Public Power - June 2008 - (Page 35)

tion, they asked local newspapers to publicize the open houses. Information was also posted on the CapX 2020 Web site. The CapX utilities have held two rounds of open houses along each proposed transmission corridor. “We received a lot of proposed options as a result,” said Wahle. “We asked people to point out problems they saw along the proposed rights-of-way. We’re benefiting from local knowledge, and getting feedback from landowners.” Wahle acknowledged that there has been some opposition to the two projects MRES is involved in. “We are getting pushback from some landowners who don’t want a transmission line running through their property.” Ultimately, the state of Minnesota will select the route, but the CapX utilities are responsible for identifying all concerns and issues associated with their projects. “We’re attempting to identify routing issues in advance,” said Wahle. “We will give this information to the state, along with a preferred route.” Regional utilities—co-ops, IOUs and joint action agencies—have helped make the open houses successful by providing a local presence, said Wahle. Like other project participants, MRES’ members have attended the open houses. “These are local people who support the projects,” he noted. “They help to explain why we’re doing this, what the benefits are.” The CapX projects also benefit from public power’s “strong political force” in the region, said Wahle. IAMU’s Kimber believes that the CapX model has held together well, demonstrating that utilities can collaborate in planning and building new transmission lines. Regional differences will affect the way utilities approach such collaboration, she said. But there is no fundamental reason why it couldn’t work in other areas of the country. “It may convince others that this kind of approach works.” To that end, FMPA’s Fontes would like to include a representative from a successful transmission coalition on the agenda of the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council’s next meeting. ❚ Need Direction? • 6 to 8 week delivery • Not subject to shortages • Renewable resource • Easily modified in the field • T&D Structures thru 165’ • Unguyed angle, tangent, switch & substation structures Engineered laminated wood structures from LWS will lead you down the best road to successful project completion on-time and under budget. 800-949-3526 www.lwsinc.com Laminated Wood Systems, Inc. Seward, Nebraska 4725 Hwy 28 East P i ne vill e, L A 71 3 6 0 Tel: (318) 487-9599 BetaEngin eering.com www.APPAnet.org JUNE 2008 35 http://www.lwsinc.com http://www.betaengineering.com http://www.APPAnet.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - June 2008

Public Power - June 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions A Patchwork Approach to Renewable Energy Whose Grid Is It Anyway? The Little Utility That Could Benchmarking Customer Service Can Prairie Hay Power Your Town? Storming the Control Room Investing in the Smart Grid Coming of Age: Superconducting Cables Community Broadband Economic Development Customer Service Human Resources For Governing Boards Safety Parting Shot

Public Power - June 2008

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