Provided by the APPA

On Monday, May 16, the D.C. Circuit issued an order on its own motion, rescheduling the oral argument in the Section 111(d) case from June 2 and 3, 2016, to Tuesday, September 27, 2016, before all of the judges on the D.C. Circuit, not just a three-judge panel.  The granting of en banc review by the D.C. Circuit is very rare, and the fact that the court did this on its own accord shows the significance of the case. Overall, we believe this is a positive development.

Article courtesy of APPA

The Central Municipal Power Agency/Services is exploring the feasibility of a community solar project to provide low-cost power to its members and affiliates.

CMPAS is still in the beginning stages of exploring the feasibility of a community solar project, the agency said, but all 12 of its member utilities are interested in a potential project. Full-service members include Blue Earth, Delano, Fairfax, Glencoe, Granite Falls, Janesville, Kasson, Kenyon, Mountain Lake, Sleepy Eye and Springfield in Minnesota. Non-member affiliates who receive only power supply services include Willmar and Elk River in Minnesota and Waverly, Cedar Falls, Independence, Montezuma, Indianola and Eldridge in Iowa.

To read the full article, click here.

by Joe Nipper, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs & Communications, APPA

Public Power Week is coming up, Oct 4–10. Please join 2,000 small and large municipal utilities across the country in telling your customers about the benefits of public power.

You'll find many tools and templates from the American Public Power Association at www.PublicPower.org/PublicPowerWeek. Simply use your APPA member login to download any or all of these resources, adapt as you see fit, and use them to tell your story. In addition to sample fact sheets, press releases, op-eds, and letters to public officials, we have a host of brand-new digital resources for you this year. Do check out the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram images, info-graphics, comic strips; and videos that we developed specially for you.

We even have special giveaways — bookmarks and temporary tattoos — that you can order from the APPA website and use all year long.

Check out our brand-new animated video on the benefits of public power. Feel free to download and use the video on your website, social media, etc. It's great for Public Power Week but you can also use this video year round. We have 15, 30, and 90-second versions for you. Hope Public Power Week is going well.

You may already be planning special community events and promotions for your utility, and we'd love to hear how it all goes — email your pictures and reports to us at PublicPowerWeek@PublicPower.org. Or post them on social media and use #PublicPowerWeek and tag us @PublicPowerOrg on Twitter and Instagram.

If you haven't made plans, it's not too late. Here are five simple things you can do now:

1. Download and use pictures of the superhero mascot, Captain Public Power, on your website and social media, and other materials.
2. Take a mounted picture of Captain Public Power around town for "selfies" at community landmarks, with your customers, staff, and city officials. Post your photos to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with #PublicPowerWeek and @PublicPowerOrg.
3. Send a press release (see our sample) to your local newspaper, TV, and radio stations and offer up your executives for interviews or to answer people's questions about their electricity.
4. Educate your customers with infographics on community solar and home batteries.
5. Engage your audiences by sharing fun and informational comic strips (one for every business day of Public Power Week) on energy efficiency, safety, new technologies, community solar, and careers in public power.

Good luck and happy Public Power Week. If you have questions or want more information, please email us at PublicPowerWeek@PublicPower.org and a member of my communications team will get back to you right away.