Our Mission, Our Future

As is clearly stated above, the mission of NEPPA is to use the combined strength of our membership to provide the services and opportunities that an individual member could not achieve on its own. Today, we address common needs such as lineworker training, safety classes, and our Public Utility Management Program. We convene conferences around Customer Service, Engineering and Operations, and others to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas. And both our advocacy in Washington and our mutual aid programs have helped to solve the shared problems facing community-owned electric utilities in the Northeast.  As we turn the page to our 51st year of operation, we can all be confident in the knowledge that NEPPA is working every day to achieve its mission.

While NEPPA has been successful in meeting our mission in the current environment, we must also be aware of changing circumstances. At its CEO Roundtable in February, the American Public Power Association (APPA) will be highlighting three areas of disruption: the energy revolution, grid security, and global energy markets. Both the demand for cleaner energy sources and the emergence of electric cars are having a profound impact on the usage of electricity. The ongoing threat of ISIS and continued rise of cyber-terrorism raise concerns about our ability to protect the grid from physical and virtual attacks. Finally, the impact of a globalized energy market raises concerns about our national and economic security as well as the impact of geopolitics on energy prices. The APPA has recognized these as just a few of the many factors that are impacting the current and future landscape of public power in America.

In order for NEPPA to continue to deliver on its mission, it must have a plan for its future. Recently, Calvin Ames, NEPPA President, appointed a Strategic Planning Taskforce. Chaired by Jim Bakas, NEPPA First Vice President, this group represents a broad cross-section of the NEPPA membership and will work with the staff and an outside facilitator to begin drafting a strategic plan. Many of you will be asked to share your thoughts and opinions as we move through this process and I highly encourage you to do so.  

Together we will set the course for NEPPA’s next 50 years.