A federal judge on August 4 said the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) must dig up coal ash at one of its power plants and move it to a lined waste site. The order came in a suit filed by the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association and the Tennessee Clean Water Network, who said coal ash stored at the TVA’s Gallatin Fossil Plant has been polluting the nearby Cumberland River for decades in violation of the Clean Water Act. In a statement TVA says it is reviewing the order and has not decided whether it will appeal. TVA's statement reiterated that the court said there is no evidence of human health or environmental impacts from the coal ash ponds at Gallatin.

In a fresh setback for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan — the EPA’s final 2015 rule requiring cuts in carbon dioxide from power plants — a federal appeals court issued an order on Aug. 8 putting another 60-day hold on litigation over the rule. The same court ordered a first 60-day abeyance earlier this year.

Based on a calculation of grid forecasts, more than 9,000 megawatts of solar power may go down. That's the equivalent of about nine nuclear reactors. However, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation doesn't foresee any reliability issues as grid operators have been planning for the eclipse for months.

In 2016 alone, utilities reported 3,456 outages caused by the ubiquitous rodents that cut off power to more than 193,873 customers. Utilities using the American Public Power Association’s eReliability Tracker system help us to get a better picture of the timing and trends in squirrel-related outages through the year. Four years into tracking, the trends are clear — expect a higher incidence of squirrel-related outages in the spring and fall.

A 2017 study by Ohio State University Swank Program on Rural-Urban Policy estimated the economic benefits of providing broadband access to unserved households in Ohio. The study found the long-term economic benefits of providing broadband access to every rural community exceed the cost of building that infrastructure. And it isn’t even close.

While there are many ways to reach your customers, there’s no better cornerstone to your communications program than a newsletter. A consistent publication gives you a reliable avenue of passing along information, and with today’s digital options, your printed newsletter can take on electronic forms (email and social media channels) that will foster an even higher level of engagement.

Due to Berlin, Ohio's location in the mountains, the small town often experiences extreme winter weather. Frequent power outages caused by weather, coupled with rising wholesale electricity rates, led Berlin to seek a highly reliable and affordable alternative energy solution. The ultra-clean Tier 4 PowerSecure PowerBlock generation system fit the bill.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The first wealth is health." With the tidal wave of controversy swirling around the topic of health care in America, I humbly offer a suggestion which may not solve the national health care predicament, but which will likely reduce your personal lifetime health care costs as well as sustain a comfortable quality of life.

Anytime there is a statewide elected office up for grabs without an incumbent, there is a scramble of people declaring themselves candidates for the position. This also means there is a resulting musical chairs of candidates running for different positions in which incumbents are running for the statewide or other elected position. Across the state there is a domino effect of people not running for re-election and are instead running for newly vacant positions. Throw in an appointment to a federal judgeship, and there are certainly a lot of moving pieces. With recent announcements of retirements and candidacies for new positions, let's get an update on Tennessee’s election landscape.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has its first quorum in six months after swearing in two newly confirmed commissioners this week. Robert Powelson, a former Pennsylvania utilities commissioner, and Neil Chatterjee, a policy aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), officially joined the commission last week.

Each year at TMEPA's Annual Meeting, the best in public power in Tennessee are honored and recognized for their service, commitment, and impact on not just their communities but across the state.

Shannon Littleton of Lenoir City Utilities Board has been appointed the President of the TMEPA Board of Directors. Littleton succeeds outgoing president and now Past President, Jim Ferrell of Jackson Energy Authority. Rounding out TMEPA's new slate of officers is Brian Taylor of Clarksville Department of Electricity as Vice President/President-Elect, along with Scott Dahlstrom of Trenton Light and Water as Secretary/Treasurer.

Have an important meeting or event coming to your town? Let us know and we'll put it on the TMEPA Calendar. Stay up to date with all the TMEPA meetings and other events around the state and even nationally for TMEPA Member Systems.

Would you like to receive daily updates about Tennessee politics and electric utilities, delivered every morning to your inbox? Our Daily News Clips is a list of news articles curated from hundreds of news articles we believe are of interest to TMEPA members. If you would like to receive the clips, just send an email to any of the staff (bsolsbee@tmepa.org, susans@tmepa.org or jelrod@tmepa.org). You can also see the current and past six days on our website by clicking on lick on the link below.

Located 79 miles east of Nashville and 101 miles west of Knoxville in the Upper Cumberland Region of Middle Tennessee, Cookeville Electric Department serves the City of Cookeville proudly with 44 employees. Its mission: to provide the best quality power and the best customer service while keeping the price low and service interruptions to a minimum.

The Business & Financial Conference attracts utility professionals in the areas of customer accounting, customer services, accounting, finance, human resources, information technology, pricing, and market analysis. Conference attendees are typically managers, directors, or vice presidents in their area of specialty, but the meeting is also appropriate for other utility professionals interested in the topics and networking with other public power professionals. The Conference is being held in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Nashville Convention Center.

TMEPA's Fall Engineering and Operations Conference will be held October 26-27 at the Embassy Suites Cool Springs in Franklin, Tennessee. The conference provides information on topics utilities are facing today, and it allows for engineers and operations staff to network and hear how their peers deal with similar issues. The program for the two-day is being finalized. Click on "Learn More" for registration and program information.

Tullahoma Utilities Authority is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Electric Engineering Supervisor or Electric Engineer. This position will be responsible for a wide range of activities and key functions for the Tullahoma Utilities Authority. These responsibilities include but are not limited to engineering and system planning, program administration, and technology support.

Loudon Utilities Board, a municipal electric, natural gas, wastewater, and water utility, is seeking an Electrical Engineer for its Loudon, Tennessee, operations. Working under the instructions of the Director of Engineering, the individual awarded this position will have responsibilities in the following areas.......:

Tennessee Job Training & Safety (JT&S) Public Works Program has an immediate need for Safety Instructors who can work onsite in the Tennessee Valley Area. JT&S is a joint venture between the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Murfreesboro, Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association, and the Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association. The program provides job training and training and support in health and safety issues for both municipal and cooperative utilities throughout the state of Tennessee. JT&S is based at the Murfreesboro campus of Tennessee College of Applied Technology.

The City of Sparta, Tennessee is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Lineman with the Sparta Electric System. Sparta is located 90 miles east of Nashville, TN, 95 miles west of Knoxville, TN and 80 miles north of Chattanooga, TN. The service territory includes a 6.3 square mile service area with approximately 3,000 meters.

Johnson City Power Board has an opening for a Customer Support Manager. Incumbent is responsible for the efficient operation of the department, will implement new products and services, coordinate and recommend policy changes, budgetary considerations and oversee employee development. Applicants may refer to the link below for additional information, qualifications and instructions on how to apply. You may also contact Connie Crouch in Human Resources at 423-952-5162. Applicants are being accepted until August 18.

The City of Alcoa Electric Department is seeking a career-minded individual for the position of Electric Engineer. The work assignments of this position are professional, technical, and management in nature associated with the operation and maintenance of an electric utility system. The successful applicant will be expected to become proficient in all aspects of an electric utility including the engineering of electric distribution lines, sub-transmission lines, substations, transformer stations, metering and services, etc. The employee in this class also provides engineering direction for electric field operations. Applications and resumes should be submitted by Friday, September 15, 2017.

Dyersburg Electric System has an open position for a General Accountant. The position prepares and provides various reports to management, reconciles funds and accounts, performs audits, prepares and maintains accounts payable, etc. A Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from an accredited college or university and/or equivalent experience is required. A CPA is a plus. Five or more years of accounting experience preferred.

This position will perform work involved in the construction and maintenance of overhead and underground electrical service distribution facilities. This will also involve some repair of primary distribution facilities. Both primary and secondary facilities may have to be worked while energized. Employee is responsible for maintaining high work standards to ensure uninterrupted or quick restoration of service to consumers. This is a skilled full-time position under the supervision of a Working Foreman, General Foreman and Director of Operations.

Effective December 19, 2017, Memphis Light, Gas and Water President and Chief Executive Officer Jerry Collins Jr. will retire as head of the utility. Collins has served as President and CEO of MLGW since 2007. He is the 10th person to lead the utility. A native Memphian, Collins previously served as Director of Public Works for the City of Memphis.

Al Kerstiens, assistant general manager at Mt. Pleasant Power System since 2008, has been promoted to the utility’s top job. He assumed the duties of retiring General Manager Derek Church July 1 and will officially succeed Church Oct. 1. With his retirement, Church will close the book on a public-power career of more than 30 years, most of which he spent at Mt. Pleasant.

The Internal Revenue Service should withdraw a proposal it issued early this year that would change the definition of the term "political subdivision" for purposes of tax-exempt bonds, said Sue Kelly, president and CEO of the American Public Power Association, in an August 3 letter to the IRS.