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The big news out of Washington, D.C., in October was the large number of legal challenges filed against the Environmental Protection Agency's final Clean Power Plan (CPP) rule. The rule was published in the Federal Register on October 23, which opened the door for parties to file legal action related to the CPP with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The same day that the final CPP rule was published in the Federal Register, the American Public Power Association and the Utility Air Regulatory Group filed a joint petition with the appeals court asking the court to review the final rule.

Going into the Distribution Marketplace Forum November 3-4 the planning team for the event hoped to achieve several objectives:

Bring together leaders from the Valley’s 155 local power companies...Check

Increase the awareness and understanding around the changes occurring in the industry...Check

Create an agenda with meaningful topics that drive conversation...Check

Lay the foundation for ongoing discussions and planning around this important issue...Check

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Last month on October 21, TACIR held a hearing on broadband in Tennessee as part of its study on the topic. The hearing was broken down into two panels: a panel of broadband providers and a panel of communities and broadband users. The broadband providers’ panel included incumbent providers like AT&T, cable, and telephone cooperatives, along with municipal and cooperative electric systems. The panel of communities and broadband users included representatives from the sectors of education, public safety, economic development, local officials, and the Tennessee Farm Bureau.

Tennessee’s municipal electric broadband providers are success stories as they implement a successful business model that is providing tremendous benefits to the communities they serve, contrary to misleading and inaccurate testimony from the cable industry during a hearing to a state panel last week.

People love reading stories about other people. With the right understanding and approach, you can use this fact to help promote the services offered by your company. Every day, your utility is making a powerful impact on the communities in your service area. One of the best ways to communicate that fact is by telling the stories of real people who benefit from the services you provide. Whether it be in your newsletter, on your website or through some other outlet, the power of storytelling can help you relate important messages about your utility and increase the power of your brand.

And so it begins for another year. The Spiderman costumes and Donald Trump masks are put away and the rotting pumpkin carcasses long discarded. Then, without missing a beat, the garlands of fake holly and mistletoe are now on display accompanied by the sounds of Burl Ives, Bobby Helms, Elvis, and the Chipmunks. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. But...what about Thanksgiving?

Plans are proceeding remarkably well for the TMEPA 2016 Annual Meeting/50th Anniversary Celebration to be held at the Omni Hotel, Downtown Nashville. Your Planning/Program Committee is putting together an outstanding program that will be sure to enrich your professional responsibilities. Click on the link below to learn about some of the highlights and topics/speakers.

We are pleased to publish a list of the Early Sponsors of your 2016 Annual Meeting. These outstanding organizations have stood by TMEPA with tremendous loyalty and support for a number of years. We ask that you let them know that you appreciate their support.

We at McMinnville Electric System (MES) are like most other utilities in that we keep the lights on, provide excellent customer service, and play active roles in the communities we serve. The milestones met over the three decades of service have been incredible and in some cases record-breaking, as you will see from this short history of our system.

Have an important event coming to your town? Let us know and we'll put it on the TMEPA calendar. Stay up to date with various meetings and events around the state for TMEPA municipal systems.

TMEPA on a regular, yearly basis offers to its systems a one-day course to educate system board members about electric utilities, the role of a power board, and the issues they are likely to face. This year’s Board Training was held October 5, and it was so popular it outgrew the TMEPA training room and had to be held at the Hilton Brentwood/Nashville Suites. Board members along with their managers from systems across Tennessee attended the training. Presenters were lined up to give what Union City’s Jerry Bailey said was "very pertinent information my new Board Member needed to hear and better understand from someone other than me."