Wenatchee, WA 98807, or by telephone at (509) 661-4479 or (888) 663-8121, extension 4479, or may

be viewed in person at 327B N. Wenatchee Avenue, Wenatchee, Washington. The District makes every

eort to insure the completeness of the electronic le. If there are any questions, please contact

the Procurement and Contract Services department at the number stated above. No pre-bid site

inspection has been scheduled for this Project. If you have questions, please contact the Project

Manager below:

Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County

http://www.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids

http://www.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids



P.O. Box 1231, 327 North Wenatchee Avenue

Wenatchee, Washington 98807

Telephone: (509) 661-4318, or toll free at (888) 663-8121, extension 4318.

Attention: Michael Shrader

The District reserves the right to reject any and/or all bids, to waive informalities, and to accept any

bid which is in the District's best interests.

Bid No. 16-39 - Distribution and Transmission Pole Bid

Oered by: Chelan PUD

Response deadline: April 28, 2016

2:00 p.m. Pacic Time


Sealed bids will be received by Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington, at the oce

of the District, Attention: Mark Belton, Procurement and Contract Services, 327B North Wenatchee

Avenue, Wenatchee, Washington, 98801, until 2:00 pm, Pacic Time, Thursday, April 28, 2016, for

supplying all labor, materials, tools, equipment, facilities, and all other appliances and supplies as

specied, and performing all work required in accordance with the Contract Documents.

The Contract Documents, in whole or in part, may be available in read-only format at

http://clio.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids. Prospective Bidders may obtain Contract Documents in

electronic format from the Procurement and Contract Services Department. Requests are accepted

online at http://clio.chelanpud.org/cf/PCS_Bids, or in writing to P.O. Box 1231, Wenatchee, WA 98807,

or by telephone at (509) 661-4479 or (888) 663-8121, extension 4479, or may be viewed in person at

327B N. Wenatchee Avenue, Wenatchee, Washington. The District makes every eort to insure the

completeness of the electronic le. If there are any questions, please contact the Procurement and

Contract Services department at the number stated above.

No pre-bid site inspection has been scheduled for this Project. If you have questions, please contact

the Project Manager below:

Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County

P.O. Box 1231, 327 North Wenatchee Avenue



Wenatchee, Washington 98807

Telephone: (509) 661-4867, or toll free at (888) 663-8121, extension 4867.

Attention: Lyle Moore

The District reserves the right to reject any and/or all bids, to waive informalities, and to accept any

bid which is in the District's best interests.

Bid Number - 4803 - Electric Utility-Field Services Meter Routing System Project

Oered by: City of Redding


Must be received by 3:00 pm PST


Request for Proposals: Electric Utility-Field Services Meter Routing System Project

http://www.cityofredding.org/Home/Components/RFP/RFP/1220/340

The City of Redding (City) is requesting proposals from qualied rms or individuals interested in

providing an end-to-end GIS-based meter reading and service order routing software application and

a GPS navigation solution with Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) for the Field Services Division of

Redding Electric Utility (REU) to re- route existing meter reading routes in REU’s service territory,

provide on-going daily work reassignment capabilities, optimize route performance and enhance

employee safety.

The City intends to procure a contract for a service that is multi-functional, compatible with the City’s

geocoded street centerline data, and compatible with both REU’s current eld data collection

management software and hosted enterprise level customer information management system (CIS).

This project is intended to equalize all meter reading routes initially, as feasible, and allow for daily

adjustments with routes based on sta availability and overall daily workload. This project will also

automate the scheduling of daily, non-meter reading service work and add an additional tool through

the GPS/AVL function for optimizing employee safety and eciency.

Sealed proposals must be submitted to:

City of Redding: City Clerk; 777 Cypress Ave; Redding, CA 96001

http://www.cityofredding.org/Home/Components/RFP/RFP/1220/340



Please view the link above for the full RFP, including specications and contact information. Thank

you.

To be added the distribution list for this RFP, please contact Amber Edenburn @

[email protected].




4/25/2016 Jobs | Northwest Public Power Association

https://www.nwppa.org/ebulletin/jobs/ 1/2

Jobs

Recent job openings within the industry in the

last week:

Chief Financial Officer – Klickitat PUD Controller – Jefferson County Public Utility District No.1 Director of Human Resources – Flathead Electric Cooperative Distribution Design Technician – Clatskanie People’s Utility District Human Resources Manager – Tacoma Public Utilities – City of Tacoma,Washington Journeyman Lineman – Public Utility District No. 2 of Pacific County Journeyman Powerplant Operator – Douglas County PUD


View all available jobs






https://www.nwppa.org/job/chief-financial-officer-2/

https://www.nwppa.org/job/controller-2/

https://www.nwppa.org/job/director-human-resources/

https://www.nwppa.org/job/distribution-design-technician/

https://www.nwppa.org/job/human-resources-manager-tacoma-public-utilities/

https://www.nwppa.org/job/journeyman-lineman-4/

https://www.nwppa.org/job/journeyman-powerplant-operator/

http://members.nwppa.org/jobbank/joblistings.aspx




4/25/2016 Jobs | Northwest Public Power Association

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4/25/2016 This Day In History | Northwest Public Power Association

https://www.nwppa.org/ebulletin/this-day-in-history/ 1/8

This Day In History

The Great San Francisco Earthquake

April 18, 1906

At 5:13 a.m., an earthquake estimated at close to 8.0 on the Richter

scale strikes San Francisco, California, killing hundreds of people as it

topples numerous buildings. The quake was caused by a slip of the

San Andreas Fault over a segment about 275 miles long, and shock

waves could be felt from southern Oregon down to Los Angeles.

San Francisco’s brick buildings and wooden Victorian structures were

especially devastated. Fires immediately broke out and–because

broken water mains prevented firefighters from stopping them–

firestorms soon developed citywide. At 7 a.m., U.S. Army troops from

Fort Mason reported to the Hall of Justice, and San Francisco Mayor

E.E. Schmitz called for the enforcement of a dusktodawn curfew and

authorized soldiers to shoottokill anyone found looting. Meanwhile,

in the face of significant aftershocks, firefighters and U.S. troops

fought desperately to control the ongoing fire, often dynamiting whole

Previous Section Return to eBulletin






city blocks to create firewalls. On April 20, 20,000 refugees trapped

by the massive fire were evacuated from the foot of Van Ness Avenue

onto the USS Chicago.

By April 23, most fires were extinguished, and authorities commenced

the task of rebuilding the devastated metropolis. It was estimated

that some 3,000 people died as a result of the Great San Francisco

Earthquake and the devastating fires it inflicted upon the city. Almost

30,000 buildings were destroyed, including most of the city’s homes

and nearly all the central business district.

JFK denies U.S. military intervention in Cuba

April 18, 1961

On this day in 1961, President John F. Kennedy heats up Cold War

rhetoric in a letter responding to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s

claim that the U.S. was engaging in armed aggression against the

communist regime in Cuba. Kennedy denied the allegations, told

Kruschev he was under a serious misapprehension and stated that the

U.S. intends no military intervention in Cuba. However, Kennedy

insisted that he would support Cubans who wish to see a democratic

system in an independent Cuba and that the U.S. would take no

action to stifle the spirit of liberty.

In fact, the night before Kennedy wrote this letter, approximately

1,200 Cuban exiles, supplied and trained by the CIA, landed in Cuba’s

Bay of Pigs with plans to overthrow Castro. Kennedy was fully aware

that the invasion was underway; he had authorized it three days



earlier. CIA documents released in 2000 indicated that Kruschev had

also learned of the plans for a CIAled invasion well in advance and

had passed the information on to Castro via the KGB, Russia’s secret

police. Early on April 18, Kruschev sent a letter to Kennedy warning

the president to stop the little war against Cuba or risk an

incomparable conflagration with the Soviet Union. Privately, Kennedy

dismissed as hypocritical a lecture on intervention coming from a

Soviet leader who had supported communistled coups in Europe and

Asia. In his official response, Kennedy warned Khrushchev not to use

the U.S.’s support for Cuban rebels as an excuse to inflame other

areas of the world and told the Soviet Union to stay out of the

Western Hemisphere’s internal affairs.

The Bay of Pigs invasion quickly fell apart when it became apparent

that the CIA had gravely miscalculated the willingness of Cuba’s

military to join the exiles in a coup. Castro’s forces quickly put down

the rebellion, killing approximately 200 of the exiles and capturing the

rest, except for a few who managed to escape and report back to the

CIA. On April 24, 1961, Kennedy accepted sole responsibility for the

botched invasion. The Bay of Pigs failure did not stop Kennedy from

supporting subsequent covert plans to overthrow Castro.

Benoit wins Boston Marathon

April 18, 1983

Joan Benoit wins her second Boston Marathon in the women’s division

with a time of 2:22:43 on April 18, 1983. The following year, she

went on to win the firstever women’s marathon at the Summer



Olympic Games in Los Angeles and became the first person to win

Boston as well as Olympic gold.

A native of Maine, Benoit turned to longdistance running in high

school after a ski injury. In 1979, as a senior at Bowdoin College,

Benoit won her first Boston Marathon with a time of 2:35:15. Four

years later, on April 18, 1983, Benoit won her second Boston

Marathon, with a record time of 2:22:43. Greg Meyer of

Massachusetts was the men’s winner that year, with a time of

2:09:00. As of 2007, Meyer was the last American man to win the

Boston Marathon, which has been dominated by Kenyans in recent

decades.

The inaugural Boston Marathon was run on April 19, 1897, and was a

menonly event until 1972, when women were officially allowed to

compete. The first female winner, Nina Kuscsik, finished with a time of

3:10:26 and was one of eight women who ran the race that year.

The first modern Olympic marathon was run at the 1896 Games in

Athens. Eightyeight years later, the firstever women’s Olympic

Marathon was run at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Less

than three weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, Benoit

won her Olympic trials. On August 5, 1984, she took home the gold

medal with a time of 2:24:52, defeating Grete Waitz of Norway and

Rosa Mota of Portugal.

Following the Olympics, Benoit returned to Maine, got married (and

changed her name to Joan Benoit Samuelson) and had a family. In

October 1985, she won the Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:21:21,



setting a record that held for 21 years for the fastest U.S. female

marathon time. After retiring from professional racing, she became a

motivational speaker, author and commentator. In 2006, Benoit

Samuelson helped pace champion cyclist Lance Armstrong in his first

New York City Marathon. She remains the only American woman ever

to have won an Olympic marathon.

Dick Clark, host of “American Bandstand” and “New

Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” dies

April 18, 2012

On this day in 2012, Dick Clark, the TV personality and producer best

known for hosting “American Bandstand,” an influential musicand

dance show that aired nationally from 1957 to 1989 and helped bring

rock `n’ roll into the mainstream in the late 1950s, dies of a heart

attack at age 82 in Santa Monica, California. The cleancut, youthful

looking Clark, dubbed “America’s Oldest Teenager,” also was the

longtime host of the annual telecast “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” and

headed an entertainment empire that developed game shows, awards

shows, talk shows, madeforTV movies and other programs.

Richard Wagstaff Clark was born on November 30, 1929, and raised in

Mount Vernon, New York. His father was a salesman who later

managed a radio station. Clark graduated from Syracuse University in

1951 and moved to Philadelphia the following year to work as a radio

disc jockey. In 1956, he became the host of a local, teenoriented TV

show called “Bandstand” (launched in 1952) after the original host



was fired.

In 1957, “American Bandstand,” as it was renamed, began airing

nationwide. The program, which showcased ordinary teenagers

dancing to records and musical acts introduced by Clark, quickly

became a hit with millions of young viewers, who tuned in for the

latest music, fashions and dance crazes. Clark helped end the then

standard practice of having white singers cover the songs of black

artists on TV, and a number of AfricanAmerican performers, including

Chuck Berry and Chubby Checker, made their national TV debut on

“American Bandstand.”

In 1960, amidst the show’s success, Clark was called to testify before

a congressional subcommittee investigating the practice of payola, in

which record companies bribed disc jockeys in order to get airplay for

records. At the hearings, Clark testified to holding an ownership stake

in more than 30 different record labels, distributors and

manufacturers, and featuring the acts from those labels on “American

Bandstand.” He denied doing anything illegal and was never charged

with a crime. However, prior to the hearings, ABC, which broadcast

“American Bandstand,” directed Clark to divest himself of all his

musicrelated businesses, a move said to cost him millions of dollars.

“American Bandstand” originally aired every weekday afternoon

before switching to a Saturdaysonly schedule in late 1963. In 1964,

the show relocated from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. In the ensuing

years, as popular music styles changed, it continued to be a place for

artists to launch or advance their careers. Among the multitudes of

acts to appear on the program were the Beastie Boys, The Doors,



Kiss, The Mamas & The Papas, Prince, RunDMC, Michael Jackson and

Madonna. Clark hosted “American Bandstand” until just months before

it was cancelled in late 1989 (the show’s final installments were

hosted by David Hirsch).

The music impresario furthered his place in pop culture as the host

and producer of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” a TV special

that debuted in 1974 and included musical performances and live

coverage of the ball drop from New York City’s Times Square. Clark

helmed the telecast every year until December 31, 2004, having

suffered a stroke earlier that month. Though the stroke left him

speechimpaired, he returned to the countdown special the following

year, with Ryan Seacrest as cohost, and continued to make annual

appearances through 2011.

In addition to being an onair personality, Clark became a media titan

with his eponymous production company, formed in 1957. The

company’s long list of credits range from “The $10,000 Pyramid” to

“TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes” to the American Music Awards and

the Golden Globe Awards. Clark also remained involved in radio

throughout his career, hosting several national shows and cofounding

a radio network. After half a century in the entertainment business,

the thricemarried Clark suffered a fatal heart attack on April 18,

2012, following a surgical procedure at St. John’s Health Center in

Santa Monica.

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